Everett L. Worthington Jr.

The second edition of Forgiveness and Reconciliation offers a comprehensive review of the field of forgiveness, with a focus on reconciliation through integration of cutting-edge scientific research with clinical applications for a wide range of contexts. Written by one of the leading authorities on the topic, Dr. Everett L. Worthington, Jr., consolidates the theory and evidence behind the psychology and processes of forgiveness, drawing on biopsychosocial and cognitive aspects. The book discusses the practical applications for forgiveness in psychotherapy, moving from an updated consideration of the role of emotion and personality to a renewed focus on cultural and contextual factors. It also proposes a stress-and-coping theory of reconciliation that assists reconciliation in couples, organizations, and wider society. Chapters cover a wide range of areas including societal and intergroup forgiveness, social justice, interpersonal forgiveness, and ways in that forgiveness may be integrated with other psychotherapy models in a variety of contexts, such as couple and group therapy. With clinical examples and interventions woven throughout, this practical resource will be of interest to researchers, clinicians, and students alike.

The second edition of Forgiveness and Reconciliation offers a comprehensive review of the field of forgiveness, with a focus on reconciliation through integration of cutting-edge scientific research with clinical applications for a wide range of contexts. Written by one of the leading authorities on the topic, Dr. Everett L. Worthington, Jr., consolidates the theory and evidence behind the psychology and processes of forgiveness, drawing on biopsychosocial and cognitive aspects. The book discusses the practical applications for forgiveness in psychotherapy, moving from an updated consideration of the role of emotion and personality to a renewed focus on cultural and contextual factors. It also proposes a stress-and-coping theory of reconciliation that assists reconciliation in couples, organizations, and wider society. Chapters cover a wide range of areas including societal and intergroup forgiveness, social justice, interpersonal forgiveness, and ways in that forgiveness may be integrated with other psychotherapy models in a variety of contexts, such as couple and group therapy. With clinical examples and interventions woven throughout, this practical resource will be of interest to researchers, clinicians, and students alike.

This guide introduces the Hope-Focused Approach to couple therapy and provides a hands-on, practical resource for clinicians and students to integrate this approach into their practice effectively. Drawing from positive psychology, virtue theory, and forgiveness theory, the book describes how therapists can design a hope-focused treatment to promote intimacy, help couples communicate and resolve disagreements, strengthen emotional bonds, build trust, guide forgiveness, and encourage reconciliation. This book takes the therapist from assessing couples, to designing initial treatment plans, intervening in sessions, and facilitating termination. Focusing on communication training and conflict resolution, Worthington and Ripley share over 100 evidence-based techniques, case studies, and interventions to illustrate how to help couples effectively. Examples incorporate complex issues of race and sexuality, as well as values such as religion and politics. This practical guide arms therapists with a strategy to enrich their practice of couple therapy, equips them with practical techniques, and helps them promote forgiveness and reconciliation when couples seek it. This book is an invaluable resource for beginning counselors, graduate students, and practicing marriage and family therapists.

This guide introduces the Hope-Focused Approach to couple therapy and provides a hands-on, practical resource for clinicians and students to integrate this approach into their practice effectively. Drawing from positive psychology, virtue theory, and forgiveness theory, the book describes how therapists can design a hope-focused treatment to promote intimacy, help couples communicate and resolve disagreements, strengthen emotional bonds, build trust, guide forgiveness, and encourage reconciliation. This book takes the therapist from assessing couples, to designing initial treatment plans, intervening in sessions, and facilitating termination. Focusing on communication training and conflict resolution, Worthington and Ripley share over 100 evidence-based techniques, case studies, and interventions to illustrate how to help couples effectively. Examples incorporate complex issues of race and sexuality, as well as values such as religion and politics. This practical guide arms therapists with a strategy to enrich their practice of couple therapy, equips them with practical techniques, and helps them promote forgiveness and reconciliation when couples seek it. This book is an invaluable resource for beginning counselors, graduate students, and practicing marriage and family therapists.

Following the successful Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling, Jennifer Ripley and Everett Worthington Jr. have written a new book that expands upon their previous theoretical approach while describing in detail new practical interventions for couple counseling and enrichment. Weaving together classic cases outlined in Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling and over 75 brand new practical interventions, Ripley and Worthington root their practical examples in an even deeper theoretical framework and research in attachment and intimate bonds. Written with the couple counselor in mind, this book occupies a rare niche that is accessible not only to therapists and counselors but also to pastors and married couples alike. Both licensed clinical psychologists and experienced counselors, the authors base this follow-up work on the pillars of their Hope-Focused Couples Approach. The assessment tools included help facilitate improved marriages in many settings, and the combination of theory and real-life case studies easily integrates into the practices of professional counselors and researchers as well as into the lives of couples. Instructor Resources for classroom use include activities, video demonstrations of the authors in couples therapy, audio lectures, testbank, chapter summaries and a sample syllabus. Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.

