Effective Goal Setting for Health Behavior Change

Goal setting is core to the therapeutic process. Clients come to therapy with their own goals that often evolve throughout the course of treatment. Despite the integral role of goal setting in the therapy process, many goals will not be achieved. But clinicians can help clients to refine and strengthen their goals to increase success. Deepening our understanding of what makes a goal more likely to be achieved, and using evidence-based tools for our goal setting process can lead to improved client outcomes.

In Effective Goal Setting for Health Behavior Change, Dr. Lindsay Oberleitner will address the science of goal setting and share examples of how it can be applied to clinical practice. Participants will also review case examples of effective and less effective client health behavior goals, and examine the intersection between goal setting and other psychological theories to strengthen the therapeutic approach.

1.5 hours CE. Recorded video format (non-interactive)

ESTIMATED COURSE LENGTH: 1.5 hours 

CE CREDITS: 1.50 continuing education/contact hours for social workers, psychologists, counselors, and marriage and family therapists

TARGET AUDIENCE: Mental Health Practitioners

LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION: Intermediate

PREREQUISITE(S): None

INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD: Recorded video format (non-interactive)

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS: Closed captioning of audio components. In order to request further accessibility accommodations, please email support@psychhub.com.

COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS: To obtain your CE certificate, learners must complete a pre-test (not scored), progress through all course segments, complete a participant evaluation, and obtain a score of 80% or higher on a post-test. Learners are expected to complete the quiz within 3 attempts. If unable to do so, the learner will need to re-review the course segments.

FINANCIAL/COMMERCIAL SUPPORT STATEMENT: This course has no commercial support.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:  This course has no potential conflict of interest or outside commercial support. Psych Hub's conflict of interest statement is found in the footer of the training center.

GRIEVANCE AND REFUND POLICIES: Grievance and refund policies are found in the footer of the training center.

PARTICIPATION COSTS:  The cost to participate in this CE activity is included in the subscription registration fee.

COURSE CREATION DATE: 5/9/2023

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Describe at least three factors related to goal setting that influence goal achievement
• Examine individual client differences that can impact the goal setting process
• Demonstrate effective use of at least three evidence-based factors for goal setting to clinical practice

1. The role of goal setting in behavior change
   1. Scope
      1. Treatment planning
      2. Client health goals
   2. Clinician role
      1. Goal setting
      2. Goal tracking
      3. Reassessment
2. Science of effective goal setting
   
   1. The basics: sizing, reach, specificity
   2. Motivations
   3. Barriers and inoculation
   4. Reinforcements and rewards
   5. Measurement and tracking
   6. Achievement modifying factors
      
      1. Individual client factors
      2. Clinician factors
3. Case applications
4. Intersection with other theories of health behavior change
5. Tips and applied exercise