Development and Validation of the Hope for Change Through Counseling Scale

Abstract

Frank and Frank suggested that the primary goal of contextually oriented therapy is remoralization through the promotion of hope. According to Snyder’s hope theory, hope is a psychological characteristic consisting of pathways thinking, agency, and goals. Although these concepts are relevant to understanding how hope develops through therapy, no instrument exists to measure hope within counseling. The present research was undertaken to develop and validate the Hope for Change Through Counseling Scale (HCCS). Study 1 (N = 191) was an analogue study to pilot the scale and identify its factor structure. Study 2 (N = 306) consisted of a confirmatory factor analysis to further refine the HCCS. Study 3 utilized the HCCS with clients (N = 50), providing evidence of construct validity and incremental validity for the scale. Implications of the HCCS as an assessment tool to facilitate focus on client hopefulness within counseling are discussed.

Keywords

hope for change through counseling hope theory domain-specific hope positive psychological assessment client factors

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