Are Christian treatments as effective as secular treatments? What is the evidence to support its success? Christians engaged in the fields of psychology, psychotherapy and counseling are living in a unique moment. Over the last couple decades, these fields have grown more and more open to religious belief and religion-accommodative therapies. At the same time, Christian counselors and psychotherapists encounter pressure (for example, from insurance companies) to demonstrate that their accommodative therapies are as beneficial as secular therapies. This raises the need for evidence to support Christian practices and treatments. The essays gathered in this volume explore evidence-based Christian treatments, practices, factors and principles. The authors mine the relevant research and literature to update practicing psychotherapists, clinical researchers, students, teachers and educated laypersons about the efficacy of certain Christian-accommodative therapies. Topics covered in the book include: devotional meditationcognitive-behavior therapypsychodynamic and process-experiential therapiescouples, marriage and family therapygroup intervention The book concludes with a review of the evidence for the various treatments discussed in the chapters, a guide for conducting clinical trials that is essential reading for current or aspiring researchers, and reflections by the editors about the future of evidence-based Christian practices. As the editors say, "more research is necessary." To that end, this volume is a major contribution to a field of inquiry that, while still in its infancy, promises to have enormous implications for future work in Christian counseling and psychotherapy. Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.

Religion and science have often been at odds. In particular, Christianity and psychology have not always gotten along. Some Christians are still suspicious of psychological findings. But researcher Everett Worthington argues that Christians can know people better--and even know God better--through psychological science. Worthington suggests that the relationship between psychological science and Christianity is less like a war or mere dialogue and more like an emerging marriage. In this relational model of psychology and Christianity, there may be marital spats at times but also great potential for an intimate, mutually fulfilling relationship. Worthington demonstrates how the tools of experimental psychology shed light on human nature and the nature of God. Because people bear the image of God, the findings of psychological science help us understand both people and God more clearly. Psychological science provides new perspectives on theology and can help us address theological controversies and hot topics. Worthington gives recent examples of illuminating psychological findings, examines the distortions of the image of God through the effects of sin and points to ways that psychology assists Christians in living more virtuously. Psychology can contribute to the Christian life, because all of us, psychologists and non-psychologists alike, are human and can benefit from better understanding our fellow humankind. Beyond integrating Christian and psychological truths, this book uncovers new relationships between science and religion, demonstrates psychology?s benefits to theology, and helps Christians live a redeemed life that is pleasing to God.

A 2003 Templeton Foundation Book of Distinction All of us have suffered painful emotional and relational hurts. God calls us to forgive those who have hurt us, but that's often easier said than done. We don't usually know how to forgive others, nor are we always sure if we have truly forgiven them. Psychologist and counselor Everett L. Worthington Jr., the leading Christian researcher on forgiveness, says that forgiving is a gift we give to others. When we offer forgiveness to others as an altruistic gift, it is more effective than when we forgive only for our own benefit in an effort to "get over" the hurt. True forgiveness is accomplished through a careful process of understanding both the offense and the offender and taking active steps to forgiveness. In this insightful and practical book, Worthington provides a wealth of clinically proven tools and exercises for moving toward forgiveness. Worthington's expertise comes not only from years of scientific research but also from the experience of the brutal murder of his own mother. His convictions were put to the test as he worked through his conflicting emotions and rage toward the murderer. He found that the principles of Christian forgiveness enabled him to forgive even his mother's killer. While forgiveness is something that we can do on our own, reconciliation involves another party. Worthington brings both themes together and shows how we can move beyond forgiveness and cross the bridge to reconciliation. This book, previously published as Five Steps to Forgiveness, has been fully revised to make clear the scriptural foundations of Christian forgiveness. Biblical, authoritative and pastorally sound, this guide will be of help to anyone who wants to find the freedom of forgiveness.

Marriages are in trouble today. That is clear. Effective mothods of combating this trend are less evident. Counselors, pastors and social workers need more than mere theories or mere moralizing. They need a practical and comprehensive model for understanding couples and their problems. They need a throughly Christian perspective that is biblical, compassionate and human. Everett Worthington provides this in an integrated, biblically based theory of marriage and marriage therapy with analysis at three levels: the individual, the couple and the family. The model he has constructed, with techniques drawn from the major psychological schools, is standard enough to guide counselors in actual interventions and powerful enough to produce change. A thoroughgoing overview of the assessment process includes practical, workable guidelines for: creating realistic, mutually-agreeable goals for counselor and clients; estimating the number of sessions needed to reach those goals; and planning the actual assessment, intervention and termination sessions. Next Worthington offers specific techniques for enhancing cooperative change, intimacy, communication, conflict resolution and forgiveness within the marriage. But keeping couples from slipping back into old patterns is one of the counselor's most difficult tasks. So Worthington concludes with suggestions for solidifying change and effectively concluding the counseling relationship. Here is a text that will be a standard for counselors, pastors and mental health professionals in the years to come.