Imagine you’re on a long road trip. The logistics are sorted; you’ll take turns driving with a friend, there’s food available every other hour, and you’ve already queued up your favourite song albums to listen to on the way.
But here’s the question: where are you headed? Sometimes, figuring out the ‘how’ before the ‘where’ or ‘why’ is easier.
In therapy, the destination is your therapy goal, and the route is the therapeutic plan your Therapist may create to get you there. There are a few things you can think about even before your first session to make the most of the process.
In this article, we share how you can set goals for therapy and some therapy progress strategies. By following these steps, you can come up with a concise list and ensure your time in therapy is intentional, focused, and productive.
Therapy goals are the intentions you share with the professional to help you create a roadmap for measuring progress and achieving your goals.
Here’s the tricky part: The Therapist in Singapore does not do the work for you. Instead, they provide a clear direction for the therapeutic process and help clients identify specific areas of focus to meet their long-term goals.
Below are some common types of therapy goals:
The above list is non-exhaustive. Similar to how life constantly changes, your goals may also change along the way.
In fact, you may even have multiple goals in various aspects of your life. For example, you may wish to improve your communication skills at work while also focusing on dealing with social anxiety.
Think of therapy as a personal investment. Like planting a tree, your effort today may not be immediately visible.
However, over time, like how the tree grows roots, leaves, and flowers, you may become more resilient, strong, and capable of handling life’s difficulties.
Let’s say you’re entering your first therapy session. After some rapport-building, your Therapist may ask, ‘What brings you to therapy?’
Think about the first thing that comes to your mind. Do you want to be happy? Are you struggling with relationship issues? Does work stress make you feel burned out?
Whatever answer you come up with is what you need to connect with and work through in therapy. Ask yourself this question even before you book your first session.
Having clarity beforehand ensures you can better articulate your feelings during sessions. In fact, the Therapist may also find it helpful to build on your answers rather than working with a vague idea of your needs.
Below are some other questions you can ask yourself to identify long-term dreams:
Write down your reflections in a journal. One way to develop goals is to list all the possible reasons for needing therapy.
Your reasons can be anything ranging from ‘low moods’ to ‘psychological distress.’ There are no right or wrong reasons to seek support.
As you build the list with your reflections, you may find certain values or goals that stand out more than others. Explore these in detail.
Setting goals in therapy is like deciding what kind of tree you want to grow. Do you want strength and stability? More positivity and calmness? Or something that bears fruit in your relationship and friendships?
Whatever your goal is, your intentions can shape how you appear in the process. While your Therapist in Singapore may prepare the soil and offer the tools to ensure optimal growth, it is on you to nurture yourself daily.
As you start discussing your goals, your Therapist may ask, ‘Is there anything specific that’s been on your mind lately?’
At this point, you may be encouraged to dig deeper and choose a theme for your session.
Some people go to therapy in Singapore for a specific reason, such as:
Address various problems in life, like stress, anxiety, and relationship issues
Hence, picking just one theme to focus on might be difficult.
What’s important to remember at this stage is that therapy is a long and ongoing process. If you choose one theme today, you may eventually move on and pick something else to work on tomorrow.
For example, in your first session, you may discuss an issue with your mom. You realise that you often feel drained talking to her, and all conversations are met with a nonchalant attitude.
To address this, your therapist may use family therapy techniques to improve your bond with your mother. However, after this issue is resolved, you may focus on something else, such as improving your assertiveness at work.
The goals that often come true are:
The idea of SMART goals can be helpful in the therapy process. It helps you avoid the traps of unrealistic goals or those that don’t align with your values.
Of course, it’s okay to have vague goals at the beginning of therapy in Singapore. However, having only vague goals can make it harder to notice positive therapy outcomes. In fact, as your time in therapy increases, vague goals can also become frustrating and out of reach.
Think of it this way: The root causes of your problems might feel vague, but your goals don’t have to be.
For example, you may not fully understand why you’re socially anxious. The anxiety can stem from past negative experiences, self-esteem issues, or something else entirely.
