making changes through goal setting€¦ · on the next page is the ‘goal setting’ worksheet....

ParticiPant Workbook

Developed by Dolly Bhargava

Making Changesthrough Goal Setting

Making Changesthrough Goal Setting

ParticiPant Workbook

Developed by Dolly Bhargava

NAME: _______________________________

DATE: _______________________________

Contents Overview ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Step 1 Goal Setting Information Sheet ............................................................................................................5

Step 1 Goal Setting Worksheet ..........................................................................................................................................6

Step 2 Team Readiness for Change Information Sheet ..............................................8

Step 2 Team Readiness for Change Worksheet ............................................................................9

Step 3 SMART Goal Setting Information Sheet ............................................................................10

Step 3 SMART Goal Setting Worksheet ........................................................................................................12

Step 4 Being Connected to Stay Motivated Information Sheet .................. 14

Step 4 Being Connected to Stay Motivated Worksheet .............................................15

Concluding Remarks ..............................................................................................................................................................................16

About the authorDolly Bhargava, is a Speech Pathologist who has also completed a Masters in Special Education. She works with children, adolescents and adults with emotional and behavioural disorders in a variety of settings such as family homes, schools, employment and corrective services. She provides consultancy and training services on a range of issues relating to communication, behaviour management, literacy, emotional literacy, vocation, social skills both nationally and internationally. She has recently published a book which draws on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy principles titled, Bhargava, D. (2014). Taking CHARGE of my Rainbow of Emotions. Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company. The book recently won a ‘Silver Winner’s’ award from NAPPA - National Parenting Publications Awards in the United States. She has developed seven resources (booklets and apps) in the Getting Started Series!! that can be accessed at her website www.dollybhargava.com

| DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY WA - DOLLY BHARGAVA4

Overview“A goal without a plan is just a wish”

- Antonie de Saint-Exupery

Fight to Arras, 1942

Translated from French by Lewis Glantière

As a parent you care deeply about your child’s development and have many dreams for your child. Life can often presents you with a number of obstacles that prevent turning dreams into reality. Obstacles may include the fear of the unknown, feeling overwhelmed by the thought of what it might take to make the dream a reality, not knowing where to start or feeling so overpowered by the present that the future seems too impossible to even think about.

This is where having knowledge of goal setting is critical. Dreams tell you where you want to go, goal setting provides you with the road map on how to get there. The step by step process of setting a goal also helps you identify ways of overcoming the obstacles and making your dream come true.

This workbook will guide you through a series of questions to help set goals for your child and create the road map to guide your child achieve the goal.

This participant workbook has been put together by Dolly Bhargava (speech pathologist) for the Developmental Disability Council of WA (DDWA).

MAKING CHANGES THROUGH GOAL SETTING - PARTICIPANT HANDBOOK | 5

Step 1 - Goal Setting Information Sheet“Goals transform insurmountable mountains into walkable hills…”

- Jill Castellano

Goal Setting DefinitionMost of us have lots of dreams for our child. Having a dream means you know the direction you want your child to go in but you may not necessarily have the road map on how to get there. Goals gives you the road map to follow to reach the dream. Setting goals helps you identify precisely what you want to achieve as well as a step by step plan on how to move towards the achievement of the goal.

Goal Setting Categories Now that we have established the importance of goal setting you now have to work out where to start. Knowing where to start with setting goals can be a daunting task. A useful approach for getting started is to firstly, reflect on your child’s strengths, abilities and unique qualities in each of these important life skill categories.

Life Skill Category Examples

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

- Listening to the speaker- Following directions- Expressing needs and wants- Answering questions

SOCIAL SKILLS

- Greeting others- Having a conversation- Making friends- Understanding non-verbal language

ACADEMIC SKILLS

- Reading- Writing- Counting- Spelling

INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS

- Using money - Using technology- Using transport - Looking after the home

PHYSICAL SKILLS

- Improving fine motor skills- Improving gross motor skills- Engaging in physical activity- Improving physical health

EMOTIONAL REGULATION SKILLS

- Identifying emotions- Expressing emotions - Managing emotions- Solving problems


SELF-ESTEEM AND RESILIENCE SKILLS

- Recognising one’s abilities- Valuing oneself- Persisting with difficult tasks- Building confidence

EMPLOYMENT SKILLS

- Having initiative - Working in a team - Being organised- Completing tasks

Now that you have chosen some or all of the above categories you would like to focus on with your child the next step is to pin your dream down into specific goals. To set a goal you need to think of long term goals and short term goals within each of your selected categories. Questions that can help you set long term and short term goals include: • The things you would like your child to do, and/or• The things you would like your child to get better at doing,

and/or• The things you would like your child to stop doing.

