Working Towards Goals

Have you ever had a goal but got overwhelmed with how to achieve it? Sometimes taking the time to think of a plan (step by step) and writing it down can help! It is easier to work towards.

Keeping this idea in mind, Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy Inc started a 10-week program regarding eating disorders. Each week is outlined – what each session will focus on, the assignments are given, the approaches being used, and the resources at hand. If you are interested in signing up or seeing an outline of the program, please let us know. 

In addition to implementing this 10-week program, Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy Inc encourages all therapists to create a treatment plan with clients within two sessions. This blog outlines what a treatment plan looks like and the benefits of having a treatment plan/ any plan to achieve a goal. 

To start, make a SMART goal. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.

Specific – Be clear of your goal, leaving it too broad can be overwhelming. 

Measurable – Some goals can seem too far away, but acknowledging your progress, can reinforce to yourself that achieving this goal is possible. Seeing progress is a great feeling and motivator, so implement ways to check in if you are getting closer to your goal. 

Attainable – Make realistic goals, you want to believe that you can achieve this! 

Relevant – Take the time to make sure the goal you are working towards is what you want/need to be working on given your present circumstance.  

Timely –Create deadlines, this will hold you accountable. 

Treatment plans are similar. Treatment plans are created with both the therapist and the client! The therapist and clients create a plan to work on identifying and defining specific presenting struggles. The therapist and client use research and self-awareness to implement tasks and techniques that are relevant and attainable for the client to complete. The therapist would also implement key identifying markers that show progress within certain time frames.  Hyunbin would be a good fit in this goal setting journey.

Just like any goal, treatment plans, have room for amendments as one sees what is working and what is not. 

But having a plan initially in place can help, benefits of a treatment plan are listed below 

  • People are more committed to therapy, as they commit to the plan, which is more concrete. 

  • Clients won’t feel sessions are as ambiguous if they understand the purpose of the steps– you and the therapist are on the same page, and know what is being worked towards in each session

  • When taking the time to create a plan, you have the time to think of other resources you may have to help achieve your goal. I.e when we at Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy Inc created our 10-week program for eating disorders we thought to incorporate our in-house Naturopath Doctor, Dr. Newry to assist as well. 

If you have any questions about SMART goals and treatment plans, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy at 647 267 9853

 

References

Ackerman, C.E. (2017). Mental Health Treatment Plans: Templates, Goals & Objectives.

Positive Psychology. From https://positivepsychology.com/mental-health-treatment-plans/

Marschall, A. (2022). What Is a Treatment Plan in Therapy? Very Well Mind. From

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-therapy-treatment-plan-5217740

Neal, A.C. (2003). The impact of written treatment plans on the effectiveness of psychotherapy

in a university-based community clinic. ScholarWorks at University of Montana. From

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=10510&context=etd#:~:text=A

%20treatment%20plan%20provides%20a,in%20the%20last%20several%20decades.

Peterson, T. (2019). What Is a Mental Health Treatment Plan? Why Is it Important?,

HealthyPlace. Retrieved from https://www.healthyplace.com/other-info/mental-illness-overview/what-is-a-mental-health-treatment-plan-why-is-it-important

Tsai K.H., Moskowitz A.L., Lynch R.E., Daleiden E., Mueller C., Krull J.L., Chorpita B.F.

(2019). Do Treatment Plans Matter? Moving From Recommendations to Action. J Clin

Child Adolesc Psychol. 48(sup1):S72-S78. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2016.1204922.

Vaughan Counselling and PsychotherapyGoal, Treatment plan, SMART