Can people forgive in groups or would this inhibit their telling their story of injustice against them when others are watching and perhaps judging? In other words, would it be better to have one-on-one forgiveness counseling rather than group work?
We have done randomized experimental and control group studies in which one-on-one work was done and others in which group work was done. Group work can take several sessions before the participants bond with one another and are willing to open up about their pain and the injustices against them. Yet, this kind of openness does occur. The statistical results tend to show that one-on-one work leads to stronger results on average, but those in group work also substantially benefit. Here is one reference to a forgiveness group study with men in a maximum-security correctional institution that was very effective in reducing clinical (or near clinical) levels of anger, anxiety, and depression:
Yu, L., Gambaro, M., Song, J., Teslik, M., Song, M., Komoski, M.C., Wollner, B., & Enright, R.D. (2021). Forgiveness therapy in a maximum-security correctional institution: A randomized clinical trial. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 28, 1457-1471.https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2583
