As a hope researcher, I have examined the practice of hope in social work, nursing, medicine, and psychology. A few definitions that guide my research and clinical practice include: 

• Hope as a way of thinking, behaving, relating to oneself and the world (Farran et al. 1995)

• Dufault & Martocchio (1985): hope is a “multidimensional dynamic life force characterized by a confident yet uncertain expectation of achieving a future good which, to the hoping person, is realistically possible and personally significant” (p. 380).

• Snyder et al. (1991) identify hope as involving an individual with (1) personally valued and identified goals, (2) a sense of agency in achieving these goals, and (3) a perceived ability to create and establish pathways to achieve these identified goals.

Dr. C.R. Snyder, who with his research team developed Hope Theory, highlights the ways in which our own agency is a critical part of hope. My role as your therapist is to guide you in identifying this agency and different pathways to achieve your identified goals. If we are walking together along a dark path, we are walking side-by-side. I am holding a flashlight as we walk, helping us maneuver this path together.