Determining the consulting goal is a phased task in the whole consulting process. Usually, after understanding the situation, confirming the problem and changing the will of the parties, we will discuss the negotiation objectives.
One thing is certain: both sides will participate. One thing is uncertain: sometimes the consultant is the protagonist, and sometimes the client is the protagonist, depending on the consultant's inclination. At the same time, in addition to who will decide, different treatment stages need to be considered, and each stage has different tasks and goals.
Theoretical orientation of consultants
If the counselor is a cognitive behavioral orientation, even if the client's goal is abstract, the counselor will gradually concretize, extract specific problems, and conduct evaluation and inspection. The process of establishing consultation objectives is an important link in the whole consultation process. Once the goal is found, the negotiation will take a big step forward. Therefore, novice consultants prefer this way of goal setting, because it is more structured. Once the goal is determined, they will know what to do next and feel in control.
If you are a psychodynamic counselor, you are concerned about the inner conflict behind the information expressed by the client or something you are not aware of, so you will not discuss specific goals with him, such as what to solve today, or talk about the consultation process, such as generating empathy first and then dealing with empathy.