The Centrality of Hope in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Abstract
In this essay, hope is presented as a key driver of psychiatric and psychotherapy outcomes, helping clients move beyond symptom relief toward meaning, resilience, and flourishing. The text integrates goal-based models with relational, narrative, and cultural dimensions. Drawing on the “standard account,” the author proposes that hope is the interplay of wishing for a valued good, believing its attainment is possible (though difficult), and trusting internal and external resources, including the therapeutic alliance. A vignette of Susanne, a young woman with partial dissociative identity disorder, illustrates how psychoeducation and small wins increase belief, while a consistent therapeutic alliance builds trust that extends to self-trust and cooperation. Clinicians play a central role as “hope carriers,” shaping realistic goals, reinforcing progress, and avoiding false hope.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Optimism
Hope
and Well-being
Counseling
Therapy
and Family Dynamics
Resilience and Mental Health
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Swiss Archives of Neurology Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Volume
- 176
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 3–3
- Publication date
- 8 June 2026
- Language
- EN