Further, its effectiveness was not fully tested because participants’ ability to forgive was assessed only at the end of the forgiveness group. However, their intervention was limited by its exclusive focus on older Christian women. When compared to a control group, those in the forgiveness group experienced fewer negative emotions as well as more positive thoughts and behaviors toward those who had been hurtful. ![]() In one study, Hebl & Enright (1993) evaluated a forgiveness group for older adults. They have constructed a comprehensive theoretical framework concerning the mechanisms associated with forgiveness ( Enright & Colye, 1998) and have applied their forgiveness approach to different populations (e.g., Coyle & Enright, 1997 Enright, Santos, & Al-Mabuk, 1989 Hebl & Enright, 1993). One of the most well-defined approaches has been developed by Enright and his colleagues ( Enright & North, 1998). Mental health practitioners use a number of different approaches to enhancing forgiveness ( Al-Mabuk et al., 1995: Worthington, Sandage & Berry, 2000). Forgiveness may also be linked to greater social support, in that it reduces negative emotions such as anger and hostility toward others ( Worthington & Scherer, 2004). Additionally, those who engage in forgiveness fare better on multiple indicators of physical health ( Lawler et al., 2005) and are more willing to forgive others ( Al-Mabuk, Enright, & Cardis, 1995 Hebl & Enright, 1993). Empirical evidence suggests that those who participate in forgiveness interventions experience salubrious effects including reduced levels of anxiety ( Coyle & Enright, 1997) and depression ( Freedman & Enright, 1996). This paper describes a group approach to forgiveness and examines its effectiveness for older adults.įorgiveness, in clinical terms, is defined as “an act of deliberately giving up resentment toward an offender while fostering the undeserved qualities of beneficence and compassion toward that offender” ( Freedman & Enright, 1996, p. ![]() One way in which social workers can help aging clients resolve their painful reactions is through the process of forgiveness. Indeed, these hurtful situations can be so traumatizing that the resulting mental health problems severely undermine an older adult’s ability to function ( Berry & Worthington, 2001 Graziano, 2003). Powerful feelings of sadness, anger and betrayal may emerge when the discussion focuses on the pain inflicted by others. And there are three fantastic webinars on preparing for a position in academia, too! View on our Resources page.Social workers are often involved with older people as they reminisce about the past. We’ve also included several webinars organized by our doctoral student representatives, including this fall semester’s webinars on the academic job market in difficult times and the use of social media as a digital networking tool, as well as this summer’s webinar on how to publish in our journal, the Journal of Gerontological Social Work. ![]() We included this fall semester’s recording from “Compassion in action: Social workers discuss infusing compassion in aging, mental health, and public safety” in collaboration with NC State University. Mercedes Bern-Klug and Nancy Kusmaul, and loneliness and social isolation among older adults during the pandemic by Dr. Robert Turner, nursing home social work and COVID-19 by Drs. We’ve included all three of our summer webinars on caregiving in the black community by Dr. Refreshed resources page for students, researchers, and practitioners-available to nonmembers for a limited time!ĭid you miss one of our summer and fall webinars? Not to worry! We’ve placed them onto our refreshed resources page.
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