Spiritually Integrated Group Psychotherapy for First Responders: Forgiveness, Trauma, and Alcohol Use

ABSTRACT

First responders (e.g. firefighters, law enforcement, paramedics, corrections officers) experience high rates of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Despite the relevance of both spirituality and forgiveness to PTSD and AUD among first responders, spiritually integrated group interventions for this population are rare. This article discusses a forgiveness session of a spiritually integrated group psychotherapy protocol for first responders (SPIRIT-FR) in acute psychiatric care. This brief group psychotherapy intervention includes (a) psychoeducation about the intersection of PTSD, AUD, and forgiveness (b) discussion of the relevance of forgiveness to PTSD and AUD, and (c) the integration of spiritual beliefs and behaviors to move toward forgiveness. We discuss relevant clinical theory as well as the potential clinical application of this protocol.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTION

The authors jointly affirm that this manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study being reported; that no important aspects of the study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from the study as planned have been explained.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; John Templeton Foundation; and McLean Hospital development fund [#041537].

Notes on contributors

Caroline C. Kaufman

Caroline C. Kaufman, Ph.D., is an Assistant Psychologist in the Spirituality and Mental Health Program at McLean Hospital and an Instructor in psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Memphis and completed her clinical internship at Yale University/Yale—New Haven Hospital.

Dr Kaufman’s research interests are in the intersection of spirituality, adversity, and mental health. She conceptualizes adversity broadly and is particularly interested in how spirituality may buffer against the overlap of trauma and alcohol misuse among first responders receiving acute psychiatric care. Her work is supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the John Templeton Foundation, and Harvard Medical School.

David H. Rosmarin

David H. Rosmarin, Ph.D., is the director of the Spirituality and Mental Health Program at McLean Hospital and an associate professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Bowling Green State University under the mentorship of Kenneth I. Pargament, Ph.D., and he completed a predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital. Dr Rosmarin studies the relevance of spirituality to mental health, and he innovates methods for clinicians to address this area of life. He has published over 100 manuscripts, editorials, and chapters, and served as co-editor of the Handbook of Spirituality, Religion and Mental Health. Dr Rosmarin’s work is regularly featured by the media and has appeared in CNN, NPR, Scientific American, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.