For the therapist, the therapeutic approach is a foundational methodology based on philosophy and educational background. The goals of counseling are to assist clients in establishing wholeness within themselves, as well as form healthy relationships with others. Through the use of empirical research, therapists developed the Hope-Focused Approach (HFA) approach as a means to meet these goals.
The Roots of the Hope-Focused Approach
As a newer theory within the field of family therapy, the roots of HFA can be traced through many of the major advances made since psychology gained recognition, as a separate science. While many different methods of therapy have been explored over the past century, few theorists provided …show more content…
A powerful hub for information in this field was the Mental Research Institute (MRI). According to Mark Yarhouse and James Sells (2008), the MRI “reads like a “Who’s Who” of mental health originators. The list includes Erickson, Bateson, Weakland, Jackson, Haley, Satir, Watzlawick, Fisch, Bell, Minuchin, Selvini Palazzoli, Montalvo and Madanes” (p.96). Within this list, Salvador Minuchin and Jay Haley emerged as leading figures within their respective models of family therapeutic approach. Minuchin’s structural approach and Haley’s strategic approaches were integral in the formulation of HFA. In describing the relationship between these two theorists, Minuchin (2007) reminisced, “In time, the strength of our voices increased; we became equal participants in a conversation that morphed into the ideas that formed, I think, the basis of my thinking about structural therapy and Jay 's strategic family therapy” (p. …show more content…
(2014), many different theories are integrated into HFA; however, the predominant influences on HFA are rooted in the structural, and strategic approaches, as “Strategic theory helps us when thinking of goals and the big picture. Structural therapy helps us focus on concrete, sensible interventions (p. 34). At the same time, the foundational principle of HFA is a biblical approach in that Ripley and Worthington (2014) contend, “Relationships improve by ‘faith working through love’ (Gal. 5:6 NKJV)” (p. 23). This faith is further described with Scriptures as “the substance of things hoped for” (Heb. 11:1 NKJV), which is where hope comes into being a point of differentiation for