SMART goals for anxiety

The SMART goal format was created in 1981 by business consultant George T. Doran. Little did he know that it would be adapted for use by mental health professionals worldwide. SMART provides a structured template that streamlines the process of client collaboration and progress evaluation when developing treatment goals. Let’s explore SMART goals for anxiety.

Summary

• The SMART framework—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—helps therapists and clients create clear, actionable goals that guide treatment and track progress effectively. Download my free SMART goals worksheet.
• SMART goals for anxiety work especially well with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) due to their focus on observable outcomes and clear timelines. They help anxious clients stay motivated and reduce avoidance behaviors.
• Critics note that SMART goals may overemphasize outcomes, lack flexibility, and offer a binary success/failure framework that can feel rigid or discouraging to some clients.
• The blog provides goal templates for generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, and phobias—like reducing GAD symptoms via the GAD-7 or practicing daily relaxation for panic control.
• By leveraging an EHR like TheraPlatform for efficient documentation and claim submission, therapists can tackle documentation management with ease.

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What are SMART Goals?

The SMART acronym encompasses five main components crucial for creating manageable goals. They are:

Specific 

Specific goals are clearly defined and easily understood by the therapist and client. For illustration, let’s look at the difference between a general goal and a specific one. A client’s initial goal might be ”I want to feel less anxious”. While this is a fine objective, it is too general to know what the person wants to achieve. A more targeted goal would be: “I will display 50% less generalized anxiety symptoms in six weeks”. The specific goal is concrete and makes it easy to gauge progress. 

Measurable

Along similar lines, a measurable goal is easily evaluated. It should be relatively simple to establish if it has been completed or progress has been made. For our example above, the client’s anxiety can be measured using a quick diagnostic screening tool, such as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item questionnaire (GAD-7). 

Achievable

Being achievable is a critical, yet underrated, aspect of the SMART format. Although it is often said that we should reach for the stars, a goal that isn’t attainable holds little benefit. An unachievable goal only causes frustration and the motivation to complete it will wane. The individual will be left with a sense of failure rather than feelings of accomplishment. 

For our example, if you do not feel it is realistic that the client can reduce their anxiety symptoms by half in six weeks, you should lessen the demands to make it achievable. Otherwise, they likely will consider themselves defeated rather than striving for success. 

Relevant

A SMART goal must be relevant to the client’s values. In other words, they must find it relates to the person they want to be. An individual will have no motivation to attain an objective that they don’t feel is important. That is why the creation of goals must be a collaborative process. If the therapist is allowed to generate all the goals, the client will not feel invested in completing them. Regarding our above example, the client must feel that reducing anxiety symptoms is core to what they want to accomplish.

Time-bound

Although nobody likes deadlines, they are crucial to goal-setting. A time limit motivates the client to work on their goals. However, deadlines for treatment goals also need to be flexible. When a targeted date comes up, it serves as a point where you can review the client’s progress and recalibrate their goals. 

A new target can be set if necessary but the client should not be punished if they don’t accomplish their goals by a certain date. In our example, the client was given six weeks to reduce their GAD symptoms by 50 percent. If they have achieved their goal, you may want to set another related goal. If not, maybe the percentage needs to be adjusted or the timeline extended. 

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Are SMART goals for anxiety effective?

SMART goals for anxiety are productive. However, there are also some potential drawbacks. Here are the major pros and cons of using the SMART template for anxiety problems: 

Advantages

• SMART goals for anxiety are motivating. People with anxiety are hesitant to put themselves in situations where they might feel uncomfortable. The time-bound nature of SMART goals pushes the client out of their comfort zone, causing them to confront their anxiety. This exposure helps to reduce their anxiety in the long term. 
• SMART goals are clear and understandable. Individuals with anxiety are often looking for reasons to avoid completing their objectives. The “specific”, “achievable", and “relevant” aspects of these types of goals leave the client with few excuses. They can’t claim they didn’t understand them because clarity is a hallmark of a SMART goal. And because they helped create them, they can’t say they don’t apply to what they hope to achieve. 
• SMART goals are a good fit for cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is highly effective in treating anxiety issues. CBT interventions are known for being structured and easy to operationalize, making them ideal for research. SMART goals are similar. They are specific, measurable, and time-bound, making them perfect for use with CBT.

