Making Changes

through Goal Setting

Participant Workbook

Developed by Dolly Bhargava

 Making Changes
through Goal Setting
Participant Workbook

Developed by
Dolly Bhargava

NAME: _______________________________

DATE: _______________________________
Contents
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Step 1 Goal Setting Information Sheet ............................................................................................................. 5

Step 1 Goal Setting Worksheet........................................................................................................................................... 6

Step 2 Team Readiness for Change Information Sheet ............................................... 8

Step 2 Team Readiness for Change Worksheet............................................................................. 9

Step 3 SMART Goal Setting Information Sheet............................................................................. 10

Step 3 SMART Goal Setting Worksheet......................................................................................................... 12

Step 4 Being Connected to Stay Motivated Information Sheet................... 14

Step 4 Being Connected to Stay Motivated Worksheet.............................................. 15

Concluding Remarks............................................................................................................................................................................... 16

About the author

Dolly Bhargava, is a Speech Pathologist who has also completed a Masters in Special
Education. She works with children, adolescents and adults with emotional and behavioural
disorders in a variety of settings such as family homes, schools, employment and corrective
services. She provides consultancy and training services on a range of issues relating to
communication, behaviour management, literacy, emotional literacy, vocation, social skills
both nationally and internationally. She has recently published a book which draws on
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy principles titled, Bhargava, D. (2014). Taking CHARGE of my
Rainbow of Emotions. Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company. The book
recently won a ‘Silver Winner’s’ award from NAPPA - National Parenting Publications Awards
in the United States.  She has developed seven resources (booklets and apps) in the Getting
Started Series!! that can be accessed at her website www.dollybhargava.com
 Overview
“A goal without a plan is just a wish”
- Antonie de Saint-Exupery
Fight to Arras, 1942
Translated from French by Lewis Glantière

As a parent you care deeply about your child’s development and have many dreams for your
child. Life can often presents you with a number of obstacles that prevent turning dreams into
reality. Obstacles may include the fear of the unknown, feeling overwhelmed by the thought
of what it might take to make the dream a reality, not knowing where to start or feeling so
overpowered by the present that the future seems too impossible to even think about.

This is where having knowledge of goal setting is critical. Dreams tell you where you want
to go, goal setting provides you with the road map on how to get there. The step by step
process of setting a goal also helps you identify ways of overcoming the obstacles and
making your dream come true.

This workbook will guide you through a series of questions to help set goals for your child
and create the road map to guide your child achieve the goal.

This participant workbook has been put together by Dolly Bhargava (speech pathologist) for
the Developmental Disability Council of WA (DDWA).

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 Step 1 - Goal Setting Information Sheet
“Goals transform insurmountable mountains into walkable hills…”
- Jill Castellano

Goal Setting Definition

Most of us have lots of dreams for our child. Having a dream means you know the direction
you want your child to go in but you may not necessarily have the road map on how to get
there. Goals gives you the road map to follow to reach the dream. Setting goals helps you
identify precisely what you want to achieve as well as a step by step plan on how to move
towards the achievement of the goal.

Goal Setting Categories

Now that we have established the importance of goal setting you now have to work out
where to start. Knowing where to start with setting goals can be a daunting task. A useful
approach for getting started is to firstly, reflect on your child’s strengths, abilities and unique
qualities in each of these important life skill categories.

Life Skill Category Examples

- Listening to the speaker
- Following directions
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
- Expressing needs and wants
- Answering questions
- Greeting others
- Having a conversation
SOCIAL SKILLS
- Making friends
- Understanding non-verbal language
- Reading
- Writing
ACADEMIC SKILLS
- Counting
- Spelling
- Using money
INDEPENDENT - Using technology
LIVING SKILLS - Using transport
- Looking after the home
- Improving fine motor skills
- Improving gross motor skills
PHYSICAL SKILLS
- Engaging in physical activity
- Improving physical health
- Identifying emotions
EMOTIONAL - Expressing emotions
REGULATION SKILLS - Managing emotions
- Solving problems

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 - Recognising one’s abilities
SELF-ESTEEM AND - Valuing oneself
RESILIENCE SKILLS - Persisting with difficult tasks
- Building confidence
- Having initiative
- Working in a team
EMPLOYMENT SKILLS
- Being organised
- Completing tasks

Now that you have chosen some or all of the above categories
you would like to focus on with your child the next step is to pin
your dream down into specific goals. To set a goal you need to
think of long term goals and short term goals within each of your
selected categories. Questions that can help you set long term
and short term goals include:
• The things you would like your child to do, and/or
• The things you would like your child to get better at doing,
and/or
• The things you would like your child to stop doing.

