Journey to Wellness: Individual Counseling Session Script

Session Overview

Time: 50 minutes

Materials:

• Goal-Setting Worksheet
  
• Progress Reflection Journal
  
• Goal Achievement Rubric

Script

1. Warm Welcome and Check-In (0–5 minutes)

Counselor (C): “Hi [Name], it’s good to see you again. How have you been feeling since our last session?”

(Allow the student to respond.)

C: “Thank you for sharing that. Is there anything on your mind that you’d especially like to talk about today?”

Follow-up prompts:

• “Can you say more about that?”
• “What thoughts have been coming up for you?”

2. Review of Progress and Reflection (5–15 minutes)

C: “Let’s look back at the wellness goal you worked on last time. What progress did you notice?”

Follow-up prompts:

• “What successes did you experience?”
• “What challenges came up?”

C: “Now, open your Progress Reflection Journal and jot down two things you learned about yourself.”

C: “Great. Can you share one insight from your journal?”

Follow-up: “How did that insight influence your feelings or actions?”

3. Setting a New or Adjusted Goal (15–30 minutes)

C: “It’s time to set a new or adjusted wellness goal for the next two weeks.”

C: “Please open your Goal-Setting Worksheet. In the first section, write the goal you’d like to focus on.”

C: “To make this goal SMART, we’ll use the Goal Achievement Rubric. Read each criterion—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound—and give yourself a score from 1 (low) to 4 (high).”

• Specificity: “What makes this goal concrete?”
• Measurability: “How will you know you’ve achieved it?”

Follow-up prompts:

• “What could help raise your score?”
• “Is there any part of the goal you’d like to clarify?”

4. Action Planning (30–40 minutes)

C: “Excellent. Next, let’s break your goal into manageable steps.”

C: “In the “Action Steps” section of your worksheet, list two to three actions you will take each week.”

C: “Choose one of those actions and tell me why you selected it.”

Follow-up: “What might get in the way, and how will you handle that?”

5. Confidence Building and Anticipating Challenges (40–45 minutes)

C: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident do you feel about carrying out these actions?”

• If below 7: C: “What support or resources would help you feel more confident?”
• If 7 or above: C: “That’s great. Which of your strengths will help you stay on track?”

6. Wrap-Up and Next Steps (45–50 minutes)

C: “To close, let’s review your goal and action plan one last time.”

C: “What will be your very first step once our session ends today?”

(Student responds.)

C: “I will check in with you at our next session in two weeks. In the meantime, use your Progress Reflection Journal to note daily successes and challenges.”

C: “Thank you for your thoughtful work today. Remember, if something isn’t working, we can always adjust your plan next time. I look forward to hearing about your progress!”

Goal-Setting Worksheet

1. Wellness Goal Statement

Write your SMART wellness goal for the next two weeks:

2. SMART Criteria and Scoring

Using the Goal Achievement Rubric, give yourself a score (1–4) for each criterion and explain your rating.

• Specificity (Score: __ )
  Why did you choose this score?
  
  
  
  
• Measurability (Score: __ )
  Why did you choose this score?
  
  
  
  
• Achievability (Score: __ )
  Why did you choose this score?
  
  
  
  
• Relevance (Score: __ )
  Why did you choose this score?
  
  
  
  
• Time-bound (Score: __ )
  Why did you choose this score?
  
  
  
  

3. Action Steps

List two to three specific actions you will take each week to work toward your goal:

Which of these actions do you predict will have the greatest impact, and why?

4. Potential Barriers and Support

Identify any obstacles you might face and the resources or supports you can use to overcome them:

5. First Step Commitment

What will be your very first step once this session ends today?

Progress Reflection Journal

Use this journal daily to capture your journey toward wellness.

Daily Entry

Date: _____________________

1. Successes Today (What went well?):
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Challenges Today (What obstacles did you face?):
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. Emotions & Thoughts (How did you feel, and what thoughts stood out?):
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

4. Insight (What did you learn about yourself?):
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

5. Next Steps (How will you adjust or respond tomorrow?):
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Weekly Reflection

Week of: _____________________

• Top Achievement:
  
  
  
  

• Greatest Challenge:
  
  
  
  

• Key Learning:
  
  
  
  

• Adjustments for Next Week:
  
  
  
  
  
  

Goal Achievement Rubric

Use this rubric to evaluate the quality of your wellness goal according to SMART criteria. Score each from 1 (Beginning) to 4 (Exemplary).