Use Positive Coping Skills
I will replace harmful coping skills such as social withdrawal and isolation with healthier options such as exercising or talking to a friend at least three times per week for the next month.
S: This goal statement identifies the specific actions the person will take to improve their response to symptoms of depression and anxiety.
M: This is measured by replacing harmful coping skills with healthier options three times a week for a month.
A: This is a reasonable goal.
T: This goal will be completed in a month.
Write Down Something Positive Every Day
Another simple but effective short-term goal for treating depression could be to make a note of at least one positive event that happens every day for a certain period of time, such as a whole month.
When youre depressed, its common to have a persistent sad, anxious or pessimistic attitude that doesnt improve, even with positive events that would normally bring you pleasure.
While making a note of positive events wont snap you out of depression, as one part of your treatment plan, it might help you make better progress by demonstrating that good things can, do and will happen when you live normally.
Your positive events could be interactions with other people, a day in which your symptoms felt less severe or just making progress towards your other goals. After one month, try to look back at the list youve made to see whats happened and how far youve come.
How To Write A Treatment Plan For Depression
Treatment planning is an essential part of the therapeutic process. Thorough treatment planning provides a clear, achievable direction for your work with clients. Both counselors and clients alike benefit from the assessment process and formulation of a treatment plan catered to the client’s individual needs. Writing a treatment plan for depression that reflects your client’s specific needs begins with a complete biopsychosocial assessment. In the treatment world, we also know this as an “intake.”
During the intake process, counselors can build rapport while gathering pertinent information related to the depression, including personal and family history of medical and mood disorders, ongoing stressors, previous services and medications, and the current presentation of their depression symptoms. Throughout the intake process, clinicians conceptualize the client’s everyday functioning to diagnose depression accurately. A diagnosis of depression will reflect an understanding of the client’s challenges based on duration, frequency or persistence of episodes, and severity of symptoms.
Once the intake and diagnosis are complete, make sure to take advantage of the Wiley Treatment Planner tool integrated directly into our EMR platform to help you formulate your client’s treatment plan for depression.
Wiley Treatment Planners outline plans for treatment using the following criteria:
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What Is A Treatment Plan
For a therapist or counselor to provide effective coping skills when managing anxiety symptoms, they will develop a uniquely tailored treatment plan. Treatment plans are a good way to track progress and ensure that clients are receiving the appropriate care. When a therapist creates a clients treatment plan they will include the goals that you have both discussed and agreed on. Having concrete goals set out at the beginning of your therapy is an important way to help you overcome your mental health conditions and get the most out of your treatment. They give you the chance to actively engage with what you are taught in therapy. Whether you are seeking treatment for anxiety or depression or both, a solid treatment plan will have set goals, measurable objectives, and a reasonable timeline for your progress. The treatment plan will also be tailored to your specific needs and what you are hoping to get out of therapy.
Who Are Treatment Plans For
Treatment plans can be used by therapists to help individuals in therapy address a wide variety of concerns. A treatment plan may outline a plan for treating a mental health condition such as depression, anxiety, or a personality disorder. Treatment plans can also be applied to help individuals work through addictions, relationship problems, or other emotional concerns.
While treatment plans can prove beneficial for a variety of individuals, they may be most likely to be used when the person in therapy is using insurance to cover their therapy fee. In these cases, a therapist may be required to submit a treatment plan to the clients insurance company.
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Take Your Antidepressant Every Day Without Fail
Antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can reduce the severity of depression symptoms, but they need to be used consistently in order to work.
It usually takes two to four weeks for antidepressants to start working effectively. To make sure you use your medication, try making it a short-term goal to take your antidepressant each day at approximately the same time, even if you dont notice any immediate benefits.
As simple as this goal sounds, the routine that it creates can help you to stay focused and make progress towards overcoming your depression.
Technologies To Support Mental Health Treatment Plans
At face value, executing all the components of a mental health treatment plan may seem like a lot to address in a series of fifty-minute therapy sessions.
However, therapists are increasingly leveraging the benefits of technology in creative ways to help develop, execute, and evaluate mental health treatment plans using a blended care approach.
Blended care involves the provision of psychological services using telecommunication technologies.
Among these technologies are many digital platforms that therapists can use to supplement real-time therapy sessions to help accomplish the steps included in mental health treatment plans.
For example, using a blended care platform such as Quenza, a therapist may carry out some of the initial steps in the assessment/diagnosis phase of a treatment plan, such as by inviting the client to complete a digital diagnostic questionnaire.
