week 8 response 1 & 2 449

Amanda McGahan

Professor and class,

Throughout this class I have found measurable goals to be the most difficult part of the helping process. Understanding how measurable goals themselves work was not challenging for me, but applying them to certain situations can be tricky. For example, if a client wants to lose weight, I found it easier to break this down into further steps than if a client is having trouble communicating with a spouse. There are many ways to break this goal down further, but my confusion is putting an end goal date or timeline to make it measurable. With the weight loss goal a timeline can be set of the amount of weight the client wants to lose and how many times per week to exercise, meal prep, etc. over a specified period of time. I would love feedback from all of you on your process of making goals measurable!

I believe that termination can be stressful for a client regardless of their current state or need for continued care. Change can be difficult and uncomfortable. For someone who is reaching goals and making significant progress and mutually agrees on the termination, I think it is important to remind the client about self-care, coping skills, and to provide group therapy options or other resources for the client to have on hand. A client leaving therapy with a somewhat motivational “high” may unconsciously stop actively practicing these learned skills over time on their own and be in need of care again. For the client in my mock interview I would also provide resources such as couple’s therapy, or exercises and strategies to aid in communication that she can refer to in times of need.

Amanda