This paper reports part of the results of a study of hope in mental illness. The focus of this paper is on the mental health worker's role in fostering and maintaining a sense of hope in people with serious mental illness. Six experienced mental health workers report on the strategies they use to foster and maintain hope in their clients; and six experienced consumers of mental health services report on things workers have done that have enabled them to develop or maintain a sense of hope. Approaches identified include: working within the client's frame of reference, focusing on the client's strengths, acknowledging small gains, making links to past gains, being genuine, helping clients to understand their illness, understanding the importance of achievement and holding on to hope when the client has none. © 1999, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Human Society
Research Group:	Social work
Research Field:	Social work not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Public health (excl. specific population health)
Objective Field:	Mental health
UTAS Author:	Bland, R (Professor Robert Bland)
ID Code:	16953
Year Published:	1999
Deposited By:	Sociology and Social Work
Deposited On:	1999-08-01
Last Modified:	2000-05-12
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