On the next page is the ‘Goal Setting’ worksheet. Write down goal/s that best reflects what you want for your child. Please note you do not need to include goals in every category.


Step 1 - Setting Goals Worksheet“If you have built castles in the sky, let not your dreams go to waste.

Just build the foundations under them.” - Henry David Thoreau

Write down goal/s that best reflect what you want for your child. Please note you do not need to include goals in every category.

Goal category Your goal/s for your child

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

SOCIAL SKILLS

ACADEMIC SKILLS

INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS

PHYSICAL SKILLS

EMOTIONAL REGULATION SKILLS

SELF-ESTEEM AND RESILIENCE SKILLS

EMPLOYMENT SKILLS


Step 2 – Team Readiness For Change INFORMATION SHEET

“Your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same”

- Unknown

Stages of Change Model Helping your child achieve a goal will require everyone to support your child and work together as a team. The ‘just do it’ approach to turning a goal into reality often doesn’t work as it fails to embrace each team member’s level of willingness, readiness and preparedness to take on a particular goal. To get a sense of each team member’s level of willingness, readiness and preparedness it is useful to understand the ‘Stages of Change’ model developed by Professor James Prochaska, Ph.D. and Professor Carlo DiClemente, Ph.D. in 1983. Reference: Prochaska, J. O., & DiClemente, C. C. (1983). Stages and processes of self-change of smoking: Toward an integrative model of change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51(3), 390.

The ‘Stages of Change’ model suggests that in attempting to change behaviour to achieve a goal everyone in the team including the child may be at a different stage of change in the model. Tailoring the goal setting process to where each team member is in the stages of change is critical.

The five stages of change are as follows:Stage 1 - Pre-contemplation stage – The team member is not interested in change and not interested in setting the goal.

Stage 2 - Contemplation stage – The team member understands the need for a change but is not yet ready to get started with the goal setting process.

Stage 3 - Preparation stage – The team member understands the need for the change and is ready to be involved in the goal setting process.

Stage 4 – Action stage – The team member starts making the change by implementing the steps outlined in the goal setting process to move towards achieving the goal.

Stage 5 - Maintenance stage – The team member sustains the changes made by maintaining the actions needed to retain the goal.

As team member’s move forwards through the stages to achieve the goal it does not necessarily happen in an orderly and linear fashion. Rather progression through the ‘Stages of Change’ model is conceptualised as a process of spiralling through the various stages. For example, a team member may be at the stage of action but face obstacles which may cause them to spiral back to the stage of contemplation. With support they will get back to the stage of action. Also, the team member may also have to make several attempts at changing their behaviour before they succeed.

On the next page is the ‘Team Readiness for Change’ worksheet. You can complete it to pinpoint the stage/s of change the various team members are in and how to move forward with goal setting.


Step 2 – Team Readiness For Change WORKSHEET

“We cannot accomplish all that we need to do without working together”

- Bill Richardson

Think of all the people that will be involved in helping your child achieve the goal. Identify what stage of change each team member is and record their name/s below accordingly.

• Pre-contemplation stage ______________________________________________

• Contemplation stage _________________________________________________

• Preparation stage ___________________________________________________

• Action stage________________________________________________________

• Maintenance stage __________________________________________________

Now that you have pinpointed the stage/s the various team members are in. The next step is to identify strategies that you can use to bring about a change in the attitudes, actions and supports of the people. This will enable everyone to move forward and help your child accomplish their goal.

Stage Strategies for moving forward

PRE-CONTEMPLATION

CONTEMPLATION

PREPARATION

ACTION

MAINTENANCE


Step 3 – Smart Goal SettingINFORMATION SHEET

“To fail to plan is to plan to fail”

- Benjamin Franklin

Defining SMART goal setting A useful way of setting goals that are powerful is to use the SMART acronym. The figure below is an overview of SMART goal setting:

Creating Smart Goals

STEP 1Specific Goal Be clear about what exactly you want

STEP 2

Measurable Goal Think of how you will know if you have reached your goal or not

STEP 3Achievable Goal Think is your goal do-able

STEP 4

Relevant Goal Think is your goal going to help you reach your dream?

