214-629-0640
john@fpc.center
3213 I‑30, Suite 404 Mesquite, TX 75150​
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Family Priority Counseling Center
Goal Setting
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Goal Setting

One of the major challenges disadvantaged youth face, especially the homeless, is their living in a state of survival on a day-to-day basis, so they see very little need to set goals or plans for fear of disappointment. Those who grow up in foster care and juvenile institutions, parentless or rootless, also may believe within the context of their situation that they have very little prospects of fulfilling their dreams, even when their basic needs are met. To help disadvantaged teenagers overcome these negative experiences and for them to experience a mindset reset – from abandoning their dreams to becoming goal-oriented – Family Priority Counseling Center provides goal-setting as one of its key services to program participants.

Dec. 4, 2015. San Diego, CA. USA|John Brizzolara plays his guitar with case manager Molly Turner holding a poem that she wrote that John put music to. John lives in a permanent supportive housing unit at the Villa Harvey Mandelaptarments, a part of the Father Joe's Villages affordable housing. |Photos by Jamie Scott Lytle. Copyright.

Goal-setting is key to self-actualization

Youth is a time when dreams are abundant and need to be nurtured with the guidance of role models like parents, teachers and child caregivers. However, most youth that have been abandoned or left to fend for themselves, either in institutions or on the streets, end up not caring for themselves or their future, seeing very little need to plan and viewing dreams as useless. We aim to turn this around at Family Priority Counseling Center. Our program focuses on helping participants realize their value as human beings with a purpose in life; that they are more than their financial status or current situation.

Goal-setting guidelines

Aside from helping disadvantaged youth develop and maintain a positive mindset no matter the situation, the goal-setting aspect of the program aims to guide participants in creating goals that are:

  • Clear and conceivable: Each goal must be well-defined so concrete steps can be taken to achieve it.
  • Believable and doable: They must believe in their goal and know there are ways they can fulfill it.
  • Achievable: The goal/s of each participant must fit the scope of their strengths, skills, abilities and other assets.
  • Desirable: Personal goal setting should always stem from what the goal setter wants to do and not from what they feel compelled to do.
  • Controllable: The fulfillment of goals may not depend on the goal setter alone. However, moving forward and initiating action toward goal fulfillment all depend on the action of the participant, so this is something they can control and manage.
  • Measurable: Every goal must be measurable at a certain point in time, i.e. the goal setter should know that certain input is needed to achieve the outcome they want.
  • Beneficial and growth-oriented: Every goal should contribute to the personal growth of the goal setter as a person and should not be destructive toward others.

Through the goal-setting aspect of our program, we hope to impart a message of hope for young people – that their dreams deserve respect and they have goals that are worth pursuing. More importantly, our intent is for them to finish the program, knowing that having goals in life is the key to self-actualization.

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