ABSTRACT
Most clinicians would agree that betrayals and forgiveness are signifi cant is-sues for many couples. However, despite the prevalence of the need for for-giveness, until recently most couples therapists have been reluctant to use therapeutic strategies that relate explicitly to forgiveness (DiBlasio & Proctor, 1993). Fortunately, in the last few years, forgiveness has been increasingly incorporated into couples treatment, and its use has begun to receive empirical support. In this chapter, we present our integrative, trauma-based model of forgiveness; then we review recent applications of forgiveness to couples therapy that have received initial empirical support. We conclude by outlining directions for future research and intervention.
