Hope for recovery – how clinicians may facilitate this in their work

Abstract

Background

The importance of having hope for recovery has been highlighted in numerous qualitative studies of recovery. It is identified as a vital part of this process, and guidelines suggest that service providers should therefore facilitate hope in their clinical work; however, they do not indicate how this guidance can be operationalised.

Aims

To identify the sources of hope for recovery based on the accounts of people with experience of recovery; to ascertain how these accounts show service providers can facilitate such hope in their therapeutic work.

Method

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight people with experience of recovering from mental health problems. A grounded theory analysis was undertaken.

Results

A model conceptualising the role of hope in recovery was developed with three categories: “influence of others on hope”, “personal hope” and “doing recovery”. The model indicates a complex interaction between hope and recovery with an important role for social context and interpersonal relationships, including those with clinicians.

Conclusions

Mental health service providers occupy a powerful position in relation to service users' hope, and must carefully consider how they communicate their own hopefulness about clients' recovery. Suggestions are made about facilitating hope for recovery.

Keywords:

• recovery
• hope

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of the eight participants who willingly spoke so openly of their experiences, and that of the Independent Newham Users Forum.

Declaration of Interest: The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Notes

1 All names and identifying information have been changed to maintain anonymity and confidentiality.