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Rocky Garrison, PhD, nationally recognized psychologist and leading Adlerian practitioner, visited Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Wednesday, Nov. 12 to deliver the 2025 Dr. Rudolf Dreikurs Visiting Scholar Lecture. His keynote, “Healing Mistakes: A Practical Guide to Forgiving Yourself and Others,” drew a full audience to the Morris University Center’s Legacy Room. Hosted by the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior and organized by Suzi Schieferdecker, the series honors Dreikurs, a close collaborator of Alfred Adler who helped establish individual psychology in the United States.

During his campus visit, Garrison met with students and faculty before addressing community members, alumni and aspiring clinicians. He centered his talk on the Adlerian tradition of individual psychology, a holistic and value-driven approach that views psychological well-being as inseparable from movement, purpose, belonging and social interest.

Garrison underscored a core Adlerian concept sometimes called “the courage to be imperfect,” emphasizing that meaningful growth requires accepting one’s own limitations, repairing what can be repaired and moving toward connection rather than isolation. From that framework, he turned toward the heart of his lecture: forgiveness.

“Forgiveness is healing that goes deeper than the wound,” said Garrison. “It is a process that both heals and hurts but nurtures you above the place where you have been.”

He distinguished between forgiving oneself and forgiving others while linking both to increased courage, authenticity and emotional functioning.

Audience members were then guided through two structured reflection exercises with practical application in both personal and clinical settings.

Garrison’s words resonated with the diverse audience. Among those in attendance was Luciana “Luci” Sabatino Cross (’08, ’10, ’13), who served as a clinician and adjunct professor at Auburn University at Montgomery. For Sabatino Cross, the guided exercises were unlike anything she had encountered in previous Adlerian study.

“I’ve studied Adlerian theory for years, but I had never studied forgiveness in this context,” said Sabatino Cross. “With the trauma I’ve experienced, I’ve struggled to forgive myself and not carry the weight of what happened to me. Tonight made me realize that forgiveness isn’t about excusing anything, it’s about releasing the grip those experiences still have.”

Cross, who has navigated significant personal and medical challenges including a craniotomy last year and a recent diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, said she plans to explore how forgiveness practices might support trauma recovery.

“So many questions tonight were about trauma and protection,” she added. “I want to keep researching how forgiveness and trauma work together and bring that knowledge back to the community. We need this work in today’s world.”

During a conversational Q&A, Garrison addressed questions about estrangement, trauma and boundaries. He affirmed that forgiveness is one possible path to healing, not a universal requirement, noting that some individuals may never pursue forgiveness and that their choice must be respected.

“Everybody has to decide how they’re going to forgive,” said Garrison. “I don’t think we can force anybody into doing it. It just doesn’t work. It creates further victimization, so people have to choose. It’s our job to put it out there as a possibility, as an option.”

The Dreikurs Visiting Scholar Lecture continues to highlight the ongoing relevance of Adlerian thought in contemporary practice, inviting learners to consider forgiveness not as a single moment of absolution but as an ongoing movement toward courage, connection and a more compassionate way of being. Forgiveness, Garrison reminded listeners, is not forgetting the wound, but choosing to heal beyond it.

PHOTOS: Rocky Garrison, PhD, Legacy Room of the Morris University Center