Likewise, the plan may incorporate various psychoeducational interventions which can be delivered digitally, such as guided meditations, reflection exercises, or self-paced learning modules.
A therapist may even use these tools following the conclusion of a clientâs in-person treatment as part of a follow-up, such as to assess whether a client has remained psychologically well a few months down the line or requires additional support.
These are just a few ideas for how you might use a blended care tool such as Quenza to help carry out some steps in a mental health treatment plan.
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When To Update A Treatment Plan
Many therapists update clients treatment plans about once every six months. This allows enough time for the client to make progress in their goals and gain insight into what changes they want to see in their lives.
However, you do not have to wait, and you and your therapist can update your treatment plan at other times as well.
If you experience a relapse, or your symptoms worsen, you might need to shift your goals to reflect how your needs have changed. If you experience a traumatic event or personal crisis, it might require a more immediate focus in your therapy than previous goals.
You might also notice that you have achieved one or more of your treatment goals, and you might want to talk to your therapist about focusing on another area of your mental health. Similarly, if your therapist notices that you have made significant progress in one area, they might ask if you are ready to adjust your treatment plan.
Treatment plans are an important part of the therapeutic process. They inform your treatment and allow you and your therapist to work together and help you reach your mental health goals.
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Create A Treatment Plan Using The Smart Model:
And SMART stands for:
So that kind of covers the ground as far as making sure that our goals are detailed, that they are attainable within a certain time frame.
So that keeps us accountable.
I dont know about you, but my experience is that when we have a deadline, right, were more likely to get things done as opposed to procrastinating.
So its super important, so its kind of a marriage between those elements of making sure that we are.
Knowledgeable about what it is that the change were really trying to attain, as well as a way to make sure were measuring that progress.
So, for example, if its weight loss, somebody might say I want to lose wight, my excess weight.
What does that mean?
So if we break that into pounds, thats cool, you know.
OK, so I want to lose 80 pounds during the year.
Well.
If you say Im going to lose 80 pounds in three months, youre going to end up disappointed because thats not realistic, so.
We know that you can lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, so youd have to divide 80 by two and there you go.
You could realistically lose 80 pounds in that timeframe.
Be like 40 weeks so.
Thats what we mean when we say realistic, measurable, attainable goals.
Alright, another acronym that can help us out complements the smart model, and this is known as the P.O.W.E.R. model.
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Refer To Your Therapy Notes
It is a counselorâs responsibility to take down necessary information every session. These data may include an objective and subjective description of the clientâs symptoms and behavior. In addition, it also includes assessment and application of clinical reasoning. That said, in the process of writing your treatment plan, you should use your therapy notes as a reference.
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My Treatment Plan Review
MY PRACTICE MATTERS, LLC12345 Post Box Account Rd, STE 111Rhode Island, NY 12345-998909-999-0021The most important thing you want to focus on in this tx plan review is regression or progression.
Client name: Kelly Remmer
Client DOB: 12/12/12
Next review date: I tend to make this 90 days
Presenting concern: Kelly reports struggling with depressed mood, anxious thoughts, frequent suicidal thoughts, and panic attacks 9 days out of the month since October of 2017.
Short-term goal: Kelly will engage in learning about her diagnosis including triggers to suicidal thoughts and apply coping skills outside of therapy on a daily basis.
Long-term goals: Management of depressive symptoms including an increase in ability to choose and utilize coping skills.
Goals:
*I make this section objective. For example, Kelly will engage in learning more about her depression and complete homework assignments at least 1-2x per week. I also use behavioral terms and obtain copies or examples of activities used as proof that the treatment plan is being followed and is working .
- Kelly will engage in increasing her use of coping skills prior to panic attacks.
- Kelly will attend group therapy at least 3-4 times out of the month to help her learn socialization skills needed for avoiding poor decision making when triggered by her peers to cut herself.
- Kelly will engage in reducing the number of suicidal thoughts by utilizing thought stopping, DBT-based, her safety plan, and relaxation techniques.
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Why Use A Treatment Plan
Besides the obvious benefits that planning usually brings, there are a few specific advantages that mental health treatment plans impart to those who use them.
These benefits include:
While treatment plans are quite popular in mental health treatment, it should be noted that not every therapist or clinician will use one. Treatment plans are not necessarily required to give or receive successful treatment, but they can be extremely helpful in facilitating a smooth and hassle-free treatment experience.
Smart Goals Examples For Depression And Anxiety
Home » Healthy Habits » 7 SMART Goals Examples for Depression and Anxiety
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Are you naturally happy and optimistic?
