Effectiveness of Tracking Goals in Counselling

Recent evidence suggests that focusing on positive goals rather than problems to avoid, may be associated with better psychological health and attainment of goals. In addition, the advantages of using personalised measures have been highlighted in a number of studies. The Goals Form is a new measure that comprises both elements. It invites clients, in collaboration with their therapist, to identify up to seven goals for therapy typically at a first assessment session and then to rate them on a 1-7 Likert scale, with 1 being not at all achieved and 7 being completely achieved. This research is important for clinical practice as it provides the foundations to identify what might be a helpful factor in counselling and psychotherapy. The aim of the study is to test whether the use of the Goals Form leads to better clinical outcomes in counselling and psychotherapy. Participants in this study are counsellors and service users at Tower Hamlets Mind. The design of this study is a trial, which looks at comparing outcome measure scores in 'therapy as usual' and 'therapy using the Goals Form' when participants are randomly assigned to one of the two conditions. Interventions in this study involve using the Goals Form at the start of every session and taking part in a 30 minute interview once therapy has ended to give feedback about using the form in therapy . In addition to assessing outcome, the study also serves to compare satisfaction scores across the two conditions. It is a pilot to determine the feasibility of such trial including recruitment rates over a period of a year, adherence of counsellors and clients to the protocol, and the ethical issues raised.