Mid-Year Check-In: Are You Meeting Your Therapy Goals?
Halfway through the year can feel like a milestone worth noting. It’s a time to pause, breathe, and ask yourself a crucial question: Am I meeting my therapy goals? Whether your focus is personal growth, relationship improvements, or healing from trauma, a mid-year check-in could help you recalibrate with intention and realign with the progress you want to see.
Reflecting on Your Therapy Goals
Mid-year is an ideal time to assess the progress you've made on the goals you set earlier in the year. Take a moment to revisit those intentions, whether you wrote them in a journal or shared them with your therapist. Ask yourself questions like:
Have I actively worked toward my goals in therapy or life?
What challenges have stood in my way?
Have my priorities shifted since I first set these goals?
For example, if your goal originally centered on developing healthier boundaries in relationships, consider whether you've made strides in expressing your needs or standing firm when someone crosses a line. Reflecting honestly will help you identify areas of growth and determine what still needs work.
Mid-Year Vision Board: Renew Your Focus
One exciting way to visualize your progress and future goals is by creating a mid-year vision board. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a vision board is a collection of images, words, and symbols that represent the life you want to build.
What is a Vision Board?
A vision board serves as a physical or digital reminder of what you aspire to achieve. By outlining your goals and surrounding yourself with visual cues, you reinforce your intentions every day. Research has shown that visualization can enhance motivation and make you more likely to accomplish your goals.
How to Create a Mid-Year Vision Board
Set your focus: Identify the themes you want to center this vision board around. These could be "mental health," "personal growth," "relationships," or "healing from trauma."
Gather materials: Collect magazines, printed photos, markers, glue, and a board, or use online tools like Canva if you prefer to go digital.
Find your visuals: Search for words and images that mirror your goals. For example, choose calming pictures if you're focusing on mental wellness or quotes about resilience to reinforce healing.
Arrange and Assemble: Place the elements on your board thoughtfully. Group similar themes together, and make the focal point something that truly inspires you.
Display your vision board: Put it where you can see it daily, like your workspace or bedroom wall, as a continuing source of encouragement.
Checking in with Recovery Goals
For those in recovery communities, such as 12-step programs, mid-year can also serve as a critical check-in point. The steps of recovery often revolve around ongoing reflection and action, so ask yourself:
Am I practicing the principles of recovery daily?
Am I maintaining accountability with peers or a sponsor?
Have I celebrated the progress I’ve made, no matter how small?
Additionally, consider whether you're setting the right recovery goals. Are they specific, measurable, and realistic? For example, instead of “be less stressed,” a more targeted goal might be, “practice a 5-minute meditation each morning.”
Share your reflections with recovery peers or your therapist. Adding input from trusted individuals can provide helpful perspectives you may not have considered.
How to Know If You’ve Set the Right Goals
Mid-year is also a good opportunity to evaluate whether your goals are aligned with your current needs. Therapy is a dynamic process, and goals are meant to evolve as you grow.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Are my goals authentic to me? Goals should come from your own desires, not external pressure or others' expectations.
Are they achievable? Break down large goals into smaller, actionable steps to make them feel less overwhelming.
Are they meaningful? If a goal no longer feels important or helpful, it’s okay to set it aside and refocus on something that resonates more deeply.
For instance, if you initially set a goal to resolve conflict in your family but now feel more ready to work on self-care first, shift your priorities accordingly.
What Are Appropriate Mid-Year Goals?
If you're feeling stuck, here are some examples of mid-year goals you might consider in various aspects of your mental health and personal growth journey:
Mental Health Goals
Start a gratitude journal to boost positive thinking.
Commit to attending therapy sessions consistently.
Explore mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing or yoga.
Relationship Goals
Practice active listening with loved ones.
Schedule regular catch-ups with a close friend or family member.
Set healthy boundaries in challenging relationships.
Personal Growth Goals
Learn a new skill or hobby you've always wanted to try.
Dedicate 30 minutes each week to self-reflection, journaling, or reading personal development books.
Volunteer for a cause that aligns with your values.
Remember that mid-year goals should feel achievable and enriching rather than burdensome.
Recalibrate and Refresh Your Journey
Your mental health and therapy goals are an ongoing process, not a final destination. Taking the time now to check in, reflect, and recalibrate sets you up for success for the rest of the year. Whether you’re creating a vision board that reinvigorates your focus or resetting your goals to better align with your current needs, these actions are steps toward intentional growth.
If you're looking for guidance or support along the way, reach out to your therapist or trusted community. The most important thing is to keep moving forward, one intentional step at a time.
Schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation to find your way back to yourself, with less anxiety and more ease in Houston, Texas.