Do you observe culturally as well as gender determined patterns of hoping?
Hope in Counselling and Psychotherapy
Denis O'Hara University of Abertay, Dundee © 2013
Engendering 'hope' is at the heart of counselling and psychotherapy but, until now, little attempt has been made to actually explain howand why it may be fostered. Understanding the central role of hope in healing and personal growth is an essential element of counsellor training and practice. It forms the basis of the therapeutic relationship and is integral to the very aims and motivation of counselling.
Keeping theory firmly grounded in real-life practice, this book explores:
-The nature of hope and how it is conceptualised from different theoretical perspectives.
-The common psychotherapeutic practices which engender hope and how they translate into effective practice
-The role of the counsellor in the process
-How to manage expectations and work effectively with clients suffering with severe and enduring psychological challenges
-Hope measures, and how to be a research-informed practitioner.
Packed full of case examples, practical exercise and points for reflection, this book is essential reading for any training or practising healthcare professional looking to understand the role of hope in the process of change.
The Hope Theory by Snyder offers a more concrete, cognitive approach to hope which can sometimes be ill-defined. This approach allows for easier measurement and understanding of hope. Check out this link for a good review article by Snyder: https://teachingpsychology.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/hope-theory.pdf
Dear Renata,
Thanks for your important question! I agree with Beatrice that instillation of hope is an essential therapeutic factor in psychotherapy (Strupp & Binder, 1984; Yalom, 2005). There are many theories (including positive psychology) that have discussed this important subject (Snyder, Rand, & Sigmon, 2012).
From my vantage point of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) (via social constructionism), a way to engender hope in one's client is to help him/her to
- Visualize a future that is free of the existing problem(s)
- Discover his/her solutions and resources that s/he has used successfully to combat the problem(s) to some degree
- Expand on and amplify his/her successes through skillful questioning, and
- Give feedback, etc. (Cheung, 2009; De Jong & Berg, 2013).
There are two different ways to consider hope. The first one depends upon the person him/herself and the human resources he/she puts in practice with his/her freedom. In this first case, the only limitation is personal, i.e., phycological. The second way to consider hope is in relation with things, experiencies or future events that have no possibility to be managed or controlled by the subject him/herself, i.e., other people initiative or decisions, ramson events, health limitations or death. Here hope is possible only supported by a trascendent experience, i.e., human, social or religious.
There are two different ways to consider hope. The first one depends upon the person him/herself and the human resources he/she puts in practice with his/her freedom. In this first case, the only limitation is personal, i.e., phycological. The second way to consider hope is in relation with things, experiencies or future events that have no possibility to be managed or controlled by the subject him/herself, i.e., other people initiative or decisions, ramson events, health limitations or death. Here hope is possible only supported by a trascendent experience, i.e., human, social or religious.
There are two different ways to consider hope. The first one depends upon the person him/herself and the human resources he/she puts in practice with his/her freedom. In this first case, the only limitation is personal, i.e., phycological. The second way to consider hope is in relation with things, experiencies or future events that have no possibility to be managed or controlled by the subject him/herself, i.e., other people initiative or decisions, ramson events, health limitations or death. Here hope is possible only supported by a trascendent experience, i.e., human, social or religious.
(Reference bibliography: Thomas of Aquinas, S.Th II-II,17-22)
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