Therapists’ Inclusion of Forgiveness During Cognitive Processing Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

This study investigated whether the inclusion of an evidence-based forgiveness therapy during a course of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) improved the efficacy of the treatment. This quasi-experimental, quantitative study examined 201 completed episodes of care from CPT-trained and rostered clinicians. Participants were divided into two groups. Group one contained clinicians who used no less than 46 minutes of an evidence-based forgiveness therapy intervention (n = 102), and group two (n = 99) contained clinicians who did not utilize an evidence-based forgiveness intervention. Pre- and post-treatment PTSD symptom severity was measured using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Group one showed a statistically greater reduction in PTSD symptoms (M = 30.74, SD = 8.55) compared to the group that used standard CPT (M = 21.06, SD = 9.13), p < .001, with a large effect size, d = 3.21. The findings suggest that the incorporation of an evidence-based forgiveness therapy intervention into trauma therapy may increase the efficacy of treatment outcomes and promote healing. This study highlighted the importance of the biblical principle of forgiveness as a critical element in the healing process. Findings from this research may improve therapeutic approaches to trauma treatment, shape how forgiveness is trained in clinical education, influence perceptions of the healing power of forgiveness, and shape policy.