A task-centered approach to treatment planning

conceptual issues being dealt with later. When a task or tasks are being worked on, an "X" is placed in the lower left-hand corner of the task box. The shaded area in the lower portion of each box reflects the amount of progress a youngster has made toward the accomplishment of a given task at a particular point in time. The statements to the left of each task box identify the methods that the t reatment team will employ to support the you th in his effort to accomplish a given task. The criteria for success are indicated to the right of each task box and are clear answers to the question that you th are presumed to have regarding each task: "How will I know when I have accomplished i t ? " Task accomplishment or completion has to be recognized as a treatment technique or process rather than as a finished act. Learning to deal with feelings of anger and frustration (Task 8), for example, is an ongoing human struggle. Teaching a youngster to get along with his brother(Task 4) is probably not something that can begin in February and end in May. Ultimately, in developing a model for t reatment planning that must both guide and reflect the t reatment process, the question tha t has to be dealt with is: How should the process of change be conceptualized, i.e., how should staff, youth , and parents think and talk about what they are doing and experiencing? There are a number of possible answers to this question, many of which might be very useful. Conceptualizing the process of change as a series of tasks, each of which can in some sense be started and completed on specified dates, is one approach that has proved useful in effecting change in the lives of troubled youth. For example, providing youngsters with a success experience in taking one more step toward gaining emotional competence (Task 8) and social competence (Task 5) can breed further confidence and success as the youngsters transfer learning back into the community. The number of tasks that a given youngster works on at any particular time varies from youth to youth . The t reatment team must decide how many tasks a youngster can work on without his attent ion and energy being spread too thinly. Requiring a certain amount of accomplishment on one or more tasks before a youngster begins subsequent tasks is one way of modulating the quanti ty and quality of progress. The youth , his family, referral agency personnel, each t reatment team member, and the communi ty services worker all have current 202 Child Care Quarterly team member, and the communi ty services worker all have current copies of the treatment plan. Each time communi ty service staff make contact with the agency and family, reference to progress or the lack of it is made, using the visual reinforcement that the t reatment plan format provides. A graduation date is projected and becomes an explicit, writ ten part of the goal of t reatment after youngsters have completed 50 percent of their tasks. Having thus earned the right to a targeted release or graduation date, the youth is given more responsibility for achieving the t reatment goal on or ahead of schedule. Treatment plans incorporate personal, academic, and home-related issues. For parents and agency personnel, an important aspect of each communi ty service contact is the developing and refining of the kinds of involvement and support that will be available to aid you th on home-related tasks. While in placement, youth have regularly scheduled home passes to work on treatment tasks. Thus, the process of t reatment weaves together experiences both at home and on campus that provide varied opportunities for change. Parents who are part of a t reatment process that is devoid of mystery are better able to become active and empathic participants. Community service staff have a tool that can play a significant role in attacking the sense of powerlessness that is common to parents of youth in placement. Simply by leaving parents with the feeling that they know what is happening, these plans can do a great deal to elicit cooperation. Having a plan that asks them to assume a role parallel to that of residential staff imparts a sense of importance as they share responsibility with members of the t reatment team. Youth, who always have access to their t reatment plans, can use them to determine or clarify where they are, where they've been, and where they are going. The arrangement of the task boxes in a ladder makes visual and visceral sense. Use of a form and format that implicitly puts the responsibility for upward progress on the you th himself motivates enthusiastic participation. Each step forward enhances the growth of a self-concept in which youth begin to see themselves as people who can succeed, who can accomplish, and who have a promising future. A clear sense of purpose and direction is an inherent part of that process. Referral agency personnel appreciate having a system that gives clear answers to their how, what, and when questions regarding treatment. Routinely overworked, they are grateful for a format that gives them a "sense of the situation" in one brief scan. The system reduces surprises, enhances predictability, and elicits better support and coWilliam R. Dahms 203 operation when the agency h a s t o respond to t reatment team recommendations. The advent of a task-centered approach to t reatment planning has meant many things to t reatment staff. The increased availability and understandabili ty of the plans have fostered more creativity. Treatment plans are being used increasingly to guide team behavior, to elicit meaningful involvement from all staff, to encourage a broad treatment perspective, to stimulate the right kinds of questions, and to develop a common language among participants in the t reatment process in short, to make the benefits of teamwork a reality.