Counselling can be a powerful tool for personal growth, healing, and self-improvement. Whether you are seeking therapy to address specific issues, manage stress, or enhance your well-being, setting clear and achievable counselling goals is essential for a successful therapeutic journey.
This guide will walk you through the process of setting counselling goals step by step. Including some real-world examples to help you along the way.
Why set counselling goals?
Setting goals in therapy provides direction and purpose. Well-defined goals help you and your counsellor work together effectively, ensuring that your sessions are tailored to your unique needs and aspirations. They serve as a roadmap, allowing you to track your progress and celebrate your achievements along the way.
Your goals can be diverse, ranging from addressing mental health issues like anxiety and depression to personal development objectives like improving communication skills or building self-esteem. To set your goals, follow these steps:
Step 1: Self-reflection
Before setting counselling goals, reflect on your current state of mind, emotions, and overall well-being. Ask yourself:
- What challenges or concerns am I currently facing?
- What specific changes or improvements would I like to see in my life?
- What are the emotional or behavioural patterns would I like to change or develop?
- Are there past experiences or traumas that I need to address in therapy?
Example: If you’re experiencing excessive stress and anxiety, your self-reflection might reveal that you want to learn effective stress-management techniques and improve your overall emotional well-being.
Step 2: Prioritise your concerns
Once you’ve identified your areas of concern, prioritise them. Consider which issues are most pressing or impact your daily life and well-being.
Example: If you’re struggling with both relationship problems and low self-esteem, you might decide to prioritise addressing your low self-esteem because it’s affecting your ability to maintain healthy relationships. Take your time with this, as
it will help you and your counsellor find a focus.
Step 3: Make your goals SMART
When setting counselling goals, it’s beneficial to follow the SMART criteria. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Let’s break down what each of these means:
- Specific: Your goals should be clear and concise. They should specify exactly what you want to achieve. Example: “Improve my self-esteem” is specific because it targets a particular area of improvement.
- Measurable: Your goals should include a way to measure your progress or success. Example: “Increase my self-esteem by 20% within 6 months” is measurable because it sets a clear target and timeframe.
- Achievable: Your goals should be realistic and attainable given your current circumstances. Example: Setting an achievable goal might mean setting a realistic timeframe for reaching a specific self-esteem improvement.
- Relevant: Your goals should align with your overall values, needs, and concerns. Example: “Improve self-esteem” is relevant if it is indeed a critical aspect of your life that needs attention.
- Time-bound: Your goals should have a deadline or timeframe to create a sense of urgency and focus. Example: “Increase self-esteem by 20% within 6 months” is time-bound because it specifies when you aim to achieve the goal.
Step 4: Have short & long-term goals
Counselling goals can be categorised as short-term and long-term. Short-term goals are those you aim to achieve soon, while long-term goals are broader objectives that may take more time. Breaking your goals into these two categories helps you manage your expectations and track your progress effectively.
Example:
- Short-term goal: “Identify and challenge negative self-talk within the first month of counselling”
- Long-term goal: “Achieve a 40% increase in self-esteem within one year of counselling”
Step 5: Share with your counsellor
Sharing your self-reflection and SMART goals with your counsellor is a pivotal step in the therapeutic process. By sharing your aspirations and challenges, you create a collaborative partnership.
Counsellors, drawing from their professional expertise, provide not only valuable insights but also the necessary guidance to refine your objectives. They can tailor your goals to align with your specific needs, ensuring that the counselling experience is highly personalised and effective.
Step 6: Monitor and adapt your goals
During your counselling sessions, you and your counsellor will monitor your progress, evaluating the effectiveness of your strategies and interventions. Allow for the adaptation of your goals in response to your needs and newfound insights.
Example:
If you discover your three-month timeframe is too challenging, you might decide to extend it. This adaptability ensures your counselling journey remains responsive to your evolving requirements and aspirations.
Step 7: Celebrate your achievements
Celebrating achievements in counselling is part of the healing and growth process. Take a moment to acknowledge your progress, no matter how small, and to recognise the effort you’ve invested in your personal development journey.
Whether it’s conquering a fear, improving a relationship, or enhancing your mental well-being, celebrating these milestones boosts your confidence and provides the motivation to continue striving for a brighter and healthier future.
Example 1: SMART goal
Here’s an example of a SMART goal for counselling:
Specific: Improve my coping skills to manage work-related stress more effectively.
Measurable: Decrease the number of panic attacks and instances of excessive worry per month from the current average of four to one or less within six months.
Achievable: With the guidance and support of my counsellor, I believe it is attainable to reduce my panic attacks and excessive worry with effective coping strategies.
Relevant: Managing work-related stress is directly relevant to my well-being and my career success.
Time-bound: Achieve this reduction in panic attacks and excessive worry within the next six months, tracking progress in each counselling session and adjusting strategies as needed.
Example 2: SMART goal
Here’s another example of a SMART goal for counselling:
Specific: Improve my communication skills to enhance my relationships.
Measurable: Increase the frequency of open and honest conversations with my partner, from having meaningful conversations once a week to at least three times a week, within four months.
Achievable: I believe it is achievable to improve my communication skills and increase the frequency of meaningful conversations with the support and guidance of my counsellor.
Relevant: Enhancing communication is relevant to my goal of building healthier and more fulfilling relationships.
Time-bound: Attain this increase in meaningful conversations within the next four months, regularly assessing progress during counselling sessions and making necessary adjustments along the way.
Low Cost Online Counselling
Our low-cost counselling service gives you access to private therapy for only £29. Just follow these two simple steps to access our affordable counselling service.
Step 1: Go to the self referral contact form below.
Step 2: Complete the form to book and secure an initial free consultation.
It’s as simple as that. One of our team will contact you within 24 hours to discuss your needs.
