A positive therapeutic relationship also instills hope in clients. Research on hope has magnified in the last thirty years. Regardless of the therapeutic approach, hope has been found to be a critical component of positive change. Hope is linked to better physical and psychological health, academic performance, and recovery from trauma (Gillam, Shumm, & Chard 2012).
Hope develops within the context of early attachment relationships. When children feel safe and have their needs gratified they learn to trust, which gives them the opportunity to experience hope. Traumatic experiences shatter one’s belief in a safe world and in trustworthy and dependable relationships. This leads to a sense of a foreshortened future and the loss of hope, and the symptoms common to PTSD, depression, and complicated grief.
Building hope is a key aspect of healing with traumatized children and adults. Hope empowers and motivates traumatized individuals to believe in the possibility of a brighter future. Connectedness to others plays an important part of engendering hope; the therapeutic relationship serves as a vehicle to combat hopelessness. Increasing hope with trauma survivors involves: 1) creating trusting and close relationships, 2) teaching coping strategies that bring about positive change (e.g., anger management and relaxation skills), and 3) identifying and working toward goals.
Using the therapeutic relationship as a secure base (i.e., safe, supportive, encouraging), clients are encouraged to think about specific goals (agency thinking; “I want to be close to my parents”), and learn methods to achieve those goals (pathway thinking; “I am learning communication skills”). For instance, in our initial interview, we assist children and adults to write a list of their treatment goals and discuss how to reach those goals. They often report that this exercise makes them feel more “hopeful.”
Therapist’s hope is important. It is essential to convey a sense of hope and a vision of a positive future. Helping demoralized parents acquire and convey hope to their children is also a major goal of our therapy. Maintaining hope in the face of trauma, loss, and depression is difficult, but necessary when helping children, adults, and families. Envisioning a future worth living is essential to recovery. To heal, one must learn to feel safe, build a positive view of self, and create trusting and secure relationships. Hope is a basic part of this process.
Got hope?
