What does hope look like for you? What does it mean for you in counselling? Hope has been defined as a “foundational” component of counselling by some psychologists (Larsen et al., 2020, p. 408). When people come to therapy, they are often experiencing challenges, stressors, and other events that cause emotions such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression, to name a few. In those moments, it can be hard to think or believe that things will get better. Hope can be so important in moments like these. A lot of research has been done to see the impact of hope in counselling, and researchers have generally found that hope can be very important in counselling (Larsen et al., 2020).
A commonly accepted definition of hope consists of a few related concepts, specifically: 1) being able to find ways or pathways to achieve a particular goal, 2) being able to motivate yourself to use those ways to achieve your goal. The motivation comes from something psychologist refers to as agency thinking, which refers to how much you believe in your ability to achieve a particular goal, even if problems come up during the process (Snyder, 2002). So, what does that mean? Establishing hope may look like exploring goals, how you will achieve that goal, and then asking yourself what your levels of motivation are. Additionally, you might also reflect on your levels of motivation and reflect on what might be impacting your motivation levels (Ryan & Deci, 2023). Hope is very individualized; what hope means for you will be very different and may change depending on your circumstances and your context. In counselling, hope can be explored in different ways, and you may find yourself finding hope for things that did seem hopeless before.
Why is hope important?
Hope can be important for people for many different reasons. Reflect on how hope has made you feel. Sometimes having a goal that you are actively working on and having a plan or outline on how to achieve that goal can be meaningful. It can also give direction and help create structure. Additionally, research has shown that generally, hope has a positive relationship with well-being outcomes (such as subjective well-being, psychological well-being, and social well-being, etc.) (Murphy, 2023). Basically, hope is important for various reasons. But maybe reflect on what makes hope important for you.
Cultivating Hope
An important aspect of hope is how you define it (Larsen et al., 2014). Therefore-the question is, what is hope for you? This can be explored in the counselling process, where the therapist and client can work together to understand what hope means for the client. Cultivating hope may also mean exploring different types of hopes. Sometimes our hope depends on one outcome, and it can be disappointing when that hope does not come true; as such, the counselling process can involve exploring different hopes in various aspects of our lives. Additionally, by exploring and establishing different hopes, the chances of one of them or some of them coming true increases; it might also be useful for clients and therapists can explore what is realistic and unrealistic hope (Larsen et al., 2014). Some psychologists also see counselling as a “process” (Larsen et al., 2014, p.278). This is where the client and therapist continuously work together to understand and explore multiple components of hope (realistic, unrealistic, changing, etc.).
Hope…in these times?
To say that things are challenging right now, would be an understatement. In the last 5-6 years, the world has collectively and continues to go through the COVID-19 pandemic, poor economy, and ongoing geopolitical tensions. Additionally, with the spread of this news on social media, it feels like you can never escape what’s going on in the world. A recent report published by the Canadian Mental Health Association indicated that overall, compared to before the pandemic, Canadians’ mental health is three times worse (Lowe et al., 2024). This was attributed to various factors such as socio-economic stressors that emerged as a result of COVID-19.
Unfortunately, as we go through these challenging times, it can be difficult to find hope. One thing to consider is if you feel like your ability to hope is being impacted by negative news and social media, then limit the sources that you are using to get your information and limit your exposure to social media (read Mallik’s blog on impact of social media on self-esteem). Find alternative activities to do that keep you occupied and make you feel better–this can be going out to watch a movie, going out with friends, cooking, and exercising.
Social Company
Sometimes it can be important to build and interact with a community where people express optimism and hope; it can also be helpful to socialize with others and build relationships that are meaningful for you (Kawahara, 2024). Some research shows that we can be impacted by other’s positive or negative emotions (Laranjeira & Querido, 2022). As such, it can be helpful to be aware of how the emotions of others are impacting you.
Being Grateful
Gratitude can be important, especially when things seem challenging. Some ways to demonstrate gratitude, include, journaling, post-it notes, affirmations, and small gestures to show your gratitude to those who are important in your life (Laranjeira & Querido, 2022).
Keep Reflecting and Make Smaller Achievable Goals.
Continue to reflect on what hope means for you. As stated earlier, your hope(s) may evolve and circumstances. It is also important to be aware of what shapes your hopes. You can break it down into three parts (Snyder, 2002).
1) You can examine your goal (why is this particular goal, is it short-term, or long-term).
2) Reflect on the pathways you can take to achieve your objectives (how will you achieve this goal? What are some barriers?).
3) Ask yourself about level of motivation (what are some barriers that may come up? How will you maintain that motivation?).
By doing reflective exercises, that help you gain more self-awareness, the process of establishing and maintaining hope can become easier. Other exercises that help in self-awareness and reflection include,meditation and mindfulness (Laranjeira & Querido, 2022). Additionally, sometimes when we look at an overall goal, it can appear challenging to achieve. Breaking goals into smaller ones can make them more manageable and easier to achieve (Abramson, 2024). You can explore how to break larger goals into smaller ones with your therapist. Read Angela’s Blog on Goal setting and Resolutions.
Self-care
You have probably heard about the importance of self-care everywhere, from your therapist, friends, on social media, and acquaintances—rightly so. Self-care is very important, especially when navigating challenging times, and it can be important in maintaining and building hope (Kawahara, 2024). Self-care means taking a break and doing different activities that we enjoy. Read Melissa’s blog on importance of self-care.
Some Key Takeaways:
- Building hope is a process, something that can be explored within the therapeutic setting (Larsen et al., 2014)
- Hope is defined in different ways, but a commonly used definition of hope within psychology involves 1) an outcome or goal that you want to achieve, 2) pathways to achieve that goal, 3) motivation that comes from agency thinking (belief in self to achieve that goal) (Synder, 2002).
- Some strategies that can influence your hope(s) or ability to build hope: therapy, self-care, reflection, gratitude, and social company (Abramson, 2024; Kawahara, 2024; Laranjeira & Querido, 2022).
Authored by Pragya Varma; peer reviewed by Dr Robin D. Chamberlain.
