The experience and meaning of hope for clinicans and clients in psychological therapy, in relation to waiting times

This portfolio thesis consists of three parts: a systematic literature review, an empirical paper and a set of appendices. The thesis as a whole considers the meaning and experience of hope for clinicians and clients in psychological therapy, with emphasis on the context of waiting times.The first section is a systematic literature review that explores the role, experience and effect of client hope in psychological therapy. The review also considers the methodological quality of the evidence in this area. Thirteen papers were included and synthesised using a narrative approach. The findings are discussed within the context of the wider literature, including existing theoretical models of hope. The clinical and research implications for these findings are also considered.The second section is an empirical study that explores the meaning and experience of hopeful therapeutic relationships for clinical and counselling psychologists, in relation to long waiting times for therapy. The research used a qualitative method, gathering data using semi structured interviews, and analysed the data using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Four superordinate and twelve subordinate themes emerged from the data. The results of this analysis are linked to literature relating to client hope and systemic models. The clinical and research implications for these findings are also discussed.The third section consists of a set of appendices which relate to both the systematic literature review and empirical paper. Included in these appendices are a reflective and epistemological statement, describing the primary researcher’s reflections on the research journey, and the philosophical position and underlying assumptions of the research