But your goal can still be clear: ‘I want to feel more confident when speaking in a group setting’ or ‘I want to meet a new person every month and build friendships.’
Your Therapist can help explore the underlying causes while also working with you on practical steps to achieve your goals.
Once you’ve identified your important therapy goals, you can work with the Therapist to create an action plan.
The action plan is also known as the therapeutic plan. The plan involves a measurable and specific roadmap that includes:
The plan may also include your therapy goals, both short-term and long-term, space to track and measure progress, and methods you’ll use outside sessions to facilitate this change.
The first important step is to share your therapy goal with your Therapist in Singapore. After this, you will collaborate with the professional to take practical steps.
When did you first start therapy? Do you remember your presenting problems?
Take some time to reflect on and document your therapy goals. It’s important to know your emotional state from when you started therapy.
If you booked a session at TYHO, you can review your concerns in the “Areas for Discussion” section of the Intake Form.
If you’re yet to book your first session, try to:
Once you identify your ‘starting point’, it will become the baseline against which you can evaluate growth.
Tracking your mood can not only improve your mental health but also help you identify triggers and open space for a deeper conversation in offline or online therapy.
For people with mood disorders like anxiety or depression, a mood tracker can:
Remember to talk about your observations throughout therapy in Singapore.
Do you notice changes in your confidence or self-esteem? Do you feel low or anxious in the morning?
These important insights can help you track progress and personalise your therapeutic plan to serve you best.
Therapists are often the best judges of where therapy is going and how effectively you’re meeting therapy goals. These signposts (ie direction of treatment) lead to therapeutic success.
To establish these signposts, your therapist may talk to you about the following:
During these discussions, try to be as honest as possible. Think of your therapist as your collaborator who will help you improve your mental well-being.
Ask your therapist for your progress records and method. For example, some therapists may check in before and after sessions as an intervention.
If you have anxiety, they may ask how anxious you feel on a range of 1 to 10 before proceeding with the session. After the session, if your anxiety levels have gone down, your therapist will help you notice this change.
The professional may bring this change to your attention by saying, 'You did great! You’re the type of person who can quickly change unhelpful behaviour.'
Assessing emotional levels is one method of progress records. It sets the tone that therapy is all about progress.
Keeping track of all therapy progress in one place – maintaining one source of truth – can be helpful for you and your therapist in Singapore.
Both of you being across all changes can provide a holistic picture of your journey.
The therapist might also find it easier to detect patterns and provide clinical insights on your progress over time.
At TYHO, we have recently introduced a new feature called ‘Journal & Notes’. We’re aware of how difficult it can be to track our progress in therapy and our thoughts.
Have you ever thought of something truly life-changing during the shower but forgotten it the minute you stepped out? This experience is normal, but we want to help you overcome it.
This feature on the client Dashboard (note: sign in with an account to access the Dashboard) has two core functions:
The feature can help you:
We also provide prompts to help you get started on the reflections.
You can also share your reflections and therapy notes with your Therapist, which can easily be maintained as your single source of truth to keep track of your therapy progress.
Yes, therapy goals can change along the way.
Therapy is not like taking a class where there’s a fixed syllabus and a predictable outcome. Instead, it’s like taking multiple classes, changing them as and when required, and sometimes even realising you’ve outgrown the course you started with.
For example, you might begin therapy focusing on managing stress at work. Through psychodynamic therapy, you start to identify that the stress comes from difficulty in setting boundaries in your personal life.
So your goal of ‘managing stress’ may now change to ‘healing from people-pleasing tendencies’ or ‘working on personal development’.
A change in therapy goals is also an indication of growth. Therapy in Singapore allows space for you to evolve and learn more about yourself and what truly matters to you.
Therapy goals can directly result in positive therapy outcomes.
You may learn to set short-term and long-term therapy goals, while your Therapist may create a personalised plan to help you achieve them.
SMART goals have more successful outcomes.
Goals can shift and change as you grow in therapy.
Like planting a tree, therapy is a personal investment in yourself. With time and care, you’ll become more resilient and happy in your life.
If you are in crisis, or another person may be in danger, do not use this site. Please refer to these resources instead.
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