Long Range Occupational Goals

Long range occupational goals, or long-term occupational therapy goals, are created by occupational therapists (OTs) to capture what they would like their client to accomplish in the future—aka the steps needed for successful discharge from treatment. 

In this article, we will examine the need for long range occupational goals and provide occupational therapy long-term goal examples. We’ll also discuss the difference between long and short- term goals and share how to use the  occupational therapy SMART goals method to efficiently and comprehensively set goals. 

Why set long range occupational goals?

Long range occupational goals are important for measuring and tracking progress (or lack thereof), helping clients understand what they are working toward, and validating reasons for intervention to facilitate insurance reimbursement. 

Long-term goals can also be a good way to collect data on specific treatment interventions. 

These goals are developed from a client’s profile, including evaluation and assessment, and are part of a client’s plan of care. All of this information can be stored safely and securely inside occupational therapy practice management software. 

Long range occupational goals explain the “why” of treatment along with the “what,” “how,” and “when.” 

Goals make it easy for another therapist to pick up where you left off. They also give structure to your treatment plan and are used for reimbursement from insurance companies. 

They can also be helpful if your client transfers therapists or facilities. 

Short-term vs. long-term OT goals

Occupational therapists should incorporate long- and short-term goals into their treatment plans for their clients—which can be noted in the OT’s electronic health records (EHR) software, or by pen and paper.  

Here are the main differences and use cases: 

Long-term goals

As discussed above, long range occupational goals are used to identify what the client needs to accomplish in order to progress onto other goals or be ready for discharge. 

Long-term goals look to the future to identify what needs to be accomplished for clients to make progress or complete treatment. Long-term occupational therapy goals are used to justify treatment and intervention as well as to get insurance reimbursement for services. 

Long-term goals are usually written for a specific period, such as the number of visits, months, or in school-based OT, on a trimester, semester, or annual basis.

Short-term goals

Short-term goals are used to identify the progress a client will need to make in order to meet their long term goals. 

Short-term goals answer the question, “How will the patient accomplish their long-term goal?” Short-term goals break the long-term goal down into steps to help clients meet the long-term goal. 

As the name suggests, these goals have a shorter time period for accomplishment, such as a few weeks, a month, a semester, or a trimester if you are working with school-age clients. 

Short term occupational therapy goals create a direct path to accomplishing the client’s long-term goal and explain the “how” of the long -term goal. These goals should be measurable, to show progress or lack thereof. 

With the data collected from short-term goals, a therapist has the evidence to support their reasoning for continued service or for discharge. 

Occupational therapy SMART goals

There are a variety of ways to incorporate both short and long range occupational goals, one of which is by using the SMART method. 

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based—and each letter in the acronym ensures efficient and effective goal setting. 

How to set SMART goals: 

Specific 

Point to a specific area the client needs to improve. For example, improving participation in getting dressed.

Measurable 

Include hard data on performance, which is usually measured in increments such as duration, frequency, or number of trials. For example, putting on socks without assistance three out of four times. When a goal is measurable, you are able to show progress from where the client started to where they are now. 

Attainable 

Will the client be able to reach the goal set for them? For example, would a client be able to relearn all activities of daily living in three months’ time? 

Relevant/reasonable

Does the goal relate to your client’s needs, and can they realistically accomplish the goal? Is the goal related to their occupational profile, and what’s important to them? For example, your client has expressed a desire to get dressed independently, but is less concerned about relearning how to do the laundry as their partner will take over that duty. 

Time-based

How long will it take to meet the goal? For example, it will take the client three weeks to relearn how to put their socks on independently. 

OT SMART goals can incorporate a wealth of information. 

Just like long-term goals, they are used to explain the “how,” “what,” “why,” and “when” of your plan of care. You can also apply the SMART method to short-term goals. 

SMART goals can support reimbursement from insurance companies as well as treatment and intervention. They can also track progress and help therapists determine when a goal has been met or should be discontinued. 

Occupational therapy long-term goals examples vs. short-term goals examples

Here are a few examples, including occupational therapy long term goals examples, short term goals examples, activities of daily living goals, and occupational therapy mental health goals.

Activities of daily living (ADL) and self-care goal examples 

Long-term goal (LTG): Mr. Washington will independently brush his teeth, improving his self-care skills, going from 50% of the time to 95% of the time in four weeks. 

Short-term goal (STG): Mr. Washington will brush his teeth with minimal assistance (25% or less), going from 50% of the time to 70% of the time in two weeks.

LTG: Mr. Washington will follow the five steps to make a sandwich, improving his ADL skills from 50% of the time to 95% of the time in three weeks. 

STG: Mr. Washington will follow three out of the five steps without assistance to make a sandwich, going from 50% of the time to 75% of the time in 10 days. 

Mental health occupational therapy goals

LTG: Mr. Washington will improve his self-regulation skills, going from one to three strategies to improve anxiety on four out of five occasions in three months. 

STG: Mr. Washington will use two strategies to improve his anxiety on three out of five occasions in six weeks. 

LTG: Mr. Washington will decrease his stress and anxiety levels from high to medium for five to seven days per week in three months. 

STG: Mr. Washington will practice meditation, going from zero days per week to three days per week in one month.

Things to note about the occupational therapy long term goal examples

• Client input is critical when writing goals (goals have higher success rates when clients are involved in developing them)
• Goals should be based on a client’s occupational profile, addressing areas of need
• Make sure you have baseline data for all goals, to show progress
• Goals should be measurable
• Goals should have functional outcomes 

In the long run, occupational therapy goals are an important part of what occupational therapists do. 

SMART goals are a great way of creating detailed, measurable goals for your clients—both in the short and long term.

Occupational therapy long-term goals support treatment and intervention and drive insurance reimbursement. They are a way to align and prioritize what is important and meaningful to your client, and they measure progress and support occupational therapy services. 

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