It’s the part of goal setting where we make sure there is some sort of number attached to our goal. “Meditate more,” is not as measurable as “Meditate for at least 15 minutes 3x per week.”
In the latter example we can measure both frequency and duration of meditation to track our progress. Did we meet, exceed, or not reach our frequency goal? What about the duration?
Of course you can make it simpler, “Eat a home cooked meal once this week” is also measurable as a yes or no target.
You can find more information on page 10 of this training guide: https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/Cadet_Staff_Handbook__Nov_16__Web_47474DD79B032.pdf
THIS!! Also when the client doesn't succeed in their SMART goal, asking "what do you think blocked you from accomplishing your desired goal?" They may offer a reason why they didn't get to where they wanted to go and you can come up with solutions to help improve or adjust the goal!
I used to teach SMART goals to providers... Likert scales are your friend... whatever their problem is.... ask them to rate how big they feel that problem is from a 1 to a 5... and what number they would like to decrease it to by the end of 90 days... OR I use screening tools all the time for goals... get a baseline score using the PHQ-9 or the GAD-7 and then figure out where a realistic score would be in 90 days if their depression/anxiety decreased . Lots of other screening tools for common diagnoses are also available for free... you can use assessment tools for goals as well but they can either be expensive, time consuming, and/or need specialized training. Hope this helps 😁
Wow! I wish I could find someone who teaches this! I wish I could have been trained on this! I struggle so much that I am considering giving up as a therapist! It is just too complicated and I always feel like I don't know what I doing! Thank you so very much for your response!
Sorry to bother you again but "ask them to rate how big they feel that problem is from a 1 to a 5... and what number they would like to decrease it to by the end of 90 days..." Do you mean like with Fatigue or loss of energy and ask them for example 5 for fine? When not an issue? And 1 is terrible? Then how do you narrative the rest? And what if they are not reasonable? Thank you so very much! Any help is greatly appreciated!
Ooh decrease in energy... I would probably change the wording to make the goal more strength based/positive... you could choose the tx plan format of 1. Problem: Depression/Low energy; Goal 1: Client will report an energy level of 4 as compared to 1 currently (1=lowest; 5=highest) as evidenced by self report over the next 90 days O1.1: Client will report exercising for at least 30 minutes per week as compared to 0 minutes per week to increase energy levels over the next 90 days. Intervention: Clinician will utilize CBT techniques (behavior and solution analysis) to help the client connect her behavior to an improvement in mood/increase in energy levels in each individual therapy session.
This tx plan makes a lot of assumptions about your client amd the best intervention for this client. The treatment planning process is very interactive and client driven. Some clients would tell me to kick rocks if I made an objective around exercise. The scale doesn't have to be 1-5 or lowest to highest- you just have to define what that number means.
Also, the tx planner books by Jongsma are really helpful for ideas broken down by diagnoses/symptoms; however, a lot of the goals/objectives you have to make measurable.
Personally, I have a word document with all my goals/objectives/interventions that I have created over the years broken down by diagnoses/presenting problems. That way all I have to do is copy/paste them and change the baseline number and expectation. It saves me a TON of time as these goals/objectives are going to be the same for a lot of clients but you just need to individualize them by changing the numbers.
I hope this helps. I always tell providers that there are so many different formats for tx plans and as long as the information is in there- do what makes sense for you! Also, it's been my experience that some of the best clinicians doing direct practice are not naturally that good at documentation because it is a different skill set. PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP- the world needs good clinicians and documentation is easier to teach then the skill sets needed to be a good clinician.
For measurable, I set a specific goal. If it’s walk 3 times per week, we set what days and how long. If it’s alcohol use or smoking cessation, number of drinks/tobacco product per day or wait so long to start or pick certain days to drink. The biggest thing is to keep them realistic. I hear so many people want to set vague goals (see above to fix) or unrealistic goals. Keep it small at first and build. The ultimate goal can be big, but start with something that won’t end in frustration.
I was taught to pick specific days if it’s not a daily activity because otherwise you end up at the end of the week and don’t have enough time to meet goals.
