Ev Worthington, PhD, VCU Psychology Professor Emeritus
Tuesday, February 4th, 7:00
BCM/Scholé House, 819 S. Cathedral Place, VCU
At the end of 2024, Greater Good Magazine identified two studies—(1) testing the effectiveness of a DIY workbook to promote forgiveness in five high-conflict countries with about 4,600 people and (2) reporting on a campus-wide forgiveness campaign that transformed a Colombian secular university—as one of the top health- and well-being-related scientific insights of 2024. This research started in a counseling supervision room at VCU in the 1980s, and it developed through over 30 randomized controlled trials and international use. How did this happen? In this talk, Dr. Worthingon reflects on his career path as a case study, with the hope that his experience will have broad application for those developing any career they are pursuing.
Everett L. Worthington, Jr., Ph.D., is Commonwealth Professor Emeritus working from the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he holds an affiliate appointment. He also holds a Faculty Affiliate appointment at the Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University (Human Flourishing Program). He continues to be active in research and speaking around the world. He is a licensed Clinical Psychologist in Virginia. He has published 48 books and over 500 articles and scholarly chapters, mostly on forgiveness, humility and positive psychology, marriage, and family topics, and religion and spirituality. He also has developed the REACH Forgiveness model (see www.EvWorthington-forgiveness.com for free resources), supported by over 30 published randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and has recently been tested in global grant-funded RCTs in 5 countries (six sites; N = 4,598). Greater Good Magazine (from Berkeley) picked it as one of the top 10 scientific insights regarding health for 2024 [see article here; see also his 2024 TEDx talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07XCCVY-3ds&ab_channel=TEDxTalks (TEDxYouth@rva)]. He has developed numerous other positive psychological interventions.
For fun, Ev ballroom dances and competes in pickleball singles and doubles. He and Kirby have been married since 1970.