Passing your National Licensing Exam
Getting licensed can open up incredible opportunities, but the exam can seem daunting. Our podcasts make passing more achievable and even fun. Dr Hutchinson and Stacy’s energy and passion for this content will get you motivated and confident.
We break things down in understandable ways - no stuffiness or complexity and focus on the critical parts you need so your valuable study time counts. You’ll come away feeling like, “I can do this!” Whether it’s nailing down diagnoses, theoretical approaches, or applying ethics in challenging situations, we help you get into a licensed mindset. Knowledge domains we cover in these podcasts include:
Professional Practice and Ethics
Intake, Assessment, & Diagnosis
Areas of Clinical Focus
Treatment Planning
Counseling Skills and Interventions
Core Counseling Attributes
And, of course, the DSM-5-TR.
If you listen, you might surprise yourself at how much you absorb and enjoy it along the way. Take that first step – you’ll gain confidence and valuable skills and feel confident getting ready for your licensing exam!
Passing your National Licensing Exam
Short-Term vs. Long-Term Goals, Part 1
What happens when Indiana Jones meets treatment planning? Discover how understanding the "great goal divide" can make your licensing exam feel less like a cryptic adventure and more like a journey with a map. Dr. Linton Hutchinson and I, Eric, bring humor and insights to navigating the tricky terrain of short-term and long-term goals. We promise that by the end of this episode, you'll be equipped to confidently distinguish between immediate needs and long-term visions, whether it’s reducing daily anxiety or planning the next five years of your life—or even colonizing Mars.
Join us as we break down key terminology and context clues that signal whether a goal is short-term or long-term in exam questions. From recognizing phrases like "reduce" and "immediate" for short-term goals to "eliminate" and "ultimate" for long-term aspirations, we illuminate the importance of these distinctions. We share tips and scenarios to help you accurately identify a client's stage in therapy and align their goals accordingly. With engaging examples and expert advice, we're here to support your exam preparation, ensuring every step you take is grounded in solid understanding.
If you need to study for your national licensing exam, try the free samplers at: LicensureExams
This podcast is not associated with the NBCC, AMFTRB, ASW, ANCC, NASP, NAADAC, CCMC, NCPG, CRCC, or any state or governmental agency responsible for licensure.
Welcome to our Licensure Exams podcast. I'm Dr Linton Hutchinson and I'm joined by my co-host, eric. Hello everyone. Well, today we're going to explore the long and short of some important concepts in treatment planning short-term and long-term goals that you need to know as you study for your licensing exam, or, as I like to call it, the great goal divide, because who doesn't love a good time-based technology exam question challenge?
Eric:That sounds exactly like something you'd say, and you're right, linton.
Linton:The exam is challenging enough content-wise, given that you're testing on everything you ever learned in graduate school, but it's also an exam with terminology that can seem strange or obsequiously purple, or even clairvoyant no kidding, you might feel like you've forgotten some material, or you need to hire Indiana Jones to decipher what some of those words really mean.
Eric:Well funny. You should mention that, Lint. I was just rewatching the Last Crusade for the millionth time the other night and just like that scene where Indiana is trying to cross the invisible bridge, navigating through the exam, can feel like taking a step across the great chasm. But don't worry, Just like Indy took that leap of faith. We're here to help people confidently step forward with solid knowledge and preparation.
Linton:The Last Crusade, eric, really.
Eric:That was a great one. Okay, you know Sean runs off into the sunset. Illumination Indy. That was a great movie, yeah.
Linton:Well, let's start by breaking down the concepts of short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals are typically focused on immediate needs and can often be achieved within a few days to about six weeks. Few days to about six weeks these are the steps that you take to address immediate concerns or to lay the groundwork for more extensive progress. On the other hand, long-term goals are aimed at a broader, more enduring challenge and changes that take place during several months to a year to achieve. It's like the difference between deciding to clean your room today and planning to colonize Mars. Both are admirable but slightly different timescales, and I'm sure you know which one Elon Musk would choose.
Eric:Right, Eric, Absolutely Cleaning his room is a high priority for Elon, as we all know.
Eric:Yes, one key to distinguishing between those two in an exam question is paying attention to the specific wording and the phrases in the answer options that you're given. For example, short-term goals might include words like reduce, reduce, identify, improve, explore, educate, immediate there's a big one initial, stabilize or within a few weeks All those sort of evoke short timeframes. With long-term goals, you might keep an eye on for such words like eliminate, resolve, ultimate the end of something, master over the next 12 months or eventually, eventually everything that makes you think that it's going to be a long-term thing that you need to buckle up for. There are a few exceptions for short-term goals, though. When a client's behavior is dangerous or illegal, you can and should choose to eliminate those behaviors as short-term goals, like eliminate suicidal ideation, eliminate instances of drinking and driving behavior. So eliminate isn't always a long-term thing, and you can choose to master basic skills or master a specific number of skills, ie baby steps as a short-term goal, for example, master mindfulness exercises or master basic breathing techniques, something that shouldn't take you a year to do.
Linton:Really so. Let's look at some more examples. Suppose you see a question that indicates a phrase like the client's immediate goal is to reduce daily anxiety symptoms. Here, immediate and daily are clear indicators that the goal is short-term. It's like saying the client's immediate goal is to stop screaming every time they see a spider.
Eric:That's right. Conversely, if the question says the client's ultimate goal is to maintain a stable relationship and employment over the next five years, the words ultimate and next five years should be a clue that you're looking at a long-term goal.
Linton:Well, another tip is to consider the context of the question. If the scenario involves a client just beginning therapy, the goals are likely to be what? Short or long-term? Eric?
Eric:Well, I would say short-term Right right.
Linton:These might involve building rapport establishing safety or addressing acute symptoms.
Eric:In addition, short-term and long-term goals. We need to introduce another word that you might run into when you're studying for the exam treatment objective Objectives, support goals. So if you have a treatment goal, the objectives leading up to that goal, to achieving it, would be the smaller steps that build toward the longer change.
Linton:Well, that's good. Let me give you a more practical example. Objectives help you to meet a goal. Okay, so let's say my overall goal is to become an accomplished public sushi chef and one of my short-term goals is to become a sushi chef intern at Publix, working alongside Kai.
Eric:Can you say Accomplish Public Sushi Chef five times fast? I can barely say it once how long do you think it would take to pull that off, Linton?
Linton:Okay, well, first I'd have to get permission in filling out all the paperwork. I'm going to be really optimistic here and say one month, because it will take maybe that long to become a sushi intern at Publix.
Eric:All right, so that fits within the short-term goal category. So as long as they buy you as a sushi chef.
Linton:So go on All right. So now the overall goal to become an accomplished public sushi chef requires a series of small steps, or, as we call them, objectives. Right, so you're seeing those differences there. So like successfully cook one batch of sticky rice without burning it, or myself, or setting off the fire alarm and figure out which is the top and cutting side of the knife so I don't end up spurting blood all over the counters.
Eric:Both worthy objectives. Yes, I'd say all of those objectives would help you in your goal to becoming an accomplished Publix sushi chef, especially if you were left with all of your fingers after practicing with the knife. I'd imagine Ron, the manager at Publix, would frown on a chef who sets off the star's sprinkler alarm every time you got in there and uses up all the band-aids on their first day. But hey, you've got to start somewhere right, right.
Linton:That's definitely true. That's my thoughts, exactly, eric. And just like in therapy, taking these small, manageable steps can lead to achieving bigger goals for your client.
