Document Type
Praxis
Abstract
“Forgiving Others, Forgiving Ourselves” is a course offered at Regis University in the College of Contemporary Liberal Studies. The course covers content related to the nature of forgiveness, different theoretical lenses through which to view forgiveness, health and forgiveness, barriers to forgiveness, interpersonal boundaries, steps and phases of forgiveness, and communication skills around apology and reconciliation. The nature of forgiveness itself and the fact that students arrive to class with their own histories of both harming others and being harmed themselves necessitate that professors facilitating a class on forgiveness move flexibly to hold space for students. This article defines the activity of “holding space,” describes its use in the field of spiritual care, offers suggestions for its application in the classroom, and offers a reflection of one professor’s experience about the value of holding space in the college classroom.
Recommended Citation
Floyd, Anna H. L.. "Holding Space: A Reflection About Teaching a Class on Forgiveness." Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal Vol. 5: No. 2 (2016) . Available at: https://epublications.regis.edu/jhe/vol5/iss2/8