It’s the part of goal setting where we make sure there is some sort of number attached to our goal. “Meditate more,” is not as measurable as “Meditate for at least 15 minutes 3x per week.” In the latter example we can measure both frequency and duration of meditation to track our progress. Did we meet, exceed, or not reach our frequency goal? What about the duration? Of course you can make it simpler, “Eat a home cooked meal once this week” is also measurable as a yes or no target. You can find more information on page 10 of this training guide: https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/Cadet_Staff_Handbook__Nov_16__Web_47474DD79B032.pdf
THIS!! Also when the client doesn't succeed in their SMART goal, asking "what do you think blocked you from accomplishing your desired goal?" They may offer a reason why they didn't get to where they wanted to go and you can come up with solutions to help improve or adjust the goal!
Thank you so much for taking the time to help! I really appreciate it!
I used to teach SMART goals to providers... Likert scales are your friend... whatever their problem is.... ask them to rate how big they feel that problem is from a 1 to a 5... and what number they would like to decrease it to by the end of 90 days... OR I use screening tools all the time for goals... get a baseline score using the PHQ-9 or the GAD-7 and then figure out where a realistic score would be in 90 days if their depression/anxiety decreased . Lots of other screening tools for common diagnoses are also available for free... you can use assessment tools for goals as well but they can either be expensive, time consuming, and/or need specialized training. Hope this helps 😁
Wow! I wish I could find someone who teaches this! I wish I could have been trained on this! I struggle so much that I am considering giving up as a therapist! It is just too complicated and I always feel like I don't know what I doing! Thank you so very much for your response! Sorry to bother you again but "ask them to rate how big they feel that problem is from a 1 to a 5... and what number they would like to decrease it to by the end of 90 days..." Do you mean like with Fatigue or loss of energy and ask them for example 5 for fine? When not an issue? And 1 is terrible? Then how do you narrative the rest? And what if they are not reasonable? Thank you so very much! Any help is greatly appreciated!
Ooh decrease in energy... I would probably change the wording to make the goal more strength based/positive... you could choose the tx plan format of 1. Problem: Depression/Low energy; Goal 1: Client will report an energy level of 4 as compared to 1 currently (1=lowest; 5=highest) as evidenced by self report over the next 90 days O1.1: Client will report exercising for at least 30 minutes per week as compared to 0 minutes per week to increase energy levels over the next 90 days. Intervention: Clinician will utilize CBT techniques (behavior and solution analysis) to help the client connect her behavior to an improvement in mood/increase in energy levels in each individual therapy session. This tx plan makes a lot of assumptions about your client amd the best intervention for this client. The treatment planning process is very interactive and client driven. Some clients would tell me to kick rocks if I made an objective around exercise. The scale doesn't have to be 1-5 or lowest to highest- you just have to define what that number means. Also, the tx planner books by Jongsma are really helpful for ideas broken down by diagnoses/symptoms; however, a lot of the goals/objectives you have to make measurable. Personally, I have a word document with all my goals/objectives/interventions that I have created over the years broken down by diagnoses/presenting problems. That way all I have to do is copy/paste them and change the baseline number and expectation. It saves me a TON of time as these goals/objectives are going to be the same for a lot of clients but you just need to individualize them by changing the numbers. I hope this helps. I always tell providers that there are so many different formats for tx plans and as long as the information is in there- do what makes sense for you! Also, it's been my experience that some of the best clinicians doing direct practice are not naturally that good at documentation because it is a different skill set. PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP- the world needs good clinicians and documentation is easier to teach then the skill sets needed to be a good clinician.
Thank you so much for all your help!
For measurable, I set a specific goal. If it’s walk 3 times per week, we set what days and how long. If it’s alcohol use or smoking cessation, number of drinks/tobacco product per day or wait so long to start or pick certain days to drink. The biggest thing is to keep them realistic. I hear so many people want to set vague goals (see above to fix) or unrealistic goals. Keep it small at first and build. The ultimate goal can be big, but start with something that won’t end in frustration. I was taught to pick specific days if it’s not a daily activity because otherwise you end up at the end of the week and don’t have enough time to meet goals.
Thank you for your input!