If you’re thinking to yourself, I hate those people! then maybe you don’t fall into this category, but I would be willing to bet that you wish you could be at least a bit more like this population.
But the truth is, most people aren’t just naturally happy and positive all the time. It takes intentional effort and continuous reassessment to maintain this mindset.
So how do they keep themselves from slipping?
Through SMART goals.
That’s right, you can design what you want your life to look like from the inside by developing SMART goals. And, despite where you are on your journey to improved mental health, working toward SMART goals can help you live your life the way you want to live it while still managing your symptoms of depression.
In this article, we are going to look at what SMART goals are and why you should create them in order to generate some more positivity in your life. Then we will look at 7 examples of SMART goals that you can use as an outline when creating your own SMART goal statements.
Lets start by defining SMART goals and seeing why they’re so effective.
What You Will Learn
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When To Get Help
You can make great progress on your own when it comes to reducing anxiety and depression and creating a more positive life for yourself. However, having additional support and guidance may make your journey to a better life faster and smoother.
Only you know your baseline and what mental state is standard for you. If you start having feelings or exhibiting behaviors that are outside of your norm, its likely a sign that you need to reach out for help from a professional mental healthcare provider. Its always a good idea to share your feelings so if you need additional treatment, it can start sooner rather than later.
So if you feel like your depressive thoughts have been interfering with your life for more than two weeks, you have sudden unexplained changes in your emotional state, or if youre having thoughts of suicide, here are some resources you can use to get help right away:
Whether you find support virtually or face-to-face, its important to check out some resources that may help make all of the difference for you.
Individual Or Group Therapy
When you hear the word therapy you might automatically think of one-on-one sessions with a therapist. However, group therapy can be very useful in depression treatment as well. Both group and individual therapy sessions usually last about an hour. What are the benefits of each? In individual therapy, you are building a strong relationship with one person, and may feel more comfortable sharing some sensitive information with one person than with a group. You also get individualized attention.
In group therapy, listening to peers going through the same struggles can validate your experiences and help build self-esteem. Often group members are at different points in their depression, so you might get tips from both someone in the trenches and someone who has worked through a challenging problem. As well as offering inspiration and ideas, attending group therapy can also help increase your social activities and network.
When the going gets tough in therapy
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What Is A Depression Treatment Plan
A depression treatment plan is a detailed, individualized strategy created to help clients reach goals and overcome depression. It’s an essential tool in getting clients engaged with their treatment.
In general, treatment plans follow a simple format and include a client’s goals, measurable objectives and a timeline for progress. They’re a roadmap to provide clients with clear directions on how to get to an improved condition. Treatment plans can also give clients a sense of accomplishment and strengthen the therapeutic relationship.
A depression treatment plan focuses specifically on treating depression and relieving related symptoms. However, since counselors tailor treatment plans to each person under their care, a depression treatment plan might also include goals related to co-occurring disorders, such as anxiety or substance use disorder. The treatment plan must focus on the client’s priorities and immediate areas of need to build trust and increase their motivation. You and your client will collaborate when writing the treatment plan and adjust accordingly as they progress and symptoms change or improve.
Some General Example Goals For Depression Could Be:
-Client wants to have less negative thoughts about themselves and will practice positive self-talk when negative thoughts start to encroach for the next two months and will complete a scored questionnaire to determine if negative thoughts decrease.
-Client has trouble with sleeping and will keep a sleep journal over the next two weeks to identify any unhealthy habits that should be changed.
-Client wants to be more active in order to boost their mood and will engage in at least one physical activity, such as going for a walk, three times a week for the next three weeks and will track how many times they complete an activity.
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My Initial Treatment Plan
MY PRACTICE MATTERS, LLC12345 Post Box Account Rd, STE 111Rhode Island, NY 12345-998909-999-0021
Client name: Kelly Remmer
Client DOB: 12/12/12
Next review date: I tend to make this 90 days
Presenting concern: Kelly reports struggling with depressed mood, anxious thoughts, frequent suicidal thoughts, and panic attacks 9 days out of the month since October of 2017.
Short-term goal: Kelly will engage in learning about her diagnosis including triggers to suicidal thoughts and apply coping skills outside of therapy on a daily basis.
Long-term goals: Management of depressive symptoms including an increase in ability to choose and utilize coping skills.
Goals:
*I make this section objective. For example, Kelly will engage in learning more about her depression and complete homework assignments at least 1-2x per week. I also use behavioral terms and obtain copies or examples of activities used as proof that the treatment plan is being followed and is working .
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