Exploring Goals Actions and Barriers in ACT for PTSD
Booz Allen
Department of Veterans Affairs
Yale University
University of Nevada, Reno
Key Points
- Deconstruct the commitment process into components of goals, actions, and barriers.
- Goals are the overarching targets to move toward.
- Break goals into smaller, more manageable component actions.
- Barriers should be identified proactively to plan actions to overcome them.
- Some trauma survivors will choose goals to overcome the effects of trauma.
- Some survivors choose to focus on moving their lives forward.
- Either option is workable within the client’s context.
Materials Downloads
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Transcript
Once the work of clarifying values in multiple domains has been accomplished, then the therapist and client can turn toward specific steps that can be taken to begin to bring the client’s life more into alignment with those values. One framework for understanding how to take those next concrete steps can be described as working on goals, actions, and barriers.
Goals are specific achievable outcomes that a person can set forward to attain in the service of a valued direction for the person’s life. Actions are then the smaller steps that a person would have to take in order to accomplish those goals. And finally, as the person works toward taking actions and achieving specific goals, it’s inevitable that barriers will be presented that make the accomplishment of those actions challenging. So, the process that I’ll describe in this video will lay out a practical outline for working through both the internal and external barriers to effective action.
Moran, D. J., Bach, P. A., & Batten, S. V. (2018). Committed action in practice: A clinician’s guide to assessing, planning, and supporting change in your client. New Harbinger Publications.,Luoma, J. B., Hayes, S. C., & Walser, R. D. (2007). Learning ACT: An acceptance and commitment therapy skills-training manual for therapists. New Harbinger Publications.
As a specific example, let’s say that a 42-year-old woman, Clara, who’s a professional writer and is in a committed relationship, has completed a full values assessment as was presented earlier in the module. In addition to identifying her values in 10 different domains, she has also rated each of those domains in terms of importance and with respect to how consistently she has lived her life in accordance with those values over the past 3 months. Upon reviewing her values clarification worksheets, the therapist suggests to Clara that they begin by targeting 3 areas in which to begin identifying specific goals.
Moran, D. J., Bach, P. A., & Batten, S. V. (2018). Committed action in practice: A clinician’s guide to assessing, planning, and supporting change in your client. New Harbinger Publications.,Luoma, J. B., Hayes, S. C., & Walser, R. D. (2007). Learning ACT: An acceptance and commitment therapy skills-training manual for therapists. New Harbinger Publications.