Topic 6

Lecture Overview

  • Title: Phase 3 of The Counselling Process / Stages Model of Helping (Patterson & Welfel, 2005)

Phase: Goal Setting and Commitment to Action

  • Discusses the importance of goal setting and the challenges of terminating therapy.

Moving Clients to Action

  • Necessity in Therapy:

    • For some clients: Needed for progress; exploration alone may not be sufficient.

    • For others: They may naturally reach this stage without prompting.

Committing to Action for Clients

  • Key Challenges:

    • Action is perceived as a risk (fear of failure).

    • Clients must assume responsibility for their choices.

    • Significant energy is required for action.

    • Action leads to tangible change, which some clients may resist (fear of the unknown).

Goal Setting: Key Question

  • Process:

    • Assess understanding of the problem.

    • Define how they wish to lead their lives.

    • Determine actionable steps to achieve these goals.

Three Tasks in Goal Setting

  1. Reviewing Possible Strategies

    • Engage client creativity and imagination to generate options.

    • Utilize techniques like brainstorming, identifying open avenues, and exploring third options.

  2. Choosing the Best-Fitting Plan

    • Ensure goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound (SMART).

    • Goals must align with the client’s value system.

  3. Crafting a Practical Action Plan

    • Address the "what," "when," "where," "who," "how," and include a "what if" contingency plan.

Implementation & Follow-up

  1. Common Experiences: Clients may feel reluctance; normalizing this can help.

  2. Prepare for Failures: Establish contingency plans.

  3. Force-Field Analysis: Identify restraining and facilitating factors affecting progress.

  4. Ongoing Support: Provide feedback, evaluation, and necessary adjustments to the action plan.

Termination, Closure & Ending

  • Preparation for Ending:

    • Inform clients about the session end 10 minutes prior.

    • Summarize experiences; ask what the client will take away.

    • Reframe unresolved issues and prepare clients for post-session experiences.

    • End with a positive, encouraging farewell.

Reasons for Client Termination

  • Common Reasons:

    • Feeling of completion.

    • Resistance or feeling stuck.

    • External factors such as time, financial issues, or new supportive relationships.

    • Symptom relief, though underlying issues may persist.

Process of Termination

  1. Agree that it is time to end the sessions.

  2. Summarize the work (both achievements and challenges).

  3. Discuss immediate feelings about termination.

  4. Identify any unfinished business.

  5. Say goodbye, acknowledging the bittersweet nature of this phase.