Forgiveness in Trauma Therapy

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Handouts

Speaker

Amanda Gregory, LCPC Related seminars and products

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Amanda Ann Gregory, LCPC, is a trauma psychotherapist renowned for her work in complex trauma recovery, notably as the author of You Don’t Need to Forgive: Trauma Recovery on Your Own Terms. With a keen focus on the specific needs of trauma survivors, Gregory’s expertise spans over 15 years in clinical practice. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, National Geographic, and Newsweek and published in Writer’s Digest, Psychotherapy Networker, Counseling Today, and Psychology Today. She lives in Chicago, Illinois, with her partner and their sassy black cat, Mr. Bojangles. She provides free trauma resources on her website.
 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Amanda Gregory has an employment relationship with the Chicago Center for Sex & Wellbeing and receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Amanda Gregory has no relevant non-financial relationships.

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Program Information

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Objectives

1. Examine common myths about the use and impact of forgiveness in trauma therapy.
2. Distinguish between forgiveness as an elective experience in trauma therapy and the practice of requiring forgiveness in forgiveness therapy.
3. Identify four reasons why the use of mandatory forgiveness in trauma therapy is unsupported by empirical evidence.
4. Identify the clinical limitations of forgiveness therapy in trauma recovery.
5. Define six specific ways that requiring forgiveness can harm trauma survivors in therapy.
6. Utilize six trauma therapy interventions that incorporate elective forgiveness.

Outline

Do We Even Agree on What Forgiveness Means?

• Define forgiveness operationally
• Review forgiveness research in wellness
• Explore the origins of forgiveness in psychology

The Role of Forgiveness in Trauma Therapy

• Define clinical trauma
• Forgiveness therapy vs. forgiveness in therapy
• Forgiveness therapy modalities
• Common myths about forgiveness

Research, Risk and Limitations

• Lack of standardized definitions
• How safety is compromised
• Identify methods that restrict emotional processing

Required Forgiveness: Impacts on Clients, the Therapeutic Relationship, and More

• Discover the negative impacts on the counselling relationships
• Recognize how anger processing is restricted
• Explore how gender and racial stereotypes are promoted
• Detect how the wishes of offenders/bystanders are reinforced
• Learn how religious trauma responses are activated
• Identify failures to acknowledge culture and religious beliefs

Elective Forgiveness Interventions: How to Get Forgiveness Right in Trauma Therapy

• Provide elective forgiveness psychoeducation
• Asses the impact of mandatory forgiveness
• Explore religious/spiritual and cultural beliefs
• Create realistic forgiveness-focused treatment plans
• Welcome rage, resentment, and anger
• Utilize techniques to assess and assign appropriate blame

Target Audience

• Counsellors
• Social Workers
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Psychologists
• Case Managers
• Addiction Counsellors
• Nurse Practitioners
• Physicians
• Other Mental Health Professionals