ABSTRACT
Hope and hopelessness can co-exist and events can spark opportunities for new hopes to emerge from feelings of despair. "Life without hope is hopelessly difficult but at the end hope can so easily make fools of people all". It is important to appreciate that the horizons of hope or hopelessness are largely dependent on social, political, and relational conditions with the power to either erode or build hope, feed or starve hopelessness. Byrne and McCarthy emphasise the dialectical nature of hope and despair, pointing to global catastrophic man-made or natural disasters as both, the ground for embracing despair and for persevering in the face of tragedy, and hoping for hope. This chapter addresses aims for creative, possibilist practice in the work setting, mindful of the constraints that beset many services. It begins with an example of one team's exploration to develop more creative connections in their work together.
