{"id":717,"date":"2013-07-16T09:19:49","date_gmt":"2013-07-16T09:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unk.com\/blog\/?p=717"},"modified":"2024-04-18T01:53:45","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T07:53:45","slug":"how-to-help-your-clients-achieve-their-therapy-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unk.com\/blog\/how-to-help-your-clients-achieve-their-therapy-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Help Your Clients Achieve Their Therapy Goals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever set a therapeutic goal for a client, had them agree to it, and then… find they’ve done nothing at all about it at their next session?<\/p>\n

To escape from a problem (whether a burning building or a state of mind) a strategy is needed. Clear goal setting is vital when helping people in therapy. The mind needs a clear orientation (especially when it’s all emotional) and a compelling ‘blueprint’ fixed within consciousness of how things can be better in the future. But if the client doesn’t try to reach those goals, or if they don’t know where to begin, it all gets a little trickier.<\/p>\n

Here’s my quick and easy guide on how to set therapy goals your client feels motivated to achieve. <\/strong><\/h2>\n

1. State the goal in positive terms<\/h3>\n

I never take goals for granted. Even when treating, say, a spider phobia, where you’d assume the goal was pretty self-evident, we’ll still spend time clarifying their goal in positive <\/em>terms:<\/p>\n

“What do you want from this session?”<\/em><\/p>\n

“I don’t want to feel terrified and sick when I see spiders!” <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What kind of a blueprint is that? Imagine getting in a cab and telling the driver all the places you don’t <\/em>want to go.<\/p>\n

Prefer to watch instead?<\/h3>\n