Component 3
Collaborative Goal Striving

Collaborative goal setting within CRM is one way in which self-determination and consumer ownership of the recovery process is operationalized. There is strong empirical support for the benefits of goal setting and related striving for human goal attainment, and a great deal is known about the nature of goals that may assist recovery in a mental health context. Collaborative Goal Technology (CGT) is a modified version of Goal Attainment Scaling (Kiresuk, Smith, & Cardillo, 1994) that is designed to operationalize goal-related processes central to CRM. Goals within the CGT may be promotion goals, aiming at achieving a desired outcome such as employment, or prevention goals, aimed at preventing an undesired outcome such as relapse or physical disorder. Both types of goals are legitimate, although they do involve different motivational processes.


Little’s (1998) concept of the “meaning and manageability tradeoff” within goal striving underpins the CGT. When individuals set and strive towards goals, they balance the meaningfulness of the goal, with its perceived manageability. This is seen as central to psychological recovery. Also important to the model is the distinction between distal (i.e. further away, perhaps longer term or more abstract) and proximal goals (i.e. closer, perhaps shorter term or more concrete) (Bandura, 1986). Distal goals tend to have high meaningfulness, even though the person may currently lack self-efficacy in attaining them in the near future. The proximal goals that feed into those distant prospects have a high level of manageability, although they may have a lesser level of perceived immediate meaningfulness. The presence of the distal goal tends to imbue greater meaning and commitment to the proximal ones. The distinction often enables clinicians to avoid disputes over distal goals that the clinicians believe are impractical. Experience with successive proximal goals will show both consumers and clinicians whether the distal goal really does need modification. Consistent with these considerations, and with the emphasis on hope and a meaningful future relevant to psychological recovery, the CGT includes (a) a personal recovery vision, a broad vision to work towards, and (b) measurable three month goals to work towards the vision, which are then achieved via more specific tasks, usually set as homework tasks which comprise part of the fourth component of the CRM. The recovery vision aims to articulate the individual’s hopes and dreams, and might be represented as a preferred identity or a set of principles or values that the individual would like to be more actively present or directive in his/her life.


The Collaborative Goal Technology

A staged goal selection process that joins the concept of measurement to the setting of collaborative tailor-made goals.


Collaborative Goal Technology involves:

  • Possible identification of personal recovery vision.
  • Initial goal selection from the CANSAS.
  • Rating the importance of goals (consumer perspective).
  • Selection and construction of 3 attainment levels (i.e. levels of goal progress).
  • Monitoring of progress using the Collaborative Goal Index.
  • 20 Steps to follow with skills to use flexibly within each step.

Relationship between Personal Recovery Vision, 3 Month Goals and Homework Assignments


Personal Recovery Vision

(ask ‘Why’ questions to ladder up into the vision)
Larger more abstract directions that infuse the person’s life
with more meaning and hope.
They provide motivation, meaning and purpose.


3 Month Goals

(ask ‘What’ questions to specify the goals)
More specific goals. Still considered “large” steps,
hence the three month time frame.


Homework Assignments

(ask ‘What, How, When, Where, Frequency, Duration’ questions to make the tasks concrete)
Techniques to increase the probability of goal/task attainment,
done in natural environment


Stage 1 – Meaningful Vision & Goals

  1. Benefits of having a personal recovery vision and setting goals
  2. Attempt to identify or shape a personal recovery vision and record
  3. Identifying and naming a maximum of three collaborative goals
  4. Ensuring that goals are meaningful to the client and that the client has a sense of ownership of the goal
  5. Goal attainment should lead to the recovery vision
  6. Relative importance of goals

Stage 2 – Manageable Goals

  1. Reason for scaling three levels
  2. Manageable goals and confidence
  3. Higher level of attainment
  4. Lower level of attainment
  5. Repeat
  6. Check
  7. Empathy
  8. Homework
  9. Sheet


Stage 3 – Measured Attainment

  1. Rating attainment
  2. Calculating the index
  3. Affirm progress and process
  4. Review vision
  5. Review goals
   

Media resources

Key references

Library resources