Acceptance and forgiveness therapy for veterans with moral injury
Spiritual and psychological collaboration in group treatment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22311027 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Pat Pernicano (0000-0002-3091-3412, The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center, corresponding author), Patricia U Pernicano (South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, USA), Jennifer Wortmann (0000-0001-8346-7375, Department of Veterans Affairs, Integrative Mental Health, Durham, NC, USA), Kerry Haynes (0000-0003-3973-2367, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, USA) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | sup1 |
| Pages | S57-S78 |
| Publication date | 2022-04-14 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0885-4726 • E-ISSN: 1528-6916 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/08854726.2022.2032982 |
| PMID | 35135436 |
| OpenAlex | W4210894551 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 13 |
| References cited | 54 |
The authors developed Acceptance and Forgiveness Therapy (AFT), a psychospiritual group intervention that guides veterans with moral injury experientially from a trauma-focused (damaged, broken, guilty, unforgivable, hopeless, unacceptable) to restorative (worthy, connected, hopeful, forgiven, responsible) view of self. A mental health (MH)-trained chaplain and MH provider, as co-leaders, provide psychoeducation, facilitate therapeutic interaction, and encourage home practice. The curriculum includes evidence-driven psychological interventions, spiritually oriented practices, and metaphor, story, and art to illustrate concepts and facilitate self-expression. Scores on the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-2 showed decreased distress and increased flexibility. Post-group drawings reflect renewed purpose, greater self-acceptance, and meaningful engagement with others. Retention rate across seven group administrations ranged from 50% to 100%. Outcomes suggest AFT is a promising practice for veteran moral injury meriting further study and implementation
Acceptance and commitment therapy · Distress · Forgiveness · Group psychotherapy · Moral injury · Psychiatry · Psychoeducation · Psychological intervention · Psychotherapist · Clinical Psychology · Forgiveness and Related Behaviors · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Social Psychology
Epistemic Moral Injury
Behavioral Health Providers’ Worldviews and Their Descriptions of Moral Injury in United States Military and Veteran Settings
Forgiveness
A Review of Empirical Treatments Focused on Mind-Body and Spiritually Grounded Complementary Practices for Moral Injury among Veterans
The Impact of Faith-Based Pastoral Care in Decreasingly Religious Contexts
Addressing spiritual needs of Veterans post-incarceration
Engaging in moral learning
Creating moral space
Towards a fuller understanding of the healing of childhood parental wounds
The Moral Injury Experience Wheel
ACTing Spiritually
Enhancing the Utility of the Moral Injury Experience Wheel
LGBT Veterans and Moral Injury
Overcoming Interpersonal Offenses
The effects of forgiveness therapy on depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress for women after spousal emotional abuse.
Psychometric analysis of the brief symptom inventory 18 (BSI-18) in a representative German sample
Trauma, Change in Strength of Religious Faith, and Mental Health Service Use Among Veterans Treated for PTSD
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Contextual Behavioral Science
Initial Psychometric Evaluation of the Moral Injury Questionnaire—Military Version
Psychotherapy for Military-Related PTSD
Whatever happened to qualitative description?
Moral Injury
Forgiveness as an intervention goal with incest survivors.
Moral injury and moral repair in war veterans
Preliminary Psychometric Properties of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II
Psychological inflexibility predicts PTSD symptom severity in war veterans after accounting for established PTSD risk factors and personality
Trauma-focused cognitive–behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) for interpersonal trauma in transitional-aged youth
German Soldiers' Needs to Clarify Open Aspects in Their Life, to Talk About Fears and Worries, and to Forgive and to Be Forgiven as a Matter of Life Reflection
Spiritual Dimensions of Moral Injury
Chaplaincy, Spiritual Care and Moral Injury
Using Metaphors to Facilitate Exploration of Emotional Content in Counseling With College Men
Religion as a Meaning‐Making Framework in Coping with Life Stress
Transforming Veteran Identity Through Community Engagement
Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis
Psychospiritual Developmental Risk Factors for Moral Injury
| Citations per year | 3.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |