In the absence of any studies concerning views that psychotherapists have towards the place of humour in psychotherapy, a questionnaire was devised and distributed to a sample of therapists practising in the United Kingdom. Half the respondents saw a regular place for humour in treatment; 62%0 of the respondents regarded the risks involved as moderate or marked. From their qualitative responses it was possible to identify eight factors relevant to the application of humour in treatment and five categories of risk. Most therapists suggested that the effective promotion of humour depended on the therapist's awareness of his own sense of humour and how this could find expression in therapy. Any theoretical basis for the incorporation of humour into treatment did not seem to be regarded as particularly important.