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Everett L. Worthington  Jr.Everett L. Worthington Jr.

Professor

Contact information

Phone: (804) 828-1150
E-mail: eworth@vcu.edu
Web sites: Dr. Worthington's Forgiveness Intervention Manuals and A Campaign for Forgiveness

Education

Ph.D. (1978), University of Missouri-Columbia

Program affiliations

Counseling Psychology (primary)
Social Psychology (secondary) and Developmental Psychology (secondary)

Research and clinical interests

I study forgiveness and related constructs (such as justice). I also have developed a marriage/couple enrichment psychoeducational group intervention, which has been adjudicated as one of four having enough evidence to merit a designation of empirically supported. I also study religion and spirituality in counseling and marriage, especially (but not exclusively) Christianity. Many publications combine two or three of these topics. I suppose these would all fit under a general heading of Positive Psychology today. Finally, I do (and have done throughout my career) occasional writing on supervision of counseling and psychotherapy and on lay counseling.

Selected publications

Worthington, E. L., Jr. (2009). A just forgiveness: Responsible healing without excusing injustice. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Hook, J. N., Worthington, E. L., Jr., & Utsey, S. O. (2009). Collectivism, forgiveness, and social harmony. The Counseling Psychologist, 37, 786-820.

Miller, A. J., Worthington, E. L., Jr., & McDaniel, M. A. (2008). Forgiveness and gender: A meta-analytic review and research agenda. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 27, 843-876.

Worthington, E. L., Jr., Witvliet, C. V. O., Pietrini, P., & Miller, A. J. (2007). Forgiveness, health, and well-being: A review of evidence for emotional versus decisional forgiveness, dispositional forgivingness, and reduced unforgiveness. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30, 291-302.

Worthington, E. L., Jr. (2006). Forgiveness and reconciliation: Theory and application. New York, NY: Brunner/Routledge.

More publications [PDF]

Recent/current courses taught at VCU

  • Introduction to Psychology, undergraduate level
  • Positive Psychology, undergraduate level
  • Forgiveness: Theory, Research, and Practice, graduate level
  • Principles of Psychological Measurement, graduate level

Recent grants or awards

Worthington, E. L., Jr. (PI). Forgiveness in Christian Colleges. Fetzer Institute, $7 Co-Is: Nathaniel Wade, Charlotte Witvliet, Steven J. Sandage, $72,000 TC
($65,000 DC), 09/06/01-11/05/31 (current)

Worthington, E. L., Jr. (PI). National study of the effectiveness of Christian marriage counseling. American Association for Christian Counselors Foundation, $39,000 (current)

Worthington, E. L., Jr. (PI) & Michael McCullough (Co-I) and Steven Sandage (Co-I). Forgiveness and relational spirituality. Fetzer Institute, $350,000 DC and TC (September 2006-August 2010), Fetzer (current)

Worthington, E. L., Jr. (PI). Multi-method measurement of forgiveness and marriage enrichment. Fetzer Institute, $11,000
Virginia Commonwealth University   |   College of Humanities and Sciences   |   Department of Psychology
808 West Franklin Street   |   Richmond, Virginia 23284-2018   |   Phone: (804) 828-1193
E-mail: jldavis@vcu.edu   |   Updated: 10/13/2009