Page 112 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

regularly to serve as a constant reminder of the plan of fulfilling them.19 One should keep a log daily or weekly
of what was done to fulfill the goals.

To be realistic and reasonable, goals should be based on the person’s past and current behavior. The first
challenge should be only a small step away, not a major change from the current behavior, and should be
matched with the client’s perceived capabilities for achieving it. The counselor should guide people toward
those goals that they believe can realistically be accomplished. A brief discussion as to “why” the person
decided on a goal may add to motivation, as in “Tell me about the reasons that you are interested in losing 10
lb.”

A distinction must be made between short-term goals and distal or end goals. Short-term goals that are
challenging, but attainable with effort, are likely to be more motivating and self-satisfying. Self-motivation
can be increased by progressively achieving short-term goals, even though a long-range goal of losing 20 lb is
difficult to realize. For example, people need to commit themselves to the goal of following the dietary
changes or goals today, rather than a long-term goal of never eating high-fat foods again. When the distant
future is the focus, such as losing 20 lb, it is easy to put off the goal and decide to start some other day.
Persistence that leads to eventual mastery of an activity is thus ensured through a progression of short-term
goals, each with a high probability of success.

Step 2: Goal Importance and Acceptance

After identifying one or two goals, the counselor assesses the importance of the goal by asking, for example:
“On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, how important is that goal to you?” If the answer is “5,” a
different goal should be found. Goals that are not perceived as important by the client are unlikely to be
achieved.

CASE ANALYSIS 5

How would you ask Mr. Howard to assess the importance of a choice of goals?

The strength of a person’s goal commitment and priorities is affected by several factors.19 The counselor
may inquire about these:

“How will you do it?”
“What makes this important to you?”
“What are the benefits of reaching the goal?”
“Is there someone else with whom you can share your plans?”

Step 3: Goal Analysis and Overcoming Obstacles

It is important to discuss how the impact of physical, cultural, social, and cognitive environments will affect
goals. The counselor may ask: “What problems do you see in achieving this goal?” “What may interfere?”
“How do you feel about this change?” It is advisable to tell the client to expect some problems, since obstacles
may come up that were not considered during the counseling session. When the client is aware of the
possibility of problems, he or she may avoid abandoning the dietary changes with the first lapse or obstacle.
After all, basketball players do not make a basket every time they shoot the ball. But they keep on trying.

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