Hope in Action: Supporting Military Career Transitions with Hope Action Theory (HAT)

By Jennifer (Jenn) Barfield, CHATP

🔹 This is the 4th post in my blog series,Veteran Transitions Across Borders: Bridging Civilian and Military Worlds, which explores the challenges and creative strategies shaping veteran transitions across countries and communities.

“Just like a pinwheel, sometimes career movement slows… but hope allows it to spin again.” – Jenn Barfield, 2025

💬 Why HAT?

When military veterans transition into civilian life, they don’t just change uniforms — they face a profound shift in identity, belonging, and purpose. It’s easy to primarily focus on employment outcomes, but these transitions can be emotionally, psychologically, and socially complex. To truly support veterans, we must offer more than tools — we must empower veterans to develop and sustain action-oriented hope.

Is this the experiences of military personnel from one specific country? The answer is sadly no. It can be heard and felt across multiple countries and continents.

That’s why I use Hope Action Theory (HAT) framework as a foundation for my work with transitioning military members and their families.

Developed by Dr. Spencer Niles, Dr. Norm Amundson, Roberta (Neault) Borgen, and Dr Hyung Joon Yoon, Hope Action Theory (HAT) is a strengths-based, action-oriented model grounded in six core competencies — plus a seventh: environmental impact. It helps clients reframe uncertainty, take action with confidence, and cultivate long-term resilience.

🌬️ The Pinwheel Metaphor

Imagine a pinwheel spinning in the breeze.

Hope is the anchor at the centre of the pinwheel. There is no glue, but there is a mechanism which enables the wings (competencies) to move around as they are impacted by the environment. And the stick/rod? Well, the stick represents mattering, which holds the pinwheel up.

Sometimes the air will move the wings quickly, sometimes slowly, backwards or even appear to stop and struggle to move forward – but can you see? The pinwheel does start to spin again – THAT is the power of Hope Action Theory. (Original words attributed to Andrea Fruhling)

Sometimes, just like the pinwheel, it helps to pause (self-reflection), maybe have a backswing to gain self-clarity in order to move forward again (think of it like a golf swing)

In HAT, hope is the anchor at the centre, and the six competencies are the wings:

🔹 Self-Reflection – Reclaiming identity beyond the uniform
🔹 Self-Clarity – Naming strengths and transferable skills
🔹 Visioning – Imagining a meaningful post-service future
🔹 Goal Setting & Planning – Building a roadmap grounded in wellbeing
🔹 Implementing – Taking action with accountability
🔹 Adapting – Bouncing back from setbacks

Environmental Impact – Recognising internal and external factors shaping progress

When we support veterans using this dynamic framework, we offer not just direction, but momentum.

🔁 Reflection Prompt:

If you support veterans in any capacity, ask yourself:

“Which HAT competency do I most help veterans develop — and which one could I strengthen?”

🎨 Creative Engagement in Action

HAT becomes even more powerful when paired with creative engagement coaching techniques. These include:

Metaphor work (“crossroads,” “liminal space,” “rock and a hard place”)
Collage coaching and river mapping
Career storyboarding and future visioning
Visual and sensory tools that allow veterans to explore identity and emotion safely

Plus many more…

These methods foster agency, self-awareness, and trauma-informed support — and they often unlock insight in ways standard tools can’t.

🧠 Mental Health and Self-Efficacy

Research by Hayden & Buzzetta (2014) and others has shown that career development frameworks that address self-perception and environmental awareness are especially helpful for veterans managing disability, trauma, or institutional change.

HAT aligns with psychological recovery principles by fostering self-efficacy, hope, and cognitive reframing. For some veterans, this can become the bridge between healing and action.

🌱 A Final Reflection

Career transitions aren’t about ticking boxes — they’re about rediscovering who you are and where you’re going. HAT has given me a language and structure to support that process — not just for others, but in my own life too.

“The pinwheel will spin again. Sometimes, it just needs a pause, a pivot, or a gust of encouragement.” – Jenn Barfield, 2025

📎 Want to Explore More?

This post is based on an article I originally shared on LinkedIn in December 2021. The same piece was later republished in The Australian Centre for Career Education Journal (Vol. 3, 2023), reflecting its continued relevance in the field of veteran career development.

👉 Download the PDF article

hat-and-veteran-challenges-jb-article.pdf Download

Originally published on LinkedIn (Dec 2021) and republished in ACCE Journal, Vol. 3 (2023)

Feel free to share with colleagues or reach out if you’d like to explore how Hope Action Theory can support your practice or veteran-focused initiatives.