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From intention to action: A mixed methods study of clients’ experiences of goal‐oriented practices
Author(s) -
Di Malta Gina,
Oddli Hanne W.,
Cooper Mick
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22821
Subject(s) - psychology , goal setting , session (web analytics) , applied psychology , action (physics) , focus group , goal orientation , qualitative research , qualitative property , work (physics) , psychotherapist , medical education , social psychology , computer science , medicine , social science , physics , quantum mechanics , marketing , machine learning , sociology , world wide web , business , mechanical engineering , engineering
Objectives Goal‐oriented practices are central to many contemporary psychotherapies. The aim of this study was to explore clients’ experiences of this work. Design Mixed methods, with a main qualitative part and a smaller quantitative component. Participants were 22 clients in integrative psychotherapy (15 females, 6 males, 1 other). Semi‐structured interviews after session 4 and at endpoint were analyzed thematically. On the basis of the identified themes, “goal attitude” scores were developed and their correlations with outcomes investigated. Results Goal‐oriented practices could help clients move from intention to action through increased awareness and focus, setting manageable tasks, and progress monitoring. However, they had the potential to hinder clients’ awareness of their intentions, feel irrelevant, disorientating, or demotivating. Effectiveness hinged on client's management of their expectations, flexible working, and time. Positive attitudes toward goal‐oriented practices were associated with improvement. Conclusions Goal‐oriented practices can enhance psychotherapeutic work but need to be individually tailored and implemented collaboratively.