Client Accounts of Hope in Early Counseling Sessions: A Qualitative Study

Hope enables individuals to envision a future in which they wish to participate ( Jevne, 1994 ) and is foundational to counseling practice. However, there has been little research examining client accounts of hope in session. Using basic interpretive inquiry, this case study examines clients' accounts of hope during counseling using video‐assisted recall. Three categories emerged: hope‐fostering counseling relationship, supportive identity development, and perspective change. Implications for counseling are discussed.     

In the Wake of Violence: Enacting and Witnessing Hope Among People

In the territory of violence and despair, hope is rare. Recent work on hope has shifted attention from hope as a feeling to hope as a practice that people can do together. This case report of a family exposed to domestic violence highlights the role played by a South African police officer in the mother's actions to separate from the context of violence. As a witness to the violence, the police officer acted from an ethic of justice and an ethic of compassion. Outsider witnessing of a counseling session resulted in the recruiting of a community of acknowledgement for the mother, the police officer, and an Assistant Commissioner of Police. Listening carefully and doing hope together gave rise to alliances against practices of violence. As a step of accountability, the authors used reflexive practices to question their responses and to avoid colonizing practices.     

Hope as a Mediator and Moderator of Multidimensional Perfectionism and Depression in Middle School Students

The authors examined the relationship of perfectionism, hope, and depression in a sample of 153 middle school students. Adaptive perfectionists differed significantly from both maladaptive perfectionists and nonperfectionists on their levels of hope and depression. Hope mediated the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and depression and supported an indirect effects model for hope and the relationship between adaptive perfectionism and depression. No evidence was found for hope as a moderator in the relationship between perfectionism and depression.     

Hope as empowerment model: A client-based perspective on the process of hope development

Abstract

Research on the relationship of client hope to successful therapy outcome underlines the need to discover the processes and conditions when hope flourishes. Snyder’s Hope Theory has been applied to psychotherapy but client subjective experiences are needed to illuminate nuances in the process. The present study examined the trajectory of hope development in psychotherapy using interviews with 18 counseling clients, analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Findings were synthesized into a dynamic model titled hope as empowerment model (HEM) that shares features of Snyder’s Hope Theory. HEM introduces patterns of particular salience to psychotherapy. The compatibility of client preferences with therapist input raised faith in the process of counseling and, in turn, hope in a positive outcome. A number of conditions, including the flexibility of client role preferences and the directiveness of hope-inspiring therapeutic strategies, influenced the nature and strength of client hope. Implications for therapy and positive psychology are considered.     

Hope,Anger, and Depression as Mediators for Forgiveness and Social Behavior in Turkish Children

ABSTRACT. This study examined the mediating effects of hope, anger, and depression in the associations between forgiveness and social behavior, in fourth grade students in Turkey. The 352 fourth grade primary school students were involved in the study. The average age was 9.98 and 56.3% were boys. The Enright Forgiveness Inventory for Children (EFI-C), the Beck Anger Inventory for Youth (BANI-Y), the Children Hope Scale (CHS), the Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ), and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) were used. Results showed that depression mediates the relationship between anger and antisocial behavior and between hope and antisocial behavior. Anger mediates the relationship between hope and depression and between hope and antisocial behavior. Forgiveness was related to anger and hope directly. Implications of this study for child counseling were discussed.     

a bill of client rights and responsibilities

Little has been written about client rights except on the issue of confidentiality. The authors of this article propose a bill of rights for the client in the counseling relationship. With each right there is a corresponding responsibility. The authors suggest that if clients wish to exercise their rights, they must also be prepared to assume a greater degree of responsibility. Such a change in the counseling relationship may bring about greater involvement on the part of both client and counselor.     

Pastoral counseling among Chinese churches: a Canadian study

This article reports the results of a survey of Canadian Chinese pastors (N 20) regarding their experiences and attitudes related to pastoral counseling. It identifies common concerns encountered during pastoral counseling, as well as key areas of church concerns. Results of the survey indicate that pastoral counseling may be more important than is currently recognized by Chinese pastors, particularly in key areas of marriage, family life, and general relationship issues. The authors discuss possible implications of the survey relative to training and equipping Chinese pastors to engage more in pastoral counseling as an integral part of their parish ministry.     

Genetic Counseling in the Era of Genomics: What’s all the Fuss about?

As genomic sequencing becomes more widely available in clinical settings for diagnostic purposes, a number of genetic counseling issues are gaining precedence. The ability to manage these issues will be paramount as genetic and non-genetic healthcare professionals navigate the complexities of using genomic technologies to facilitate diagnosis and inform patient management. Counseling issues arising when counseling for diagnostic genomic sequencing were identified by four genetic counselors with 10 years of collective experience providing genetic counseling in this setting. These issues were discussed and refined at a meeting of genetic counselors working in clinical genomics settings in Melbourne, Australia. Emerging counseling issues, or variations of established counseling issues, were identified from the issues raised. Illustrative cases were selected where pre- and post-test genetic counseling was provided in clinical settings to individuals who received singleton or trio WES with targeted analysis. Counseling issues discussed in this paper include a reappraisal of how genetic counselors manage hope in the genomic era, informed consent for secondary use of genomic data, clinical reanalysis of genomic data, unexpected or unsolicited secondary findings, and trio sequencing. The authors seek to contribute to the evolving understanding of genetic counseling for diagnostic genomic sequencing through considering the applicability of existing genetic counseling competencies to managing emerging counseling issues and discussing genetic counseling practice implications.     

