A positive psychology intervention for building hope: A case approach

The purpose of this project was to apply positive psychology to a case study to broaden the case study literature. I treated one depressed client who was encouraged throughout to utilize her character strengths in a short-term treatment model. This study used both a qualitative case study approach and an experimental design. A twenty-one year old female participated in an eight-session intervention aimed at increasing hope. The Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) was administered to identify the participant's strengths. The treatment was geared toward hope and increasing the use of another strength was included. The participant worked on her strength of humor by identifying funny things that happened to her during the day. The State Hope Scale was used to measure hope. Results showed an intervention focused on building character strengths is helpful. Increased use of humor led to experiencing pleasant emotions, connection with others, and improved ability to deal with difficult situations. Further, the client reported an increased awareness of her strengths. These findings are consistent with Barbara Frederickson's Broaden-and-Build Theory. Results also demonstrated that when the participant was able to engage in pathways thinking and visualize her subgoal, she was able to reach it and utilize her strength of humor to connect with others. Additionally, the participant's energy level was related to her perceived level of hope. Results of this project indicate that overall, a positive psychology intervention that integrates the development of character strengths had many favorable results with this participant. This study may be a prototype for the treatment of depression in emerging adulthood.