Much more dispersed ratings were found among the organizational consultants and those doing training and teaching. 30% of the organizational consultants rated this challenge as “never” occurring, with the same percent (30%) rating it as “rarely” occurring. There were 20% of the consultant respondents rating the challenge of growth as “often”, with the same percent (20%) rating this as a “predominant” concern for the clients they are serving. Similarly, 24% of the trainer/teachers rated this positive challenge as “never” occurring, with a similar percent (28%) rating it as “rarely” occurring. 32% of the trainer/teacher respondents rating the challenge (opportunity) of growth as “often”, with 16% rating this as a “predominant” concern for the clients they are serving. Greater opportunity for growth among their clients seems to be witnessed among the nontherapy respondents—though most members of all four respondent populations suggested that they find at least some glimmerings of growth (if not abundant) hope among those people they serve.
The second challenge of a positive valence, concerning hope, empowerment and vision, yields parallel results once again for those offering personal and group therapy, though in this case their ratings are similarly dispersed rather than being clustered in the two middle categories. 26% of the personal therapy respondents indicated that this challenge of hope was “never” present among their clients, with a similar percent (30%) suggesting that this challenge was “rarely” present. 39% found the possibility of hope, empowerment and vision to “often” be present among those they serve, with 4% suggesting that this positive challenge is “predominant” in the life of their clients (or is at least an issue they address in their therapy session). For those conducting group therapy sessions, 15% indicated that this challenge of hope is “never” present among those in their therapy groups, with a much larger percent (46%) suggesting that this challenge is “rarely” present. As in the case of those doing personal therapy, 31% of those doing group therapy found that the possibility of hope, empowerment and vision is “often” present among those they serve, with 8% suggesting that this positive challenge is “predominant” among those they serve in therapy groups.
There is an interesting difference in the ratings offered by our limited sample of organizational consultants. While the organizational consultants, like the individual and group therapists, are likely 30% of the time to rate the challenge of hope, empowerment and vision as “often” to be found by their clients, the same percentage (30%) of those suggesting that this was a “predominant” concern and challenge for their clients. Only 10% suggest that this was “never” a concern for their clients, and another 30% indicating that this was “rarely” a concern. Thus, there is an even distribution of percentages across the three higher ratings – including 30% in the highest rating.
Among the respondents who engage in training and teaching, the ratings are just as dispersed as those for the other three populations. 24% indicated that hope, empowerment and vision are “never” presented by those they serve, and a similar percentage of these respondents indicate that this positive challenge was “rarely” present (28%) or “often” present (32%). The percent of training/teaching respondents indicating that this was a “predominant” concern (16%) resides in between the percentages of the two therapist populations and the organizational consultant population. Our initial impression is that the organizational consultants are more optimistic about their clients’ search for hope, empowerment and vision than are the other three populations—or is it just that this is part of the consultants’ “business” to encourage hope, empowerment and the creation of a new vision among the clients they serve? Are the two therapist groups more in the “business” of assisting clients with their anxiety, fears and even potential depression than in assisting them with their dreams?
