A Guide From David

Hope After Adversity

After discouraging experiences, hope can feel distant or even risky. I do not ask you to arrive believing everything will work out. We can begin by understanding what has been hard and whether there is one possibility you want to make room for.

Hope Does Not Require a Better Story About the Past

You do not have to describe adversity as a gift or decide that it happened for a reason. We can honor what it cost you and still explore what you want from your life now. Both parts belong in the conversation.

Look for Capacities You May Overlook

Your history may include care, persistence, honesty or a willingness to try again that you no longer recognize as strengths. I listen for those capacities without treating them as proof that you should manage everything alone. Strengths can include knowing when you need support.

Give a Hope a Practical Shape

A hope may begin with a relationship you want to approach differently, a less harsh way of speaking to yourself or an activity you want back in your life. We can identify a manageable step and review what happens. There is no promise of a particular outcome; the direction comes from what matters to you.

A Question to Bring With You

If you allowed one realistic possibility to remain open, what would you want that possibility to be?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I begin therapy without feeling hopeful?

Yes. We can start with discouragement and what you want understood.

Will you ask me to find the positive in what happened?

No. We can discuss hopes for the present without minimizing the difficulty of your past.