ReviewBMC psychology2022
Goal setting with young people for anxiety and depression: What works for whom in therapeutic relationships? A literature review and insight analysis.
Review in BMC psychology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed.
- A Digital Therapeutic Intervention for Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2026Trial
- Establishment and Maintenance of a Digital Therapeutic Alliance in People Living With Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Two Exploratory Single-Arm Studies.JMIR mental health · 2025Trial
- Incorporating a Stepped Care Approach Into Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mental health · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Working with goals in youth mental health and substance use service: A review of current practice guidelines and recommendations.JCPP advances · 2026Article
- Can I Help With That? The Role of Goal Setting in a Technology-Enabled Peer Mentoring Program.Journal of community psychology · 2026Article
- Patient and Care Team Perspectives of Barriers to and Facilitators for the Implementation of a Digital Health Program for Depression in Primary Care: Qualitative Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- The Role of Practitioner- and User-Set Goals in Engagement and Psychological Distress Among Kooth Digital Health Users: Retrospective Analysis.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Differences in life projects among adolescents in situations of social vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic.Psicologia, reflexao e critica : revista semestral do Departamento de Psicologia da UFRGS · 2025Article
- Effectiveness, Engagement, and Safety of a Digital Therapeutic (CT-155/BI 3972080) for Treating Negative Symptoms in People With Schizophrenia: Protocol for the Phase 3 CONVOKE Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Feasibility of a digital therapeutic for experiential negative symptoms of schizophrenia: results from an exploratory study.Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- Young people's experiences of setting and monitoring goals in school-based counselling: A thematic analysis.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2025Article
- Exploring psychotherapists' experiences in delivering effective treatment for major depression in Saudi Arabia: a qualitative study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Goal-oriented practices in youth mental health and wellbeing settings: A scoping review and thematic analysis of empirical evidence.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2025Article
- Commentary: What young people want from psychotherapy.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2025Article
- Evaluating the synergy: anxiety prevalence and alcohol consumption patterns in high-income countries using Granger causality analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Lifestyle Counseling in Primary Care: Effectiveness, Strategies, and Clinical Implications.International journal of general medicine · 2025Review
- Development, Acceptability and Engagement with the Mind Tutor: Lessons Learned from Testing a Novel Digital Application for First Year UK Undergraduate Student Wellbeing.Psychological studies · 2025Article
- Positive events in psychotherapy: What do adolescents and young adults say is helpful?F1000Research · 2024Article
- Developing a Depression Care Model for the Hill Tribes: A Family- and Community-Based Participatory Research.Depression research and treatment · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGoal setting and goal-focused work is widely used in young people's mental health settings. However, little is known about how, why or for whom this is helpful. This study aims to explore the mechanisms of collaborative goal setting as part of therapeutic relationships: is it helpful for young people experiencing anxiety and/or depression, how and why/not, for whom, and under what circumstances?
methodsOnline database searches generated 10,907 records. Seven unique studies are included, combined with insight analysis from directed discussions with international advisors with lived experience of anxiety and/or depression and therapy (N = 8; mean age = 20.8), and mental health academics/clinicians (N = 6).
resultsFindings are presented as a narrative synthesis and suggest that goal setting is helpful to young people experiencing anxiety and/or depression because it helps build good therapeutic relationships through open communication and building trust. Goal setting helps make things more manageable, enabling young people to feel supported and have ownership of their care. Individual preferences, or high levels of distress, trauma, low confidence, hopelessness, negative past experiences of goal setting, perfectionism, and rumination are considered limiting factors to goal setting. Additionally, contextual factors including country and long-term therapy are explored.
conclusionWhilst the resultant sample is small, emphasis on the voices of young people in the research is both prominent and of paramount importance. Several key literature gaps are identified, including evidenced links to the reduction in symptoms. Priority must be given to researching unhelpful mechanisms of goal setting for young people experiencing anxiety and/or depression, to avoid any potential iatrogenic effects.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.