Coun 500 Post midterm notes
Week 9- Ch9/10
Ch 9 pg 203-219
203-104-GOAL-SETTING SKILLS
Beginning helpers often feel that after a session or two, they have
exhausted the client’s story and explored the client’s distress but are
unsure if they have really helped
205-Why Must We Set Goals?
Clients who set goals have better outcomes than those that do not
Identifying and achieving goals help the client gain confidence even if
the objectives are rather modest. If one can achieve a small goal, then
discouragement, the biggest enemy of change, is diminished
Besides decreasing demoralization and clarifying the issues, goals get
us to make a commitment.
goals help us know when the helping relationship should end
206 -time-limited approach, where the client attends for a specific
amount of time or number of sessions.
o The problem with the time-limited approach is that we terminate the
relationship regardless of success or failure.
On the other hand, if we have formulated goals at the beginning of the helping
relationship, client and helper will have a shared vision throughout the relationship
and will know when it is time to end
When to Set Goals
The preferred time to set goals is after the helper has established a relationship with
the client and conducted a thorough assessment
initial relationship-building stage, most of the helper’s activities are based on the
invitational, reflect- ing, and challenging skills, which invite the client to open up and
engage in self-examination within the confiding relationship.
assessment stage, the helper gets information about the client, the client’s problems,
and the environment.
207-Goals Should Be Simple and Specific
When clients have clear goals, they make better progress
Having clear goals may be more challenging but is more likely to lead to progress
than having fuzzy goals or having no goals at all
pecific goals make the direction of the helping process clear to the client. Clients
then begin to feel that they have a handle on how to begin making changes. The
client who is clear about goals will be able to work on them in and out of session.
208-GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND INTERVENTIONS
, One way to make goals more specific is to break them down into subgoals or
objectives.
BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES
Behavioral objectives are concrete, measurable, and observable. They specify the
client’s current behavior (baseline) and the target or goal behaviors that indi- cate
success
Client’s Stated Goal (Client’s Description of the Goal): The client would like to
increase comfort and decrease anxiety in social situations.
Target Behaviors (Described in Frequency, Duration, and Intensity): The
client would like to be able to attend a social gathering; hold two or more conver-
sations (frequency), at least one of these with a woman; stay for a period of more
than 1 hour (duration); and maintain a subjective distress level (SUDS) of 3 or 4.
Baseline (Current Level of Target Behaviors): The client states that he can cur-
rently remain at a party for only about 15 minutes before he has to leave.
209-Goals Should Be Stated Positively
When goals are stated as negatives, they have less power to influence and motivate
us
the helper should try to turn problems into goals. It seems like a small difference, but
it would be much better to develop a list of goals than a list of problems.
When a clear vision of success is formulated, it is easier to see the steps needed to
attain it
210-Goals Should Be Important to the Client
Clients will be successful when they are pursuing goals that are important to them
Goal setting that involves the client has ethical advantages as well because we are
doing not only what we think is best for the client but also what the client wants to do
210-211Goals Should Be Collaboration Between Helper and Client
when helpers and clients reach consensus and collaborate on goal achievement, the
chances of success are greatly enhanced
best practice is to continually seek information from your clients about their progress
and the current relevance of the goals
211-Goals Should Be Realistic
The helper’s expertise is important in defining goals when a client has unrealistic
aims. Sometimes the client has insufficient information about the self or about the
issue. At other times, the client wants to accomplish two incompatible aims.
One method of dealing with unrealistic goals is to confront the client with the
discrepancy. Ask the client to explore the goal and collect information to see whether
the goal is really possible.
212-213 THE TECHNIQUE OF USING QUESTIONS TO IDENTIFY A GOAL
During the goal-setting stage, helpers can use questions to home in on the problem.
Questions can be used to reveal or uncover an underlying goal, make a goal more
Week 9- Ch9/10
Ch 9 pg 203-219
203-104-GOAL-SETTING SKILLS
Beginning helpers often feel that after a session or two, they have
exhausted the client’s story and explored the client’s distress but are
unsure if they have really helped
205-Why Must We Set Goals?
Clients who set goals have better outcomes than those that do not
Identifying and achieving goals help the client gain confidence even if
the objectives are rather modest. If one can achieve a small goal, then
discouragement, the biggest enemy of change, is diminished
Besides decreasing demoralization and clarifying the issues, goals get
us to make a commitment.
goals help us know when the helping relationship should end
206 -time-limited approach, where the client attends for a specific
amount of time or number of sessions.
o The problem with the time-limited approach is that we terminate the
relationship regardless of success or failure.
On the other hand, if we have formulated goals at the beginning of the helping
relationship, client and helper will have a shared vision throughout the relationship
and will know when it is time to end
When to Set Goals
The preferred time to set goals is after the helper has established a relationship with
the client and conducted a thorough assessment
initial relationship-building stage, most of the helper’s activities are based on the
invitational, reflect- ing, and challenging skills, which invite the client to open up and
engage in self-examination within the confiding relationship.
assessment stage, the helper gets information about the client, the client’s problems,
and the environment.
207-Goals Should Be Simple and Specific
When clients have clear goals, they make better progress
Having clear goals may be more challenging but is more likely to lead to progress
than having fuzzy goals or having no goals at all
pecific goals make the direction of the helping process clear to the client. Clients
then begin to feel that they have a handle on how to begin making changes. The
client who is clear about goals will be able to work on them in and out of session.
208-GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND INTERVENTIONS
, One way to make goals more specific is to break them down into subgoals or
objectives.
BEHAVIORAL OBJECTIVES
Behavioral objectives are concrete, measurable, and observable. They specify the
client’s current behavior (baseline) and the target or goal behaviors that indi- cate
success
Client’s Stated Goal (Client’s Description of the Goal): The client would like to
increase comfort and decrease anxiety in social situations.
Target Behaviors (Described in Frequency, Duration, and Intensity): The
client would like to be able to attend a social gathering; hold two or more conver-
sations (frequency), at least one of these with a woman; stay for a period of more
than 1 hour (duration); and maintain a subjective distress level (SUDS) of 3 or 4.
Baseline (Current Level of Target Behaviors): The client states that he can cur-
rently remain at a party for only about 15 minutes before he has to leave.
209-Goals Should Be Stated Positively
When goals are stated as negatives, they have less power to influence and motivate
us
the helper should try to turn problems into goals. It seems like a small difference, but
it would be much better to develop a list of goals than a list of problems.
When a clear vision of success is formulated, it is easier to see the steps needed to
attain it
210-Goals Should Be Important to the Client
Clients will be successful when they are pursuing goals that are important to them
Goal setting that involves the client has ethical advantages as well because we are
doing not only what we think is best for the client but also what the client wants to do
210-211Goals Should Be Collaboration Between Helper and Client
when helpers and clients reach consensus and collaborate on goal achievement, the
chances of success are greatly enhanced
best practice is to continually seek information from your clients about their progress
and the current relevance of the goals
211-Goals Should Be Realistic
The helper’s expertise is important in defining goals when a client has unrealistic
aims. Sometimes the client has insufficient information about the self or about the
issue. At other times, the client wants to accomplish two incompatible aims.
One method of dealing with unrealistic goals is to confront the client with the
discrepancy. Ask the client to explore the goal and collect information to see whether
the goal is really possible.
212-213 THE TECHNIQUE OF USING QUESTIONS TO IDENTIFY A GOAL
During the goal-setting stage, helpers can use questions to home in on the problem.
Questions can be used to reveal or uncover an underlying goal, make a goal more