STEP 5

Timely Goal Make a timeline so you know how much time you have to achieve your goal. Decide on a start and finish date.

No thanks!

Can I do this?

My Dream

When w

ill

I star

t?

When will I finish?

I want to give up junk food


The table below provides a detailed description of each letter in the SMART acronym:

Specific

Specific - To set a specific goal, answer the following questions:

- Who? Identify the team of people who will be involved in the goal process.

- What? Identify what needs to be accomplished.

- Where? Identify the location/s where the goal will be accomplished.

- When? Identify a timeframe for the goal accomplishment.

- Why? Identify the reasons, purpose of benefits of accomplishing the goal.

Measurable

To set a measurable goal, answer the following questions:

- How much? Identify actions, products or effort that can be used to track and measure your child’s progress.

- How many? Identify actions, products or effort that can be used to track and measure your child’s progress.

- How will your child know that they are making progress? Identify ways that you can let your child realise their progress so that they can stay motivated and on track.

Attainable

To set an attainable goal, answer the following questions:

- What are the attitudes, abilities and skills need to achieve your goal? Identify your child’s capacity to do what is being asked of them.

- What are the steps that need to be undertaken to achieve the goal? Identify a step by step plan to achieve the goal.

Realistic

To set a realistic goal, answer the following questions:

- What is the reason, purpose, or benefit of accomplishing the goal? Identify the relevance and importance of the goal to your child.

- What effect will achieving your goal have on your child’s life or on others? Identify the relevance and importance of the goal to the various members of the team.

Timely

To set a timely goal, answer the following questions:

- How long will it take to accomplish this goal? Identify a timeframe for the goal.

- When is the completion of this goal due? Identify a target date for the achievement of the goal.

On the next page is the ‘SMART Goal Setting’ worksheet. Work through the worksheet by including as much detail as possible under each heading in the columns. Please note not in most cases only some of these questions will be relevant, but you should mentally check through all of them to make sure you are not missing anything.


Step 3 – Smart Goal SettingWORKSHEET

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.”

- Abraham Lincoln

For each of the goal you have identified in Step 1 make it SMART. Use the ‘SMART Goal Setting’ worksheet below as a prompt to include as much detail as possible under each heading in the columns. Please note not in most cases only some of these questions will be relevant, but you should mentally check through all of them to make sure you are not missing anything.

S.M.A.R.T Goal Setting

Specific

Why?

Who?

What?

Where?

When?

Measurable

How many? How often? How much? actions, products or efforts will help you track and measure your child is making progress?

How will your child know that they are making progress towards their goal?

Attainable

What are the steps that need to be undertaken to achieve the goal?


Realistic

What is the reason, purpose, or benefit of accomplishing the goal?

What effect will achieving your goal have on your child’s life or on others?

Timely

How long will it take to accomplish this goal?

When is the completion of this goal due?


Step 4 – Being Conntected to Stay Motivated Information Sheet “Let’s support each other”

Motivation is like a battery. Doubts, failures, fears, and frustrations can drain the battery. To keep moving towards the goal, it is important to keep re-charging the battery to overcome and clear the obstacles that are in the path to achieving the goal. Examples of battery re-chargers to help keep everyone moving forward include: • Identifying successes • Looking backwards to see where things were and how far everyone has come• Having a support network that you can check in with on a regular basis. Keeping others

informed on your progress can be a useful external motivator!• Find a role model or mentor: choose a person you can learn from.

On the next page is the ‘Being Connected to Stay Motivated’ worksheet. Work through the worksheet by identifying people you can check in with on a regular basis.


Step 4 – Being Conntected to Stay Motivated Worksheet “Change might not be fast and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort almost

any habit can be reshaped.”

- Charles Duigg

Identify people you can check in with on a regular basis to support you and your team as you move towards the goal.

Network of Support & Accountability

Whom could you ask to support you in this goal?

How will you communicate and stay in touch?

When and how often will you provide feedback and update your contact?


Concluding Remarks

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Focused, hard work is the real key to success. Keep your eyes on the goal, and just keep taking the next step towards completing it. If you aren’t sure which way to do something, do it both ways and see which works better.- John Carmack

Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.- Tom Landry

A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement.- Bo Bennett

making changes through goal setting€¦ · on the next page is the ‘goal setting’ worksheet....

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