Lunch & Learn: Rethinking Forgiveness in Trauma Therapy
Date/Time
11/1/2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Central
Event Registration
Event Description

PRICING:
IMHCA Members: $10
Non-Members: $25


1 CEU Awarded

Overview:

 

Forgiveness poses a profound challenge in trauma therapy. When clinicians compel, coerce, or even encourage trauma survivors to forgive their offenders, they risk inadvertently causing harm and sabotaging treatment. This approach can compromise survivors’ safety, reinforce harmful gender norms and societal inequalities, suppress emotional processing, and cultivate feelings of shame. Embracing elective forgiveness offers clinicians a balanced approach, recognizing forgiveness in trauma therapy not as a mandatory goal but as a potentially beneficial process that may vary in relevance for each survivor. You’ll explore how to:

  • Distinguish forgiveness as an organic aspect of trauma recovery from forgiveness therapy as a structured intervention.
  • Describe why pursuing forgiveness as a primary goal in trauma therapy lacks empirical evidence and can be considered an unethical practice.
  • Identify four critical needs of trauma survivors that are neglected when forgiveness is a therapeutic goal.
  • Implement targeted interventions and practical tools that embrace elective forgiveness in trauma therapy.

Presented by: Amanda Ann Gregory
  
Amanda Ann Gregory 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 16 years in both outpatient and residential settings. Her contributions have been featured in publications such as Psychology Today, Psychotherapy Networker, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Psychotherapy.net, Highlights Magazine, and more. Gregory holds clinical licenses in Illinois, Missouri, and Texas, alongside EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and National Counseling certifications. She is currently practicing in Chicago, Illinois, with her partner and their sassy black cat, Mr. Bojangles. Contact her at www.AmandaAnnGregory.com 


 
Location
Setting: Live Virtual
Zoom
Contact Person
IMHCA Office
(phone: (815)-787-0515)
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