Problem statements and goal statements
I find that it’s not always straightforward for clients to set goals that relate to their main problem, their maintaining processes and their underlying formulation. Creating a problem statement and a goal statement can help.
A problem statement sets out:
So for example, one of my clients had left three jobs in two years. After assessment and formulation of GAD, she was able to make the following problem statement:
‘I strive for excellence in my job, but it’s unobtainable, so I get confused and frustrated, then I blame other people and I don’t explain my frustrations to others until I get so wound up I leave the job.’
This problem statement shows that she thinks about her job with an idealised and perfectionistic perspective, that this creates confusion and frustration and that her behaviour is to bail out of the resulting distress by leaving.
I then presented the problem statement back to her and asked:
‘So if you no longer had this problem, what would you be doing differently?’
She responded with:
‘I would be able to manage both my unrealistic expectations and my sense of frustration with myself and others so I don’t keep leaving jobs.’
This is her goal statement. It contains an outline of what she will have to do differently (i.e. tackle her unrealistic expectations) in order to solve her problem (of leaving jobs).
I then checked how aligned the problem and goal statements were by asking her two questions:
‘So if you no longer had this problem of leaving jobs, would you be managing your unrealistic expectations and your frustration?’
‘And if you were managing your unrealistic expectations and your frustration, would you no longer be leaving jobs?’
Since her answers to both questions was ‘yes’, the problem and the goal are aligned. And crucially, both relate clearly to her formulation of GAD.
After further exploration, she was then able to SMARTen the goal to:
‘I will judge my personal performance against the metrics that the company sets rather than my own perfect and unanchored standards. I will share any residual frustrations with my line manager at my mid-year appraisal in four months time, so we can set an action plan to deal with them practically.’
Summary points
1. Creating a problem statement and a goal statement can help to ensure that you are working on the maintaining processes already identified in the client’s formulation.
2. Check alignment of the problem with the goal by asking the questions:
• ‘If you no longer had this problem X, would you be doing Y, as described in your goal statement?
• ‘And if you were doing Y instead, would that mean that your problem X is no longer there?’
3. once the problem and goal have been aligned to the formulation and maintaining processes, it can be made SMART.