On the next page is the ‘Goal Setting’ worksheet. Write down

goal/s that best reflects what you want for your child. Please note
you do not need to include goals in every category.

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 Step 1 - Setting Goals Worksheet
“If you have built castles in the sky, let not your dreams go to waste.
Just build the foundations under them.” - Henry David Thoreau

Write down goal/s that best reflect what you want for your child. Please note you do not need
to include goals in every category.

Goal category Your goal/s for your child

Communication
skills

Social skills

Academic skills

Independent
living skills

Physical skills

Emotional
regulation
skills

Self-esteem and
resilience skills

Employment
skills

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 Step 2 – Team Readiness For Change
INFORMATION SHEET
“Your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same”
- Unknown

Stages of Change Model

Helping your child achieve a goal will require everyone to support
your child and work together as a team. The ‘just do it’ approach to
turning a goal into reality often doesn’t work as it fails to embrace each
team member’s level of willingness, readiness and preparedness to
take on a particular goal. To get a sense of each team member’s level
of willingness, readiness and preparedness it is useful to understand
the ‘Stages of Change’ model developed by Professor James
Prochaska, Ph.D. and Professor Carlo DiClemente, Ph.D. in 1983.
Reference: Prochaska, J. O., & DiClemente, C. C. (1983). Stages and
processes of self-change of smoking: Toward an integrative model of
change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51(3), 390.
The ‘Stages of Change’ model suggests that in attempting
to change behaviour to achieve a goal everyone in the team
including the child may be at a different stage of change in the
model. Tailoring the goal setting process to where each team
member is in the stages of change is critical.

The five stages of change are as follows:

Stage 1 - Pre-contemplation stage – The team member is not interested in change and not
interested in setting the goal.
Stage 2 - Contemplation stage – The team member understands the need for a change but
is not yet ready to get started with the goal setting process.
Stage 3 - Preparation stage – The team member understands the need for the change and is
ready to be involved in the goal setting process.
Stage 4 – Action stage – The team member starts making the change by implementing the
steps outlined in the goal setting process to move towards achieving the goal.
Stage 5 - Maintenance stage – The team member sustains the changes made by maintaining
the actions needed to retain the goal.
As team member’s move forwards through the stages to achieve the goal it does not necessarily
happen in an orderly and linear fashion. Rather progression through the ‘Stages of Change’ model
is conceptualised as a process of spiralling through the various stages. For example, a team
member may be at the stage of action but face obstacles which may cause them to spiral back
to the stage of contemplation. With support they will get back to the stage of action. Also, the
team member may also have to make several attempts at changing their behaviour before they
succeed.
On the next page is the ‘Team Readiness for Change’ worksheet. You can complete it to
pinpoint the stage/s of change the various team members are in and how to move forward
with goal setting.

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 Step 2 – Team Readiness For Change
WORKSHEET
“We cannot accomplish all that we need to do without working together”
- Bill Richardson

Think of all the people that will be involved in helping your child achieve the goal. Identify
what stage of change each team member is and record their name/s below accordingly.
• Pre-contemplation stage ______________________________________________
• Contemplation stage _________________________________________________
• Preparation stage ___________________________________________________
• Action stage________________________________________________________
• Maintenance stage __________________________________________________

Now that you have pinpointed the stage/s the various team members are in. The next step
is to identify strategies that you can use to bring about a change in the attitudes, actions
and supports of the people. This will enable everyone to move forward and help your child
accomplish their goal.

Stage Strategies for moving forward

Pre-contemplation

Contemplation

Preparation

Action

Maintenance

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 Step 3 – Smart Goal Setting
INFORMATION SHEET
“To fail to plan is to plan to fail”
- Benjamin Franklin

Defining SMART goal setting

A useful way of setting goals that are powerful is to use the SMART acronym. The figure
below is an overview of SMART goal setting:

Creating Smart Goals

Specific Goal I want to gi

STEP 1 Be clear about what up junk foodve
exactly you want

Measurable Goal No thanks!

Think of how you
STEP 2 will know if you have
reached your goal or not

Achievable Goal
Can I do this?
STEP 3 Think is your
goal do-able

Relevant Goal
Think is your goal My Dream
STEP 4 going to help you
reach your dream?

Wh
Timely Goal
n wiltl? I finen will
WheI star
Make a timeline so you ish?
know how much time
STEP 5 you have to achieve
your goal. Decide on a
start and finish date.

