Working with Goals in Psychotherapy and Counselling

Abstract

Working with goals in counselling and psychotherapy provides a detailed guide to using goals in clinical practice, and the empirical and theoretical foundations for this work. The book is aimed at psychologists, psychotherapists, and counsellors of all orientations—both in training and in practice—who work with adults and/or with children and young people. The introduction to the book defines goals, looks at their development, and discusses the rationale for, and challenges of, goal-oriented practice. Chapter 2 explores philosophical perspectives on goals, critically examining the relevance of these ideas to therapeutic practice. Chapter 3 extends this by looking at the psychological evidence on goals and goal-setting, examining its relationship to emotions and wellbeing, and the dimensions along which goals can vary. The following chapter, written by service users, presents their perspective on working with goals: why they may find it helpful, what they want from it, and what they see as the challenges. Chapter 5 reviews the evidence on goal consensus and therapeutic outcomes; and this is followed by a review of the different measures that can be used for goal monitoring and feedback (Chapter 6). Chapters 7 and 8 focus specifically on clinical practice: identifying effective strategies for goal-setting; and for working with goals across the therapeutic encounter. Goal-oriented practices are then considered in relation to the principle therapeutic orientations (Chapter 9). The book concludes with the analogy of therapy as a ‘journey of discovery’ (Chapter 10), with the client’s individual goals setting the direction for travel.