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Therapy treatment, like most treatment therapies, is based on predetermined sets of specific and defined goals as set by therapeutic professionals. Proactive and positive, these goals contribute to the betterment, maintenance, and/or overall mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well being of patients in recovery, of elderly patients, and of others who undergo therapy treatment.
A typical standard mission statement for therapy treatment will include two types of treatment goals-the functional outcome and the enabling goals (as outlined by Cheryl Cullen, OTR/L. at John Hopkins University). So, for example, the functional outcome goal (which pinpoints the intended abilities that come as a result of the therapy) of an occupational therapist might be that the client/patient be able to dress by him/herself, walk without external support, speak coherently.
The enabling goal, according to Cullen, will identify how the therapist will help the patient/client reach the outcomes as defined by the therapy treatment professional. In OT, for example, the therapist might have a goal for moving: so he or she will develop and assist in exercises that require movement, starting with, say, writing, dance, or martial arts positions and movements.
Importance is also placed on the character of such goals-whether they are short term goals or long term goals, whether they are individual steps taken or final landing steps at the end of the therapy treatment period. In other words, the early stages of therapy treatment might involve sitting and standing with ease, while the exit phase will include fast walking, callisthenic moves, and full body turns.
In the case of therapy treatment, goals are expected to be reachable, to have positive results that positively affect the life of the client, to be relevant and reflective of what the client needs, and to have a measurable standards.
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