Setting therapy goals can help you get the most out of your therapy sessions. Many people find that using techniques such as SMART goals can help them work together with their therapist toward specific outcomes.

Therapy is a collaborative process between a therapist and a client aimed at addressing various mental health issues, improving well-being, and achieving personal growth.

Setting clear therapy goals can help guide the treatment process, measure progress, and ensure both you and your therapist are working toward the same objectives.

Gives you direction and focus

Therapy goals provide direction and focus. They help you and your therapist understand what you’re working toward.

This can keep the sessions centered on specific issues and objectives.

Helps with motivation

Having clear goals can motivate you to engage actively in your therapy.

Knowing that you’re working toward specific outcomes can increase your commitment to the therapeutic process and encourage you to take steps outside of sessions to achieve your goals.

You can measure your progress

Therapy goals allow you to measure progress over time.

By setting measurable and achievable objectives, both you and your therapist can track improvements and adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Creates accountability

Goals create accountability in the therapeutic relationship.

Both you and your therapist are responsible for working toward your set objectives, fostering a sense of partnership and collaboration.

It’s important to note that setting goals may not work for everyone. If this feels overwhelming, there are plenty of other ways to get the most out of your therapy sessions.

Things to keep in mind when setting your goals:

Remember, it’s a collaborative process

Setting therapy goals should be a joint process between your therapist and you.

It involves discussing your needs, preferences, and desired outcomes and then agreeing on specific, achievable objectives.

Set SMART goals

A useful framework for setting therapy goals is the SMART criteria. SMART goals are:

  • Specific: Clearly defined and focused on particular issues or behaviors.
  • Measurable: Quantifiable or observable, allowing for tracking progress.
  • Achievable: Realistic and attainable within the client’s capabilities and resources.
  • Relevant: Make sense for your personal needs and overall well-being.
  • Time-bound: Set within a specific timeframe to provide a sense of structure and give you a date to work toward.

Make them flexible

Therapy goals should be flexible and adaptable.

As your progress or circumstances change, you may want to change or update your goals to reflect new insights or challenges.

Prioritize

It’s important to prioritize your goals based on your immediate needs and long-term objectives.

Starting with manageable and impactful goals can build momentum and confidence, leading to more significant progress over time.

Some examples of therapy goals include:

Improve emotional regulation

  • Specific Goal: Learn and practice techniques to manage and express your emotions more effectively.
  • Measurable: You can track instances of emotional outbursts and how you used coping strategies.
  • Achievable: Find techniques that suit you and that you’ll remember to use. For example, this could be mindfulness or CBT techniques.
  • Relevant: This goal can help with your specific issues, such as mood swings, anxiety, or depression.
  • Time-bound: Achieve noticeable improvement within 3 months. You could record the number of times you were able to manage and express your emotions effectively. You might also want to record what your particular stressors were, as the number may vary month to month, too.

Enhance communication skills

  • Specific Goal: Improve verbal and non-verbal communication in personal and professional relationships.
  • Measurable: You can assess how often you have positive interactions with people. Document what you did and what the outcome was.
  • Achievable: Practice methods you feel comfortable using. For example, you could start with active listening or assertiveness techniques.
  • Relevant: This will help you have better relationships with the people in your life and help reduce misunderstandings.
  • Time-bound: Have a goal number of effective conversations within 6 months.

Reduce anxiety

  • Specific Goal: Decrease the frequency and intensity of your anxiety episodes.
  • Measurable: You can monitor your anxiety levels using self-report scales.
  • Achievable: Use relaxation techniques, cognitive-behavioral strategies, and lifestyle changes that work best for you. It may take trial and error to find out which techniques are most effective.
  • Relevant: This will improve your overall mental health and you in your day-to-day life.
  • Time-bound: Achieve a significant reduction in anxiety symptoms within 3 months. You could use a scale or self-questionnaire to assess this over time.

Build self-esteem

  • Specific Goal: Increase your self-confidence and positive self-perception.
  • Measurable: You can track your self-esteem levels through self-assessment tools.
  • Achievable: Engage in activities that you feel promote your self-worth and challenge negative beliefs about yourself. You can always adjust these as you go along.
  • Relevant: This will enhance your personal growth and resilience.
  • Time-bound: Noticeable improvement in self-esteem within 6 months. You can use self-assessment to determine this. Or you can keep a journal or diary of how you feel over this time period.

Develop better coping strategies

  • Specific Goal: Identify and implement effective coping mechanisms for stress and adversity.
  • Measurable: You can evaluate the effectiveness of different coping strategies.
  • Achievable: You’ll want to learn and practice specific techniques that you think you’ll use. This could include problem-solving and relaxation exercises. Try different techniques out and reflect on what happened.
  • Relevant: Supports your mental health and how you adapt to stressful situations.
  • Time-bound: Establish reliable coping strategies within 3 months.

You can work with your therapist to determine personalised goals for your specific needs.

Setting therapy goals can be a helpful part of the therapeutic process for some people. It can provide direction, motivation, and a framework for measuring progress.

By collaboratively setting SMART goals, you and your therapist work together effectively to achieve desired outcomes and improve your overall well-being.

Remember to start slowly and document your wins, no matter how small they may seem at first. Once you have some progress under your belt, you can look back and build upon what you’ve done already.

Also, know that change takes time. Feel free to adjust your goals as needed, depending on your priorities at the time. If setting goals does not work for you, that’s OK, too. It’s just one of many ways people can use to assist them in therapy.