The Value of Goal Planning for Assisting AMRHS Clients

Goal planning notebook

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, Metro Psychology Support Services assists adults with functional impairments and mental health conditions through the state's Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS) program. Operating throughout six metro counties, Metro Psychology Support Services teaches clients how to manage their mental health symptoms, provides educational resources, and offers counseling from qualified mental health practitioners.

An important component of the counseling provided by the mental health professionals working with adults within the ARMHS program includes creating a goal plan for each participant. A goal plan is created to identify effective strategies that can be implemented to help promote recovery. This plan includes learning techniques for enhancing connections with others, developing skills for independent living, and coping with the symptoms of mental illness.

Each participant’s goal plan is focused on their own needs and desires and is designed to motivate change. Once the plan is established, the participant and practitioner work together over a period extending up to six months. After six months, the goal plan is assessed to determine its effectiveness and the need for making any changes to it. Practitioners and participants work together until no further support is needed and the goals that were set have been reached.