Do You Have Clear Goals For Therapy?

[Scandinavgirl]

I was just wondering...I keep reading that a good psychologist sets goals together with the patient in beginning of therapy. I have not really talked about my goals for therapy with my therapist.
I came into therapy in some sort of crisis and I just needed to talk about my mother and my childhood. Grieve and then move on (I thought). But I found out that my problems with relation, dissociation and self-esteem was worth working with. I have told my T. that I don not wish to talk about my past any more and instead work on issues I have today. But still we have not set any goals.

Currently I don`t know how long I will stay in therapy, I dont really know exactly where my problems lays. Dissociation is about to disappear, and I constantly work with self-talk and slowly I get to like my self better and better (I think).

Is it "ok" to just take it one session at the time without clear goals? Seems to work fine, but at the same time, I dont know when I have "worked enough".

Small problem, but any thoughts?

 

[Justmehere]

Goals are a tool. Nothing more, nothing less. If what you are doing is working for you, then that's really ok.

If you felt frustrated and aimless in therapy, and things were not getting better for you, then goals may be a really good idea. It also might help for your therapist to know of any goals you might have do they are not overlooking something really important to you.

But if doing it without clear goals for every session is working, I wouldn't be too concerned.

Sometimes I have clear goals and we work on them, sometimes I have clear goals and my therapist helps me focus on something more important, sometimes it takes all I have just to show up, and I have no clue what the heck I'm doing or what I need to work on, I'm just trying to survive another day... and my therapist still is able to help reduce symptoms 95 at least manage the symptoms I have a little better.

I think you will know when you are ready to end. People seem to know when they are ready to end therapy as a whole. They tend to be so busy enjoying and living life, not battling symptoms, that it's just not worth it to keep going.

 

[Red Cherry]

Hi there,

I agree with the last comments too. I think that your journey is individual to you and no amount of articles which state what you should or shouldn't do are ever going to take that away....

I think trust your instinct, as you are doing, and follow what feels right for you and good luck. It seems you are making great progress and that is all any of us can hope for at the end of the day. You will definitely know when the time is right to leave therapy, and you might decide you need to revisit at a later stage too.

I had two and a half years of counselling which ended over a year ago, to help process what happened to me, and it just felt natural to end it when it did. Now, a year or so later, I have a hit a tricky patch and I am looking at different types of therapy.

There are no closed doors unless we choose to close them.

 

[Panda Bear]

My T has a mental list of things he's like me to be able to do before we say goodbye. We change and adapt them, because even though we've been together for 4yrs, topics and struggles arise that we didn't realize until we reached them.

We aren't driven by the goals so much and that's okay with me. We move where we need to move, stay until we can't anymore and come back if need be.

When I first started, we didn't have any goals. Just damage control!!! Had he addressed me with a list of goals and knowing what needed to be done? I would've been OUT of there so fast! I needed way more and couldn't think of goals. Just do what works for you!

 

[GardenGirl0214]

I agree with doing what works for you, which is what you seen to get doing. One day at a time, one step at a time.

 

[Scandinavgirl]

Thanks all of you for answering - seems like you all think working without goals is common :)

 

[Crow]

I brought up goals a few months ago. For years we have worked with no goals...well I guess the goal was getting me to a place I could trust T...and that's finally happening so now I listed five things I'd like to concentrate more on. T bends the conversation to those things during session which is ultimately helpful. But there is no A to B to C kind of goal setting. I think that works well with non-trauma therapy but our work is so all encompassing and mutable.