Sammendrag
Purpose – Hope is regarded central to recovery in a broad range of health conditions including mental health
and substance use problems. Still the phenomenon, along with its implications to research and practice, has
gained limited attention. The purpose of this paper is to explore first-person accounts of how practitioners
nurture and inspire hope.
Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative study is part of a larger action research project. Data
were collected using in-depth interviews with eight participants. The interviews were transcribed verbatim
and analyzed applying thematic analysis.
Findings – Hope was perceived as a central phenomenon to practitioners within mental health and
substance use services. The following overarching themes were identified through thematic analysis: “Believing
in oneself and others,” “Seeing and acknowledging opportunities” and “maneuvering towards hope.”
Research limitations/implications – It seems that there is a need for extending knowledge in how
practitioners may inspire hope. In addition there seems to be a need for developing more knowledge on
how practitioners’ own hope may be nurtured within a system that is constantly undergoing change and
new demands.
Practical implications – Participants considered their own hope as a prerequisite in being able to hope on
behalf of others and strategies for inspiring hope were presented on both an individual and system level.
Working conditions and challenges within the service system in itself entailed challenges, which at times
made nurturing hope difficult. Systems need to embrace flexibility and openness, allowing efforts aimed at
inspiring hope to be made. In addition, practitioner’s own hope and the importance of nurturing it, needs to
be acknowledged within services. Hope needs to be viewed as a joint venture, in context and in relation
to others.
Originality/value – The paper contributes to the knowledge base on hope inspiring practices within a
field sometimes associated with challenges and despair. It points out some important preconditions
in relation to the challenges practitioners might encounter, both on an individual level and in relation to the
service system per se.
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