{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T18:14:55Z","timestamp":1778696095828,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":63,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778630400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Pluriannual Funding Programme for Research Units 2020-2023 UIDP\/00050\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Pluriannual Funding Programme for Research Units 2020-2023 UIDP\/00050\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100010790","name":"Erasmus+","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Erasmus+ Project N.\u00ba 2020-1-PT01-KA202-078724"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Erasmus+ Project N.\u00ba 2020-1-PT01-KA202-078724"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100010790","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Over recent decades, Emotion-Focused Therapy, aging, and forgiveness have garnered significant attention in the field of psychology. However, there is a lack of studies on Emotion-Focused Therapy and forgiveness specifically tailored for older adults. This article presents a protocol designed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a randomized controlled trial of Emotion-Focused Therapy aimed at resolving emotional injuries in individuals aged 65 and older, within the context of interpersonal offenses. Feasibility will be evaluated through recruitment and retention rates, as well as adherence to the intervention protocol. Acceptability will be assessed based on perceived treatment credibility, participants\u2019 expectations regarding outcomes, levels of engagement, and overall satisfaction with the intervention. The study is structured as a two-arm, parallel-group randomized trial with a waiting list control. We propose recruiting a sample of 70 participants, randomly assigned to either an immediate intervention group, which will receive Emotion-Focused Therapy over twelve weekly sessions, or a control group that will receive the same therapy after a twelve-week waiting period. Data will be collected in the beginning, middle, and at the end of therapy, and in two planned follow-ups (three and six months after therapy). Once this protocol is implemented, if the therapy proves to be feasible, acceptable, and shows promising results, the findings will inform a large-scale randomized clinical trial to advance the understanding of this treatment for individuals aged 65\u2009+\u2009.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0345792","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T17:37:11Z","timestamp":1778693831000},"page":"e0345792","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Emotion-focused therapy and forgiveness in the older population: Protocol for a feasibility randomized controlled trial"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0864-4970","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Bernardo Corr\u00eaa","family":"d\u2019Almeida","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7369-5075","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Carla","family":"Cunha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0345792.ref001","volume-title":"Handbook of forgiveness","author":"EL Worthington","year":"2020","edition":"2"},{"key":"pone.0345792.ref002","article-title":"Forgiveness and letting go in Emotion-Focused Therapy","author":"CW Meneses","year":"2019","journal-title":"American Psychological Association"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0345792.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"185","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-0167.55.2.185","article-title":"Differential effects of Emotion-Focused Therapy and psychoeducation in facilitating forgiveness and letting go of emotional injuries","volume":"55","author":"LJ Greenberg","year":"2008","journal-title":"J Couns Psychol"},{"key":"pone.0345792.ref004","article-title":"Forgiveness therapy: An empirical guide for resolving anger and restoring hope","author":"RD Enright","year":"2015","journal-title":"American Psychological Association"},{"key":"pone.0345792.ref005","article-title":"Forgiveness and health: Scientific evidence and theories relating forgiveness to better health","author":"LL Toussaint","year":"2015","journal-title":"Springer"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0345792.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"91","DOI":"10.1080\/08946566.2024.2332141","article-title":"Introduction: exploring older women\u2019s perspectives on lifetime abuse","volume":"36","author":"TB Winterstein","year":"2024","journal-title":"Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0345792.ref007","first-page":"1","article-title":"Emotion-Focused Therapy for Grief and Bereavement","volume":"22","author":"JM Sharbanee","year":"2023","journal-title":"Pers Cent Exp Psychother"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0345792.ref008","first-page":"248","article-title":"Disclosing the challenges of older clients in person-centered therapy: the client\u2019s perspective","volume":"14","author":"S von Humboldt","year":"2015","journal-title":"Pers Cent Exp Psychother"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0345792.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"154","DOI":"10.1037\/a0035268","article-title":"Efficacy of psychotherapeutic interventions to promote forgiveness: a meta-analysis","volume":"82","author":"NG Wade","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Consult Clin Psychol"},{"key":"pone.0345792.ref010","volume-title":"The Enright forgiveness inventory (EFI) user\u2019s manual","author":"RD Enright","year":"2000"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0345792.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0193357","article-title":"\u201cLetting myself go forward past wrongs\u201d: How regulatory modes affect self-forgiveness","volume":"13","author":"A Pierro","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0345792.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.21926\/obm.geriatr.2002118","article-title":"Towards positive aging: links between forgiveness and health","volume":"4","author":"N Webster","year":"2021","journal-title":"OBM Geriatrics"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0345792.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1866","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm10091866","article-title":"Forgiveness interventions for older adults: A review","volume":"10","author":"J L\u00f3pez","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Clin Med"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0345792.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"917","DOI":"10.1080\/13607863.2023.2285915","article-title":"Gerotranscendence and wisdom in Polish older adults. 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