Goal Setting That Works

Therapy is a powerful vehicle for change. But there's no point in having a vehicle if you don't know your destination. Whatever your theoretical or therapeutic orientation might be, and whichever client population you see, goal setting is almost certainly a part of the work that you do. Yet goal setting is often done haphazardly, without the attention to technique and detail that it deserves. As a result, this primary tool of therapy is weakened and often proves ineffective.

This course is designed to sharpen your technique for maximum impact with the clients you serve. We'll examine:

• The nature of therapeutic goal-setting and behavioural activation - and why they're so important for outcome.
• The client populations that benefit (spoiler alert: almost everyone) and strategies for tailoring goal setting to the needs of different groups (for example, depression versus anxiety disorders).
• Methods of integrating goal setting with the client's stage of change.
• Strategies to help clients identify their own Ultimate Goals - for the therapy, and for their lives.
• Methods of breaking down Ultimate Goals to form Immediate Goals: goals that can be carried out before the next session.
• A series of rules governing effective and achievable Immediate Goals, designed to increase the likelihood of them being carried out.
• The role of the clinician in assisting clients in finding their path forward.
• The optimal timing and structure for goal setting within the therapy session.

Along the way you will receive clear recommendations about the use of 30 specific tips to sharpen your technique and maximize your impact. Each is designed to enhance client change in the only environment that counts: outside your office.

This course provides 5 hours of video content, plus a series of downloadable forms that you can use with your clients to develop goals and monitor progress.

Get CE Credit: Upon completing the course you can submit a brief quiz and a feedback form, and we will provide you with a certificate of completion for 5 CE hours. Changeways Clinic is an approved provider of Continuing Education under the Canadian Psychological Association (see note at the bottom of this page).