Setting Goals and Progress Review
Client and therapist review the progress made in therapy, discuss the effectiveness of interventions, and set new short-term or long-term goals for ongoing sessions or for the client to work on outside of therapy.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
emotional regulation
This phrase means managing or controlling your emotions effectively, like staying calm when you're upset. It's useful in therapy or daily life to talk about handling feelings.
overwhelmed
Feeling overwhelmed means being too stressed or unable to handle a situation because it's too much. Use it when describing times of high pressure, like 'I feel overwhelmed by work.'
journaling
Journaling is the act of writing down your thoughts and feelings in a diary or notebook regularly. It's a common self-help technique to process emotions.
profound
Profound means deep or very meaningful, not superficial. In this context, it's about ideas or writings that have great depth, but remember, everyday journaling doesn't need to be profound.
hurdle
A hurdle is an obstacle or difficulty that you need to overcome. Use it like 'This is a hurdle in my progress' to describe challenges in personal goals.
externalizing
Externalizing means expressing internal thoughts or feelings outwardly, like writing them down. It's helpful in therapy to make emotions less bottled up inside.
triggers
Triggers are things that cause a strong emotional reaction, like anxiety. In mental health, identifying triggers helps you avoid or manage them better.
consistency
Consistency means doing something regularly without stopping. It's key in building habits, like 'Consistency is key to success in therapy.'
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
How have things been going with the emotional regulation techniques we discussed?
This is a polite way to ask for an update on progress. It's useful in conversations about goals, using present perfect 'have been going' to review recent time. Practice it in reviews or check-ins.
I've found the deep breathing exercises particularly useful when I feel overwhelmed.
This sentence shares a positive experience with a specific technique. 'Particularly useful' emphasizes one thing over others. Use it to describe helpful strategies in personal or professional talks.
Even small steps are progress.
This encourages viewing minor achievements as valuable. It's a motivational phrase for self-improvement. The structure 'even + adjective + noun' shows concession, useful for positive feedback.
That's a very common hurdle.
This normalizes a difficulty by saying it's shared by many. 'That's a + adjective + noun' is a simple pattern for empathy. Use it in counseling or when helping friends with problems.
Maybe we can adjust the goal for journaling – instead of writing a lot, how about just five minutes a day?
This suggests a practical change to make a task easier. It uses suggestion with 'maybe' and 'how about' for flexibility. Great for negotiating goals or compromises in discussions.
I think I could commit to that.
This expresses willingness to try something. 'Commit to' means to promise or dedicate yourself. Use it when agreeing to personal goals, like in therapy or habit-building.
To summarize, continue deep breathing, five minutes of journaling, and start noting anxiety triggers?
This recaps key points for clarity. 'To summarize' introduces a list, and the question form seeks confirmation. Useful in meetings or conversations to ensure understanding.
Consistency is key, and be kind to yourself through the process.
This gives advice on importance and self-compassion. 'Is key' means 'is the most important.' The imperative 'be kind' advises gently. Use it for motivation in self-help or encouragement.