Counselors often seek to develop proficiency in several therapy models (Solution-Focused, Cognitive Behavior, Emotion Focused, etc). Accordingly, we study and practice various models to enhance our ability and our performance. However adept we may be at executing these specific models, we should not overlook processes common to all forms of therapy. Common processes, if completed successfully under any model, provide the groundwork for superior counseling.
Intake is a crucial element of skilled counseling. Through the intake process the counselor 1) gathers demographic information, 2) fosters counselee trust, 3) discovers the "presenting problem" (what led the counselee to seek help), and, with the counselee's assistance, 4) determines therapeutic goals. Typically, counselees experience little difficulty identifying their problems; for this reason, some inexperienced counselors choose to concentrate therapy on presenting problems. Rather than problems, counselors ought to emphasize counselee goals and the means of achieving them. However, goal identification can be elusive.
Whereas problems are often clearly defined, goals are more likely to be vague. Counselees may assert that their goal is to "be happy" or "feel free." Successful counseling requires unambiguous goals; the counselor can employ solution-focused questions to clarify therapy objectives. The counselor may ask, "How would you know you were happy?" or "When are the instances when you do feel free?" Fortunately, these questions often refine otherwise unclear goals.
Nevertheless, counselees may still experience difficulty articulating their goals. Counselees who are unsure of their goals may answer, "I don't know" to solution-based questions. To assist them, counselees can be invited to explore possible goals without the responsibility of being accurate -- we may ask them to guess. A counselor may pose, "What if you did know, what would it be?" or "Just guess, when do you think you are happy?" Liberated from the need to be correct, counselees with uncertain goals often begin to vocalize them.
Goals, of course, need to be both clear and attainable -- we should never work with a counselee toward an unrealistic conclusion. Consequently, we should never overlook the value of short-term goals. When counselees hear the word "goal" they most often associate it with long-term objectives such as "retire well" or "get promoted." In therapy a counselee may likewise answer "handle my grief" or "regain my sense of safety" as their goal. Long-term goals are important, but they require time, patience/persistence, and dedication. Short-term goals, conversely, can be easier to clarify and within reach.
Short-term goals can also be astonishingly simple. A counselee who is ignoring their personal needs could respond, "eat lunch at my favorite restaurant" or "take a long bath" as unremarkable, yet meaningful, goals. Besides being easier to identify, short-term goals encourage counselee competence. Many counselees benefit from taking "baby steps" to build their confidence and to convince them that significant long-term change is possible. Short-term goals are empowering.
Finally, short-term goals promote "living in the now" -- the act of living in the current moment. Counselees are frequently past-oriented; they focus their attention on negative events that have wounded them and that they have little power to undo. Counselors, on the other hand, help individuals envision a future where the presenting problem no longer exists. Hope is felt in the present; actively achieving short-term goals enables counselees to believe that long-term goals will be attained.
The definitive goal of therapy is to help counselees reach a point where counseling is no longer needed. To hasten termination, therapy should target clear, obtainable objectives by developing both long- and short-term goals. Every counselee can be helped when they turn away from past mistakes toward a more fulfilling present and future.
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