What Brings Forgiveness: Reflections on Three Cases

Gu-Hwa Hong Yi (홍구화)

doi:10.17841/jocag.2013.21..352

What Brings Forgiveness: Reflections on Three Cases

Journal of Counseling and Gospel
Abbr : Jocag
2013, 21(), pp.352-372
DOI : 10.17841/jocag.2013.21..352
Publisher : Korean Evangelical Counseling Society
Research Area : Humanities > Christian Theology > Pastoral Counseling
Received : October 20, 2013
Accepted : November 12, 2013

Gu-Hwa Hong Yi ¹

¹합동신학대학원대학교

Candidate

ABSTRACT

Forgiveness is a religious coping method that primarily benefits the injured person through transformation of emotions, cognitions, and behaviors toward the offender. The offense can be caused by self, others, God, or situation. Forgiveness is a process that leads to lessening the feelings of unforgiveness and the increase of positive regard for the offender. My clinical experiences along with research findings suggest some elements that facilitate forgiveness in therapy. As for therapists, forgiveness issues tend to be effectively dealt with by a therapist who is open to assess and work with a client’s religious belief systems. Also, when clients have built trusting relationships with their therapists through enough number of sessions and exclusively talk about forgiveness in therapy, forgiveness issues are effectively dealt with in therapy. Using effective forgiveness interventions in therapy is also important to bring forgiveness, which in turn yields improved clinical outcomes. Core elements in effective forgiveness interventions include defining the forgiveness, recalling the hurt, building empathy, acknowledging own offenses, committing forgiveness, and overcoming unforgiveness. When a therapist employs effective interventions with sensitivity to each client’s situation, forgiveness therapy can help clients improve their clinical symptoms as well as grow and mature in the midst of their sufferings.

KEYWORDS

forgiveness, therapy, elements that promote forgiveness in therapy, therapeutic outcomes of forgiveness, a religious coping method

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

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Journal of Counseling and Gospel 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.55

What Brings Forgiveness: Reflections on Three Cases

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Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

Journal of Counseling and Gospel 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.55

What Brings Forgiveness: Reflections on Three Cases

ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS

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* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.