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The table below provides a detailed description of each letter in the SMART acronym:

Specific - To set a specific goal, answer the following questions:

- Who? Identify the team of people who will be involved in the goal
process.
- What? Identify what needs to be accomplished.
Specific
- Where? Identify the location/s where the goal will be accomplished.
- When? Identify a timeframe for the goal accomplishment.
- Why? Identify the reasons, purpose of benefits of accomplishing
the goal.
To set a measurable goal, answer the following questions:
- How much? Identify actions, products or effort that can be used to
track and measure your child’s progress.
- How many? Identify actions, products or effort that can be used to
Measurable
track and measure your child’s progress.
- How will your child know that they are making progress? Identify
ways that you can let your child realise their progress so that they
can stay motivated and on track.
To set an attainable goal, answer the following questions:
- What are the attitudes, abilities and skills need to achieve your
goal? Identify your child’s capacity to do what is being asked of
Attainable them.
- What are the steps that need to be undertaken to achieve the goal?
Identify a step by step plan to achieve the goal.

To set a realistic goal, answer the following questions:

- What is the reason, purpose, or benefit of accomplishing the goal?
Identify the relevance and importance of the goal to your child.
Realistic
- What effect will achieving your goal have on your child’s life or on
others? Identify the relevance and importance of the goal to the
various members of the team.
To set a timely goal, answer the following questions:
- How long will it take to accomplish this goal? Identify a timeframe
Timely for the goal.
- When is the completion of this goal due? Identify a target date for
the achievement of the goal.

On the next page is the ‘SMART Goal Setting’ worksheet. Work through the worksheet by
including as much detail as possible under each heading in the columns. Please note not
in most cases only some of these questions will be relevant, but you should mentally check
through all of them to make sure you are not missing anything.

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 Step 3 – Smart Goal Setting
WORKSHEET
“A goal properly set is halfway reached.”
- Abraham Lincoln

For each of the goal you have identified in Step 1 make it SMART. Use the ‘SMART Goal Setting’
worksheet below as a prompt to include as much detail as possible under each heading in the
columns. Please note not in most cases only some of these questions will be relevant, but you
should mentally check through all of them to make sure you are not missing anything.

S.M.A.R.T Goal Setting

Why?

Who?

What?
Specific
Where?

When?

How many? How often? How much? actions, products or efforts will
help you track and measure your child is making progress?

Measurable How will your child know that they are making progress towards their
goal?

What are the steps that need to be undertaken to achieve the goal?

Attainable

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 What is the reason, purpose, or benefit of accomplishing the goal?

Realistic What effect will achieving your goal have on your child’s life or on
others?

How long will it take to accomplish this goal?

Timely When is the completion of this goal due?

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 Step 4 – Being Conntected to Stay
Motivated Information Sheet
“Let’s support each other”

Motivation is like a battery. Doubts, failures, fears, and frustrations can drain the battery. To
keep moving towards the goal, it is important to keep re-charging the battery to overcome
and clear the obstacles that are in the path to achieving the goal. Examples of battery re-
chargers to help keep everyone moving forward include:
• Identifying successes
• Looking backwards to see where things were and how far everyone has come
• Having a support network that you can check in with on a regular basis. Keeping others
informed on your progress can be a useful external motivator!
• Find a role model or mentor: choose a person you can learn from.

On the next page is the ‘Being Connected to Stay Motivated’ worksheet. Work through the
worksheet by identifying people you can check in with on a regular basis.

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 Step 4 – Being Conntected to Stay
Motivated Worksheet
“Change might not be fast and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort almost
any habit can be reshaped.”
- Charles Duigg

Identify people you can check in with on a regular basis to support you and your team as you
move towards the goal.

Network of Support & Accountability

Whom could you ask to

support you in this goal?

How will you communicate

and stay in touch?

When and how often will

you provide feedback and
update your contact?

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Concluding Remarks

Focused, hard work is the real

Human progress is neither
key to success. Keep your eyes
automatic nor inevitable... Every
on the goal, and just keep
step toward the goal of justice
taking the next step towards
requires sacrifice, suffering, and
completing it. If you aren’t sure
struggle; the tireless exertions
which way to do something,
and passionate concern of
do it both ways and see which
dedicated individuals.
works better.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- John Carmack

Setting a goal is not the main

thing. It is deciding how you A dream becomes a goal
will go about achieving it and when action is taken toward its
staying with that plan. achievement.
- Tom Landry - Bo Bennett

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