Reunification, Forgiveness and Reconciliation Therapy
Counseling for Reunification, Forgiveness and Reconciliation at The Counseling Corner since 1998
🤝 Forgiveness, Reunification & Reconciliation Therapy for Children and Families
Healing Wounds. Restoring Trust. Releasing Pain.
Every life story includes moments when we've been hurt, intentionally or unintentionally, by those around us. These injuries, if unresolved, create deep emotional wounds—impacting our physical health, emotional well-being, relationships, work, and even our solitude. At the Counseling Corner, we recognize that the road to true emotional freedom is paved through the transformative process of forgiveness.
When relationships are injured—by distance, betrayal, trauma, or silence—healing doesn’t always mean returning to how things were. Sometimes it means letting go. Sometimes it means starting over. At The Counseling Corner, we offer child and family-centered therapy focused on forgiveness, reunification, and reconciliation, helping children and families heal emotional wounds and rebuild trust in safe, healthy, and meaningful ways.
Since 1998, our licensed therapists have supported children, parents, siblings, and grandparents across Central Florida through these difficult but transformative journeys.
🧠 Understanding the Difference:
Forgiveness, Reunification & Reconciliation
Forgiveness is an internal process. It means releasing resentment, anger, or pain—regardless of whether the person who hurt you ever apologizes or changes. Forgiveness does not require ongoing relationship or contact.
Reconciliation is a relational process—the decision to rebuild connection after hurt or separation. It requires mutual willingness, emotional safety, and often structured therapeutic support.
Reunification Therapy is a structured therapeutic process designed to restore trust and strengthen connection, most often between a child and a previously estranged parent, but also between siblings, grandparents, or other family members.
🌱 Forgiveness Therapy for Children and Families
Forgiveness therapy helps children and families process past injuries—whether from a parent, sibling, friend, or even themselves. Forgiveness can reduce emotional pain, improve emotional regulation, and break cycles of blame, guilt, or shame.
We support forgiveness for:
Parental hurt or absence
Family conflict, divorce, or betrayal
Sibling rivalry or resentment
Generational wounds (e.g., strained relationships with grandparents)
Self-directed guilt, anger, or shame
Forgiveness is always a choice—never forced. When approached gently and intentionally, it can free children and adults alike from the emotional weight of the past.
The Hidden Cost of Unforgiveness
Holding onto hurt can quietly devastate every aspect of our lives:
Physically, unresolved anger and bitterness elevate stress hormones, weakening our immune systems and leading to chronic conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, and even reducing our life expectancy.
Emotionally, unforgiveness traps us in cycles of anger, anxiety, and depression, robbing us of peace, joy, and emotional stability.
Relationally, holding grudges creates walls between us and our loved ones, damaging our friendships, marriages, relationships with children, and even professional interactions.
Professionally and Personally, bitterness impacts our productivity, creativity, and our overall quality of life, leading to isolation and persistent dissatisfaction.
Unforgiveness is a heavy burden we carry alone, a poison we drink, expecting the other person to suffer. It creates what experts call the "Injustice Gap"—the perception of an unresolved wrong that pushes many towards vengeance, retaliation, and further harm. While revenge might make for gripping TV dramas or action films, in real life, it leaves a trail of grief, sadness, injury, and regret.
Remember the wisdom: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
👨👩👧 Reunification & Reconciliation Therapy for Broken Relationships
Sometimes a relationship isn’t just strained—it’s been broken. Reunification therapy offers a therapeutic pathway to help reconnect and repair those bonds, especially when:
A child has been estranged from a parent due to divorce, absence, trauma, or alienation
A child has refused contact with a parent, grandparent, or sibling
A family is healing from years of misunderstanding, hurt, or emotional distance
Our therapists offer:
Child-paced reunification sessions focused on emotional safety and relational repair
Court-ordered Reunification Therapy is a type of reunification therapy where either the court has ordered or the parents have legally stipulated or agreed in mediation that the parent and child are to be reunified.
Parent support and coaching to help you show up in new, emotionally attuned ways
Sibling reconciliation therapy for long-standing conflicts or rivalry
Grandparent-child reconciliation for families separated by custody disputes or generational patterns
Attachment-based interventions to restore trust and build security over time
💡 What Parents Should Know
1. Forgiveness is about freedom—not necessarily relationship.
Children can forgive someone without resuming contact. Forgiveness therapy focuses on releasing emotional pain, not necessarily forcing reconnection.
