About this resource
Describing a hoped-for future in detail can make change feel possible. This worksheet invites clients to walk through a day when things are going the way they hope, from waking up to going to bed, noticing what they and others would see. It then asks what is already happening and what the smallest next sign of progress would be.
Purpose
To help clients describe a preferred future in concrete, observable detail.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Counsellors and therapists. Also relevant for youth workers, social workers.
Client or participant group: Adolescents and adults in counselling.
Practice setting: Individual counselling, often early in the work.
Suggested uses
- Early sessions
- Goal setting
- When clients feel stuck
- Reviewing progress
Instructions for practitioners
- Ask for detail: what would you notice, what would others see?
- Focus on the presence of good things, not only the absence of problems.
- Notice and highlight what is already happening.
- Use a scale to track progress.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Imagine a day when things are going the way you hope.
- Write what you would notice through the day.
- Write the smallest sign of progress.
Accessibility considerations
Can be completed verbally, through drawing or as a timeline.
Scope and limitations
A reflective worksheet for use within counselling.
Research basis
Solution-focused approaches, which build on strengths and preferred futures, show promising results across settings. Specific goals, if-then plans and regular progress monitoring all improve the chances of reaching goals.
- Gingerich, W. J., & Peterson, L. T. (2013). Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: A Systematic Qualitative Review of Controlled Outcome Studies. Research on Social Work Practice, 23(3), 266–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731512470859
- Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation Intentions and Goal Achievement: A Meta‐analysis of Effects and Processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 69–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0065-2601(06)38002-1
- Harkin, B., Webb, T. L., Chang, B. P. I., Prestwich, A., Conner, M., Kellar, I., Benn, Y., & Sheeran, P. (2016). Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 142(2), 198–229. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000025
- Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.57.9.705
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced. Reflects ideas from solution-focused approaches.
