Understanding concerns about interventions to promote forgiveness: A review of the literature

A new area in psychotherapy practice and research has arisen addressing therapeutic interventions to explicitly promote forgiveness. There is wide variation in the response to this new area including enthusiastic acceptance, wary openness, and vigorous opposition. Unfortunately, these reactions are not often based on a thorough understanding of the empirical literature and result in concerns about using forgiveness interventions in therapy that may or may not be warranted. The authors identify these potential concerns, framing them as concerns about the impact on clients, concerns related to therapist skill or knowledge, and concerns about the effect on the therapy process. The authors address these concerns with a review of the relevant research on forgiveness in therapy. Based on this review, the authors conclude that some skepticism of the new "forgiveness interventions" is warranted, although serious consideration needs to be given to these interventions at appropriate times. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).