NYC Therapist recommends Using Concrete Goals to maintain therapy gains. Avoid Bad Habits from Resurfacing using CBT
Expert psychologists and top psychotherapists recommend using concrete goals as a way to benchmark gains to maintain progress in psychotherapy and prevent patients from backsliding in therapy. Cognitive Behavior Therapist and psychologist Dr Jayme Albin, who practices CBT, EMDR, Psychotherapy and Yoga/Biofeedback Therapy in New York City recommends creating personal “Goal Posts” to prevent bad habits from resurfacing and interfering with successful gains achieved in therapy.
A common CBT method for avoiding bad habits and keeping them from creeping back into healthy behaviors and emotions is known R and R (Regulation and Response). This is a type of response prevention technique. This technique requires you to self-monitor and then immediately respond to small changes before they get out of hand and lead to bad habits that interfere with positive behaviors, relationships and stable emotions.
How to do this:
- Create concrete “goal posts” that signal to you that your behavior is starting to backslid and bad habits are starting creep in. Some rules: these must be specific and measurable goals and easy to recognize.
- Create a stable and consistent response plan. This plan must be specific, actionable immediately and counteract your bad habits.
- When you reach or surpass your “goal posts” you MUST be committed to activating your plan. No excuses, such as “I am on vacation”, “I feel….”, or “I don’t feel…”, “This is different because …”
- Activate support techniques to help the plan go smoothly such as doing relaxation exercises (see Dr. Jayme Albin -NYC psychologist -post on Breathing techniques) and challenge your thoughts (See Dr. Jayme Albin-NYC psychologist) on Changing your thinking style)
