title: Moving up the continuum of hope: developing a theory of hope and understanding its influence in couples therapy.
abstract: For years therapists have suggested that hope is an important catalyst in the process of change. This study takes a grounded theory approach to address the need for a clearer conceptualization of hope, and to place interventions that increase hope within a therapeutic context so that therapists know how and when to use those interventions. Fifteen active and experienced marriage and family therapists from across the United States participated in hour-long phone interviews about hope in couples therapy. Moving Up the Continuum of Hope emerged as the core category from the grounded theory analysis of the data. This category represents a process, with general and specific conditions and consequences that increase a couple's level of hope. This study serves as a foundation for future process research on couples therapy, as well as research on hope in other contexts (e.g., individual and family therapy) and with other perspectives (e.g., clients).
authors.affiliation: Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington 98447, USA. warddb@plu.edu
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Karen S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Wampler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001364:Awareness; D019546:Couples Therapy / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011361:Professional Competence; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires