Before discussing what the Forgiveness Counseling Model is, one must first comprehend what forgiveness is. According to Dr. Enright,  forgiveness is essentially, the “foregoing of resentment or revenge” when the offender's actions deserve it and instead giving the wrongdoer favors of “mercy, generosity and love” or “beneficence” when the offender is not worthy them (Sutton, n.d.).

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The Forgiveness Counseling Model is used to inspire those trying to forgive or be forgiven to practice whatever spiritual and religious inspiration and means are individually important. 

 

 

This Model Follows Four Phases:

• Uncovering Phase: Gains insight into whether and how the injustice and subsequent injury have compromised his or her life (Enright, 2012).

• Decision phase: Gains an accurate understanding of the nature of forgiveness and makes a decision to commit to forgiving on the basis of this understanding (Enright, 2012).

• Work phase: Working on forgiving (Enright, 2012).

• Deepening phase: Finds increasing meaning in the suffering, feels more connected with others, and experiences decreased negative affect and, at times, renewed purpose in life (Enright, 2012).

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Reference:

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Enright, R.(2012). The Forgiving Life: A Pathway to Overcoming Resentment and Creating a Legacy of Love (APA Lifetools). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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Sutton, P. (n.d.). The Enright Process Model of Psychological Forgiveness. Retrieved July 21, 2018, from https://couragerc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Enright_Process_Forgiveness_1.pdf

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