2. Reunification is best when it can be child-paced and emotionally safe.
Pushing a child into contact before they’re ready can sometimes cause more harm. We try to prioritize trust, consent, and emotional readiness above all. However, sometimes, a court-ordered process or a legally stipulated or mediated or legally oriented process may set goals, the parameters of the process, or the timeline (i.e., parents or the court may decide that a parent and child will be reunified regardless of the child’s desire to do so, or the court may set the pace for reunification to occur).
3. You may need to forgive yourself.
Many parents carry guilt for the past. Part of this work involves learning to lead with compassion—not shame—as you rebuild trust with your child.
4. Relationships can heal—even after years apart.
We've seen children and parents reunite after long periods of silence. Reconciliation is always possible when both parties are open, safe, and supported.
5. Not all relationships will reconcile—and sometimes that’s perfectly okay.
Sometimes, the goal is peace, not closeness. We support families in grieving what was lost, accepting what is, and making space for what could still grow.
🛠️ Some Therapeutic Tools & Approaches
Our therapists use a blend of evidence-based and relational models, including:
REACH Forgiveness Model (Worthington) – A step-by-step framework for releasing resentment
Enright’s Forgiveness Process Model – Focused on empathy, meaning-making, and emotional healing
Hargrave’s Model of Forgiveness and Reconciliation – Ideal for family systems work
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) – Helps family members tune into one another’s emotional needs and repair trust
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) – For children navigating hurtful or frightening past events
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) & EMDR – To resolve painful memories related to broken relationships
Family Therapy- To help heal family relationships, family dynamics, family hurt, and improve family functioning.
Reunification Therapy- Helping a parent and child to reunify and heal their relationship
Parent Coaching & Family Therapy – To reframe roles, clarify expectations, and build new relational patterns
💬 Testimonials of Family Healing
“After two years of silence, my daughter and I spoke for the first time through a counselor at The Counseling Corner. It didn’t fix everything—but it was the first real moment of healing.”
— Parent in Orlando“If you had told me a year ago that I’d forgive my dad, I would’ve laughed—or gotten angry. I truly believed I didn’t want anything to do with him ever again. I pushed back against the process at first, hard. But somehow, over time and with a lot of help, something shifted. We started to talk. We started to listen. And now… he’s back in my life, and I’m actually glad. It wasn’t easy, and it definitely wasn’t perfect—but it was worth it.”
“For a long time, I couldn’t even say the word ‘mom’ without feeling hurt or angry. Her drinking wrecked a lot—our family, our trust—and I shut her out completely. But through therapy at The Counseling Corner, and with her getting sober and really showing up for the hard stuff, we slowly started to rebuild. Today, we laugh. We talk. We’re close again. I never thought I’d say this, but… I’m proud of her. And I’m really thankful I gave her another chance.”
“My son never thought he could forgive his grandfather. But learning he didn’t have to forget—just to let go—changed everything.”
— Parent of a 13-year-old“After my parents divorced, I was just… angry. All the time. I didn’t even realize how much I was carrying until it started affecting everything—my mood, my friendships, even how I saw myself. I thought holding on to that anger protected me somehow. But learning how to forgive—really forgive—changed everything. It was like someone opened a window and let all the heaviness out. I felt lighter. I could laugh again. I didn’t expect to feel joy like that… but I did.”
“Counseling helped my children reconnect after years of resentment. They’re laughing again.”
— Parent of teen siblings
👨⚕️ Why Families Trust The Counseling Corner
🧠 Full-time, licensed therapists trained in forgiveness, reunification, and reconciliation therapy
🧒 Specialists in child, teen, and family emotional development
🧩 Deep experience with complex family systems, co-parenting conflict, and estrangement
🕊️ Faith-sensitive, trauma-informed approaches
📍 In-person offices in Orlando, Clermont, Orange City/Deland + Telehealth across Florida
Dr. Ernest W. Reilly, LCSW, completed his doctoral research on Forgiveness in High-Conflict Divorce and Co-Parenting, and leads our reunification and forgiveness programs.
📞 Take the First Step Toward Healing
You can’t change the past—but you can change what comes next.
Whether your goal is to reconnect, release resentment, or simply find peace, The Counseling Corner is here to guide you.
📞 Call us today at 407-843-4968 or visit www.counselingcorner.net
Let’s help your family move from pain to peace, and from separation to strength.
Begin your child’s journey to forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation today. Their path to peace and freedom awaits! Find the right therapist for you.