Multidimensional hope in counseling and psychotherapy scale

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.

Publication Information

Larsen, D. J. Whelton, W., Rogers, T., McElheran, J., Herth, K., Tremblay, J., Green, J., Dushinski, K., Schalk, K., Chamodraka, M., & Domene, J. (2020). Multidimensional Hope in Counseling and Psychotherapy Scale. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 30, 407-422. DOI: 10.1037/int0000198