The name for this practice “Holding Hope Services” comes from the idea that life has its struggles and many of us have been at a place where even hoping is too much work.  I liked the idea that as a therapist, if a client is in a place where it is too difficult to even hope, that I could hope for them until they are ready.  I would “hold hope” for them until they could hope for themselves.

I chose a starfish as a logo somewhat based on the starfish story below.  The man in the story is completing a task that can’t possibly be completed but understands that what he is doing is making a difference to one starfish.

I think that about all of life.  I can’t change everything but I can change something.  I can’t help everyone but I can help someone.  How often do we struggle because tasks and problems seem insurmountable?  Sometimes we have to realize that we can’t fix all our problems but we can start with one of them.  Where can you start on your journey to make a difference?

The Starfish Story    Original Story – “The Star Thrower” by Loren Eiseley

While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.

He came closer still and called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

The old man smiled, and said, “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”

To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”