Counselors as Agents of Change: Writing Behaviorally Stated Goals and Objectives

Establishing constructive counseling goals and objectives are key themes addressed in this article. Effective communication of expectations between the counselor and client help create clear goals. This collaborative process helps create a framework of accountability to monitor progress throughout counseling sessions. A review of the literature reflects limited attention to goal setting for counselors, though specific objectives are critical for sustained success. This article offers a rationale for developing behaviorally stated goals and objectives, provides information on their effective construction, and suggests ideas and examples to teach this skill to counselors-in-training and supervisees.