Martin Ridgway
DATE: 17th March 2013
Report on the Goal Attainment Scaling Workshop
This one day workshop was organised by Stewarts Law and Recolo. Recolo are a Neuropsychology rehabilitation specialist team working in community settings with children affected by Traumatic Brain injury. This event was held on the 14th March 2013 at Stewarts Law LLP, 5 New Street Square, EC4A 3BF.
This event proposed to inform delegates in the importance of using Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) in goal setting to motivate therapeutic change for clients with a brain injury,as well as using achievement in these goals as an effective outcome measure. In a cost driven market,the need to demonstrate the effectiveness of therapeutic intervention to achieve positive change in both physical and leaning rehabilitationwas emphasised. The workshop was aimed at case managers, psychologists and therapists working in brain injury rehabilitation. And promised delegates how GAS could help them to be client focussed when identifying and setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time related (SMART) goals.
Facilitators were Dr Peter Tucker (Consultant Clinical Psychologist in Neuropsychology) and Steffi Skalia (Specialist Physiotherapist in Neurological Rehabilitation).
In session one the facilitators talked about their previous method of goal setting and outcome measurement.It was unwieldy, subjective, client participationwas problematic and too many goals meant it became a paper exercise.Motivation and SMART goal theory was explained and GAS introduced with a series of group tasks to demonstrate and explain it’s implementation with the client, family and therapy team. This reinforced the importance of SMART goal setting in actually ensuring the goals were meaningful to all involved. The sensitive scoring / scaling method meant reliable data could be gathered to identify current levels of function with subsequent data at review acting aseffective outcome measuresimportant in demonstrating change and the effectiveness of therapeutic input. Challenges in implementing GAS, especially around organisational change, were discussed and some critical analysis included.
Overall I found this workshop interesting and a valuable experience that I intend to use to help adapt my current practice andinfluence future work, both as a Case Manager and Occupational Therapist (OT). As an OT,professional training prepared me for using goals with clients to effect positive change in ‘bite size’ manageable chunks. So why attend this training? I already know about goals, don’t I? I’m already client centred.It’s what OT’s are about, isn’t it? In theory yes, but in reality complacency can creep into practice for a variety of reasons and this workshop has helped me appreciate positive and negative aspects of my current approach in relation to goal setting.
Goal setting is particularly important in the field of brain injury. Goals associated with ‘learning’ strategies can be so challenging as client insight is often a major problem. Therapy can become vague and stale, client focus lost and underachievement the result. GAS is an effective tool, sensitive to even small changes in client’s lives. Therapists can adapt GAS to give focus and direction to therapy and help to gradually re-establish client insight. As a case manager, more informed scrutiny of therapy can be conducted prior to commissioning expensive services and reviewed to ensure continued input is effective and therefore worthwhile.
I really enjoyed the day and there is much more I could add to the above summary. I’d like to thank Stewarts Law for hosting the event in a great location and venue, and to Recolo for facilitating the day. Finally, a big thank you to BISWG for their grant which meant I was able to attend.