Multidimensional Hope in Counseling and Psychotherapy Scale.

Abstract

Hope is a foundational facet of psychotherapy and of common factors theories of psychotherapy. Major hope measures developed in psychology are not designed to measure hope as it relates specifically to psychotherapy. There is growing evidence that both content and processes related to hope in this complex domain have unique features. The Multidimensional Hope in Counseling and Psychotherapy Scale (MHCPS) was developed through a multiphase process, including comprehensive literature review, surveys employing overlapping panels of experts, and scale validation with 211 clients in therapy at 7 Canadian locations. The MHCPS includes 34 items across 6 subscales: Future Orientation, Spirituality, Cognitive, Therapeutic Relationship, Other Relationships, and Emotional. The 6 subscales and the full scale possessed high reliabilities and good convergent and divergent validity. Unique aspects of this scale are the inclusion of a spirituality dimension as well as 2 relational dimensions, recognizing that the therapeutic relationship is a common, though not the sole, relational experience of hope for clients in therapy. The MHCPS offers a nuanced and well-validated option for psychotherapeutic research on hope. Among the many assets of the MHCPS is its ability to provide refined information about the complex interrelationship between client hope and client relationships (therapeutic and other). When employed in clinical settings, the MHCPS can be used to identify and open a range of clinical conversations about where and how hope is currently experienced by clients.

Canadian Faculty Members’ Hopes and Anxieties About the Near-Future of Higher Education

“…We theorize hope using key dimensions of the concept identified in the Herth Hope Index, the Synder State Hope Scale, and the Multidimensional Hope in Counseling and Psychotherapy Scale (Arnau, 2018;Larsen et al, 2020;Schrank et al, 2008). To theorize anxiety, we use Barlow's (2000) concept of anxious apprehension.…”

“…Models of hope consistently include five dimensions: cognitive, affective, behavioural, relational, and environmental. The cognitive dimension of hope focuses on an awareness of different possibilities within a situation, whether the desired outcome is probable or realistic, and one's ability to develop goals and strategies to achieve desired outcomes (Arnau, 2018;Larsen et al, 2020). The affective dimension relates to the presence of positive emotions such as trust and confidence (Schrank et al, 2008).…”

Virtues as Correlates and Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress and Growth

“…The spiritual virtue of hope is defined as a positive, future‐oriented expectation that serves to assist individuals in developing goals and overcoming challenges toward meeting those goals (Ai et al, 2007; Liu et al, 2017). Spirituality is sometimes included as a dimension of hope, defined by one's connection to something beyond oneself (Larsen et al, 2020). Although some may find hope and optimism to be similar concepts, there are distinctions whereby optimism relates more to overarching positive attitudes toward future outcomes, and hope is an emotion related to specific goals (Bruininks & Malle, 2005; Bryant & Cvengros, 2004).…”

Measurement invariance in gender and age of the Herth Hope Index to the general spanish population across the lifespan

“…Thus, these two constructions are similar but basically different, since hope is focused on the path with the motivation to achieve what is desired, and optimism concerning the general outcome expectancy of positive future results and attitude to view and interpret situations and events positively (Ginevra et al, 2017 ). The two components of hope are not independent, as shown by Larsen et al ( 2020 ). Positive emotions (hope) take precedence when the person establishes predictions to face the difficulties that are present, while negative emotions (hopelessness) take precedence when the predictions suggest the impossibility of facing the situation.…”

“…Hope is a basic psychological aspect of human well-being (Duncan et al, 2020 ; Pleeging et al, 2019 ) distinguish between cognitive and emotional hope. Larsen et al ( 2020 ) highlighted the cognitive conception of hope, in which the person is able to show the beliefs about the ability to achieve their goals. Emotional hope is presented in Hertz’s perspective (1992), his concept is linked to general feelings of hopelessness or helplessness and is more focused on the control of emotions than thoughts.…”