Forgiveness News

Forgiveness Guidelines for Therapists

Dr. Suzanne Freedman

A recent essay by Professor Suzanne Freedman of the University of Northern Iowa was published in the Greater Good Magazine of the University of California, Berkeley. The essay is titled “Seven Guidelines for Therapists Helping Clients to Forgive.” It provides helpful information for mental health professionals whose clients want to work on forgiving those who have been unjust to them.

The essay can be read here:

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/seven_guidelines_for_therapists_helping_clients_to_forgive?utm_source=Greater+Good+Science+Center&utm_campaign=9341ca916b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_GG_Newsletter_May_14_2026&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5ae73e326e-9341ca916b-693449702

The Struggle to Seek Forgiveness and to Forgive

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Olympian Sturla Holm Lægreid, who won a bronze medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, shared his challenge of seeking forgiveness from his girlfriend after he had an affair during the competition. His girlfriend shared her struggle to offer forgiveness. The story can be found on people.com here:

https://people.com/sturla-holm-laegreid-ex-girlfriend-breaks-her-silence-after-affair-confession-2026-winter-olympics-11904252?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Is There Ever an Obligation to Forgive?

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So often people exhort others not to force others to forgive.  The current advice so often seen in print is this: Forgiveness is the choice of the forgiver, not the demand of the one who acted unjustly.  Yet an article published in Acta Analytica on February 10, 2026, by Sam Ridge, entitled “The Right to Forgiveness,” challenges the current norms.  He makes the interesting claim that if a person promises to forgive, then this becomes an expectation.  As an analogy, if Harold promises to mow a neighbor’s lawn by Saturday and then does not follow through, there remains an expectation that the lawn will be mowed by Harold.  It is similar with forgiveness.  For example, if a father asks his daughter, “Why were you out so late last night?  It is ok to tell me.  If I do not like your answer, I will forgive you.”  The promise creates the expectation that it will be kept.  The challenge, then, is this: Forgiveness is not solely in the hands of the forgiver; it can become an obligation to the other person if a promise is attached to the forgiving.

The article can be read here:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12136-026-00676-4

Is Forgiveness Good for Your Health?

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A new article on forgiveness (How to let go of grudges — and why it could be good for your health) was published online by the Washington Post on Thursday, April 23, 2026.  The article is behind a paywall ($2 for a one-time purchase of this one article) and can be found at this link! 

What Does Forgiveness Entail?

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On January 26, 2026, Richard Balkin, a professor at the University of Mississippi, published an article on the website The Conversation discussing forgiveness.  In two places on the site, he defines forgiveness this way:

1. “At its core, forgiveness is internal: a way of laying down ill will and our emotional burden……”
2. “……forgiveness comes when we relinquish feelings of ill will toward another.”

Is this philosophically correct?  We would say no because it is reductionistic, focusing on only half of the equation when it comes to the moral virtue of forgiveness.  If forgiveness is a moral virtue, then, as a moral virtue, it concerns goodness toward others.  More specifically, when it comes to forgiveness, the person is exercising goodness toward the one who behaved unjustly.  This would involve not only the free-will attempt to reduce or eliminate “ill will” but also, to be more complete, its essence needs to include the struggle to offer positive feelings, thoughts, and behaviors toward the other person as well, even if the other is no longer in the forgiver’s life.  In other words, even without reconciliation, a forgiver can speak well of the offending person to others.  Reducing ill will and offering goodness captures the essence of forgiveness more accurately than the appropriation of either one alone.

The article can be read here:

What We Get Wrong About Forgiveness: A Counseling Professor Unpacks the Difference Between Letting Go and Making Up