Cultural Values,Counseling Stigma,and Intentions to Seek Counseling Among Asian American College Women

The authors explored the extent to which Asian American college women's perceived stigma about counseling mediated the relationship between their adherence to Asian cultural values and intentions to seek counseling. Participants, 201 Asian American college women (age range = 18–24 years), completed measures of Asian cultural values, perceived stigma regarding counseling, and intentions to seek counseling, along with a demographic questionnaire. Asian cultural values were positively correlated with perceived counseling stigma; both Asian cultural values and social stigma were negatively correlated with intentions to seek counseling. The main analysis showed that perceived counseling stigma partially mediated the relationship between participants' Asian cultural values and intentions to seek counseling.     

Counselor Sex Role Orientation,Flexibility, and Working Alliance Formation

The authors examined the hypothesized relationship among counselor androgyny, counselor flexibility, and the establishment of client-rated working alliances. In Study 1, 41 counseling students completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI; Bem, 1981a) and the Counselor Behavior Analysis Inventory (Gabbard, Howard, & Dunfee, 1986). Contrary to the hypothesis, there was no relationship between androgyny and counseling flexibility. In Study 2, 42 counseling students completed the BSRI and videotaped counseling sessions with a recruited client. Analyses revealed a significant relationship between counselor flexibility and client ratings of working alliance, but no relationship between counselor androgyny and counselor flexibility. Research and clinical implications are discussed.     

An Experimental Investigation of White Counselors Broaching Race and Racism

Broaching involves actively addressing culture and power in session, a counseling skill that is underused despite its promising track record. In an experimental analogue design, the authors studied potential clients’ evaluation of an initial broaching statement. Results provide evidence of the therapeutic benefits of broaching, preference for broaching that addresses the counseling relationship, and the role of positionality in evaluating counselors’ cultural responsiveness. Implications for broaching with minoritized clients are discussed.     

The relationship between alliance ruptures and hope for change through counseling: A mixed methods study

The negative impact of alliance ruptures on clients’ experiences within the therapeutic process is well documented. One such negative influence may include clients’ hope for counseling as a helpful process. This study used a mixed methods design to explore how alliance ruptures are related to hope for change through counseling. Quantitative data (N = 105) indicated that those who experienced ruptures reported lower levels of the components of hope for change through counseling, (a) pathways and agency, and (b) goal identification. More frequent ruptures and rupture repairs were significantly related to participants’ (n = 35) pathways and agency. Phenomenological analysis of qualitative participants’ (N = 5) experiences elicited 218 meaning units grouped into four themes: disengagement and mistrust in therapy, deepened distress, questioning one’s hope for and belief in therapy, and resilience for therapy. Qualitative and quantitative data indicate that alliance ruptures are related to lower degrees of hope for change through counseling. Results suggest that clients’ perceptions of ruptures fostered disengagement and mistrust of therapists. However, when therapists act to repair ruptures, they may effectively re-engage some degree of hope for change through counseling in clients. Lastly, the role of clients’ persistence in therapy despite experiencing ruptures is discussed.     

Counseling Muslim Women: Navigating Cultural and Religious Challenges

In this article, the authors consider strategies for counseling female Muslim clients. First, they review general beliefs and practices of Muslims in the United States. Through the use of a case study, they illustrate a collaborative method of counseling Muslim women that is based on a trusting client‐counselor relationship.     

Sexual Addiction and the Internet: Implications for Gay Men

The authors present an overview of sexual addiction and explore the relationship between Internet use and sexual compulsivity. The role of Internet use in gay men's sexual behavior is described. Implications for the counseling profession are discussed, and a clinical case study is presented.     

Counselor Effectiveness and Family-of-Origin Experiences: A Significant Relationship?

In this article, the authors investigate the relationship between family-of-origin experiences and counseling effectiveness of counselors in training.     

The Relationship Between Mindfulness and Multicultural Counseling Competence

The authors examined the association between multicultural counseling competence (MCC) and mindfulness. Previous authors have maintained a conceptual link between MCC and mindfulness; however, this is the first empirical analysis of the relationship between MCC and mindfulness. Results revealed that, after race/ethnicity, multicultural course completion, and empathy were controlled, components of mindfulness were correlated with multicultural awareness and multicultural knowledge. These results have implications for counselor education, counseling practice, and future research.     

An Integral Approach to Counseling Ethics

The authors offer an integral approach to counseling ethics using K. Wilber's (2000a, 2000b) integral metatheory. The article examines traditional counseling ethics through the lens of K. Wilber's (2000a, 2000b) “all‐quadrants, all‐levels” model, consisting of quadrants, levels, lines, states, and types. The authors begin with the 4 quadrants and how they can inform understanding of traditional counseling ethics. Vertical development in relation to counseling ethics is addressed, followed by a case study of an ethical dilemma in counseling. The authors offer an integrally informed process of ethical decision making that can be seen to complement less comprehensive ethical decision‐making models.     

The Use of Touch in Counseling: An Ethical Decision‐Making Model

Although some counselors have advocated for the limited use of touch in counseling, others have argued that touch has no place within the counseling relationship. Despite the controversy, the use of touch has been shown to have a number of therapeutic benefits; however, there are few ethical decision‐making models that are appropriate for considering the use of touch in counseling. The authors discuss the controversy surrounding the use of touch and the benefits/contraindications of touch. The 5 ethical principles of counseling are also examined; a new ordering of the principles is presented as a useful ethical decision‐making model when considering the use of touch in counseling.     

Suicide: Dynamics and Implications for Counseling

‘The authors discuss the dynamics of suicide, how to work with a potentially suicidal client in the counseling relationship, and legal and ethical implications for the counselor.