A presentation at Heritage University at CBC Week 10 in in Pasco, WA 99301, USA by Jacob Campbell
Location: Online - Zoom
Time: Monday’s from 5:30-8:15
Week 10: 10/26/20
Topic and Content Area: Planning
Reading Assignment: Hepworth et al. (2017) chapters 12 and 13
Assignments Due:
Other Important Information: N/A
Watch clip from the office that includes some simple planning
Today we are talking about planning.
(Hepworth et al., 2016)
There should a link and connection directly following from each of the steps in the planned change process.
Goals often take circuitous path where we are helping the client to reach goal attainment. A part of this process is…
There are a number of factors that influence goal development.
[Whole Class Activity] Discuss Each what are examples of each of these.
There are many types of goals. “With individuals, this focus typically involves intrapersonal subsystems as well as their interaction with the social and physical environment. Goals may initially be expressed in broad terms.” (Hepworth, 2017, p. 319)
These goals can be considered:
The most common types of distortions and negative thinking patterns conceptualized by Beck (1976) have been summarized in the literature (Cormier, Nurius, & Osborn, 2009; Leahy & Holland, 2000; Walsh, 2006) and are as follows:
[Whole Class Activity] Discuss each of the thinking errors, what they mean and possible examples of them. Can also look at what the opposite is that you would be trying to encourage in clients.
[Small Group Activity] Share with a partner about some of the thinking distortions that are present in the media and then some that you have to some degree or the opposite of those.
There are some activities we can do as clinicians to assist in developing goals with involuntary clients.
While the textbook looks at planning related to…
I’d like to present a more generalist concept of planning.
Working with your client might sound like the most basic step, and in some regards it is. It is important to involve your client in every part of the intervention process.
Which Problem Should You Work on First? Many clients have many complex problems on multiple levels.
As in the assessment section, we want to limit areas of focus to the following…
Initial use by Doran… Doran, G. T. (1981). There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management’s goals and objectives. Management Review. 70(11) 35–36.
When I worked at Jubilee, I used to teach the kids on my case load that goals have have to SMART Goals. Pretty standard and discussed everywhere. Used at WISe.
Another way to think about choosing priorities is to look at it this way…
Again, the following are possible areas of problems
[Small Group Activity] During the class today, we will break up into partners a number of times. I want you to pick a partner, discuss some sort of area that they want to make change in their life. Come up with a specific problem. I’d prefer it to something real (easier to put together), but doesn’t have to be.
[Small Group Activity] Prioritize the problem together that you want to make a plan for today.
The Kirst-Ashman and Hull (2015) divides up the needs into three categories. Translating problems into needs allows us to see start the process of determining what intervention is needed. A problem, without understanding the need the person has is not very helpful (i.e. Homeless might mean that the person needs to feel they have a stable place to stay… or …etc)
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0054346
You may recognize this, and the Kirst-Ashman version is very similar to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
The following are some problems that the Kirst-Ashman and Hull (2015) used to be translated into needs.
In my practice, I have generally though of needs as feelings (i.e. to feel stable… kind of like the root need)
Unemployment -> Employment
Homelessness -> Place to live
Depression -> Treatment for relief of depression
Grief at death of loved one -> Grief Management
Poor performance at school -> Improved school performance, motivation, family stability
[Small Group Activity] Now work with your partner, for the given problem, translate the problem into a need.
The next step is to select what strategies are needed to follow up.
[Small Group Activity] With you partner select a strategy of intervention.
Establishing goals helps ensure that clients and workers are in agreement about the problem definition and the changes that must occur to produce a suitable change.
[Discussion] What are some possible examples of client goals?
[Small Group Activity] Work with your partner to develop a general goal (big picture statement)
This is breaking the goal down into measurable, and behaviorally specific terms.
Example is: The client goal: Get a job paying at least $300 a week. Objective: Gain GED, or complete 6 months of job skills training. Action steps -Apply to get started on GED or for admission to the job skill training.
[Small Group Activity] With you partner, develop an objective.
Action steps are the specific steps of who will accomplish what, when
[Small Group Activity] With your partner develop action steps.
A contract is an agreement between the client and worker.
There are advantages to having clients involved in completing a contract.
Contracts can be written and signed, they can involve a verbal agreement, or contracts can be implicit or assumed.
Whenever possible use written or oral contracts.
A intervention contract must always contain information that identifies the client.
What does the end RESULT look like?
Planning is an important part of the process for working with clients. Like the old adage goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” There is a lot we can do to help our clients plan, and even the process of teaching them to plan can have positive longterm impacts. Today we are going to spend time looking at goals, cognitive distortions, and practice going through an eight step process for planning.