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Goal, Objective, Intervention

Module 7: Writing Rehabilitation Plans That Work · Lesson 1 of 3

13 min Back to module

Story opener

Thursday, 4:40 p.m. A participant is sitting across from you, your supervisor wants three notes before you leave, and the answer you need is not in any binder on the shelf. This lesson is the part of the job nobody handed you in orientation.

Learning objectives

  • Be able to goals in participant voice, objectives measurable, interventions specific
  • Be able to every session ties to at least one objective

Lesson

Three levels, each with a distinct job.

The goal is the participant's role outcome in their words: 'I want to live in my own place by next spring.' Objectives are measurable steps toward it: 'Sarah will complete a weekly laundry routine independently 3 of 4 weeks by 3/15.' Interventions are what you do: 'Specialist will use task analysis and in-vivo practice at the laundromat weekly.'

If a note cannot name which objective it advances, either the note or the plan is wrong.

Maryland guidance & authority labels

Every statement below is labeled so you know what is binding regulation, what is only proposed, what is professional guidance, and what is our house standard.

  • COMAR — current

    Each plan must contain individualized, measurable objectives tied to the participant's goal, with defined interventions, frequency, and review dates.

  • Internal best practice

    If two participants' plans could be swapped without anyone noticing, neither plan is individualized.

Common mistakes

  • Describing what you did without describing what the participant did.

    Do this instead — Record the intervention and the participant's observable response to it.

  • Treating regulation as a filing chore separate from practice.

    Do this instead — Let the required elements shape the session itself, so documentation writes itself.

Practical examples

Practical example

Instead of 'met with participant to discuss goals,' write: 'Reviewed the transportation objective; participant identified the #22 route unassisted and named one back-up plan. Verbal prompt needed once. Next session: practice the transfer at Mondawmin.'

Key takeaways

  • Goals in participant voice, objectives measurable, interventions specific
  • Every session ties to at least one objective

Reflection prompts

  1. 1Which part of this lesson describes something you are already doing differently in practice?
  2. 2What would an auditor see in your last five notes that contradicts this standard?

Bring your answers to supervision — the case-study workspace in this module saves written notes to your account.

Knowledge check

4 questions drawn from a bank of 7 · 75% to pass · instant feedback on every answer

1. Which statement is a key takeaway from "Goal, Objective, Intervention"?

2. A colleague does this: Describing what you did without describing what the participant did. What should they do instead?

3. How should you treat this statement? "Each plan must contain individualized, measurable objectives tied to the participant's goal, with defined interventions, frequency, and review dates."

4. A colleague does this: Treating regulation as a filing chore separate from practice. What should they do instead?