Therapeutic goals – what are they and why are they important?
If you have decided to, or are thinking about making the decision to start therapy, you might have heard of the term therapeutic goals, and said to yourself, “Well, what’s that? My goal is go to therapy – isn’t that enough?” And while yes, getting yourself into the session is the main aim or objective, thinking about and reflecting on therapeutic goals is also very important.
Therapeutic goals are essentially what you would like to accomplish in counselling or therapy. Basically, what struggle or experience are you having that brings you into therapy, and what would managing that look like? What changes or shifts would like to see in yourself? Some examples of therapeutic goals might be the following:
Decreasing symptoms of depression or anxiety
Increasing self-confidence and self-esteem
Increasing symptom management of ADHD
Developing mindfulness and stress management skills
Reducing feelings of panic and overwhelming emotions
Resolving old, unhealed wounds and trauma from the past
Understanding unhelpful patterns of behaviour
Gaining a better sense of identity and confidence
Goals are important because they help you and your therapist direct and navigate your sessions. Similarly, research tells us that having clear goals in therapy can increase motivation and help you stay focused on your progress. Think about it in terms of goals in sports: if there were no goals in hockey, you would just be watching a bunch of players pass the puck around over and over. How would you know who won the game? How would you know when it was over? Either way, it does not sound very productive or rewarding. Some questions for developing your therapeutic goals are:
If your therapy was “successful” or “accomplished” how would you know? How would your life be different?
How would you feel about yourself if you knew you had bounced back from what brought you to therapy? How would you feel about the future?
Imagine that while you’re sleeping, all your problems are solved. When you wake up, how will you know that things are better? What specific changes do you notice?
If you are unsure of specific answers regarding these questions, that’s completely okay – they are meant to provoke thought and reflection. Additionally, your therapist will offer support, and insight in order to collaborate with you on mapping out some of these more specific pieces. That’s part of our goal, is to help you feel inspired, understood, and supported to bounce back.
It is fair to say that some goals are bigger than others, and these bigger goals are sometimes known as overarching goals or long term goals of therapy. Often, these are composed of smaller more short term goals. While these goals are just as important, they might be a bit more specific, or more contained into one area of your life. For example, think about the goal of Increasing self-confidence and self-esteem. For many individuals this might be an overarching goal or long of therapy and the short term goals to achieve this are as follows:
Foster more self-compassion and positive self-talk
Develop and implement boundaries with family members and friends
Increase mindfulness and stress reduction skills
Whatever you want your goals to be, it is important that you and your therapist or counsellor have clarity on what they are and what they mean to you. Some research shows that therapeutic goal clarity, is a significant predicter of successful therapy client outcomes. This means that if you and your therapist are on different pages on your goals are, it could result in needing more sessions, not feeling as satisfied, or feeling less connected to your therapist. Additionally, research supports the notion of checking in with goals and progress with your therapist can be meaningful to your outcomes.
So what does this mean for you? I will leave you with 3 pieces for food for thought:
Whether you are just starting therapy, thinking about starting or have been attending therapy for a while, think about where you want your current or future goals to take you. Also, no matter what point you’re at in your counselling journey, don’t be afraid to discuss your goals in order to make them more specific, concrete or clarify them. Therapists and counsellors are happy to pivot in the direction that makes you feel the best and it is much easier to do that if you give that feedback. This is important as research findings indicate that regularly checking in about progress and goals leads to greater therapeutic gains and more positive outcomes.
It is also normal for goals to change and evolve as you move through therapy. As you move through the therapeutic experience no matter what your goals in the beginning are, you will learn about yourself, and gain insight and self-awareness. This insight and deeper self-awareness might cause your goals to shift, and that’s perfectly okay.
It is okay to find a different therapist. At Rebound, we are fortunate to have many therapists that you might connect with. Sometimes the fit isn’t right, and it takes a therapist with a different lens, to best help you. Either way, your therapist won’t be offended and will understand.
References:
Geurtzen, N., Keijsers, G. P. J., Karremans, J. C., Tiemens, B. G., & Hutschemaekers, G. J. M. (2020). Patients’ perceived lack of goal clarity in psychological treatments: Scale development and negative correlates. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 27(6), 915–924. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2479
Lindhiem, O., Bennett, C. B., Orimoto, T. E., & Kolko, D. J. (2016). A Meta-Analysis of Personalized Treatment Goals in Psychotherapy: A Preliminary Report and Call for More Studies. Clinical psychology : a publication of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association, 23(2), 165–176. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpsp.12153