Criticisms 

• SMART goals for anxiety are focused on outcomes. One of the primary complaints about SMART goals is that they are focused on outcomes. The process, which is sometimes just as important, may be minimized.
• SMART goals are binary. Similarly, SMART goals are generally evaluated by whether you succeed or not. A critic may argue that a person’s effort should be rewarded, even if they don’t achieve the goal by the initial deadline.
• SMART goals are rigid. While the narrow focus of SMART goals helps a client stay on track, some may argue that they lack the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances or complicated situations. 

Examples of SMART goals for anxiety treatment

The following are examples of SMART goals and objectives that may be created for common anxiety treatment issues:

For generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) 

1) Reduce anxiety symptoms to non-clinical levels (as measured by the GAD-7) in five months.  

2) Practice mindfulness once a day for one month. 

3) Identify and challenge distorted anxious thoughts daily using an anxiety thought record. 

For panic disorder

1) Reduce panic attacks from five times to two times per week by (include date here).

2) Identify five panic attack triggers by the next session. 

3) Practice one cycle of progressive muscle relaxation every day for 4 weeks. 

For social anxiety disorder

1) Increase participation in social activities by 25% within six weeks. 

2) Create a hierarchy of at least five anxiety-provoking social situations by the next session. 

3) Spend 20 minutes each day visualizing success in a social situation (imaginal exposure)

For a specific phobia

1) Expose yourself (real or imaginal) for one minute with an item that is in the “low” range on your anxiety hierarchy for seven straight days.

2) Identify three irrational thoughts about your feared stimuli by the next therapy session. 

3) Practice one relaxation exercise (e.g., deep breathing, imagery) per day for two weeks. 

SMART goals are well-suited to help treat problems related to anxiety, especially when the therapist uses CBT techniques or related therapies. The SMART format provides a structured template to encourage clients to confront their anxiety issues and keep them focused on their objectives, rather than resorting to avoidance. 

While some may argue that SMART goals could be more flexible, that problem can be successfully addressed by a therapist who regularly reevaluates a client’s progress and makes the necessary adjustments. Overall, the SMART format enhances motivation and understanding, two essential aspects to treating anxiety disorders. 

How EHRs can help with documentation

Modern EHR/practice management platforms (such as TheraPlatform) assist greatly with documentation by providing HIPAA‑compliant, integrated systems for note entry, storage, scheduling, and billing. They allow therapists to:

• Use and customize templates (e.g., SOAP, DAP, and others) or build their own to streamline note writing and ensure consistency.
• Link notes to treatment plans, goals, and session history so client progress is easily tracked over time.
• Utilize e-fax and secure document sharing via client portal to safely exchange information with clients or other providers while maintaining confidentiality.
• Leverage dictation and telehealth transcription, which can automatically convert sessions into therapy or assessment notes, saving time and reducing manual entry.
• Take advantage of AI features that streamline documentation by automatically populating intake form data into assessment templates and generating complete therapy and assessment notes from the information you provide, all with a single click.

Meanwhile, AI‑assisted note tools are emerging which can further help clinicians by:

• Automatically transcribing session audio (if permitted) and highlighting key moments (e.g. emotional shifts, major themes).
• Suggesting draft notes or filling in objective or assessment sections based on observed data, freeing up clinicians’ time.
• Supporting consistency and reducing missing components in notes, which helps from both clinical, legal, and insurance perspectives.

Together, structured SOAP‑type notes, good EHR platforms, and smart AI tools support better therapeutic outcomes, more efficient workflows, and stronger accountability.

Streamline your practice with One EHR

• Scheduling
• Flexible notes
• Template library
• Billing & payments

• Insurance claims
• Client portal
• Telehealth
• E-fax

Learn More

Resources for mental health therapists

Theraplatform is an all-in-one EHR, practice management and teletherapy solution with AI-powered notes and Wiley Treatment Planners that allow you to focus more on patient care. With a 30-day free trial, you have the opportunity to experience Theraplatform for yourself with no credit card required. Cancel anytime. They also support different industries including mental and behavioral health therapists in group practices and solo practices.

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References

Curtiss, J. E., Levine, D. S., Ander, I., & Baker, A. W. (2021). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatments for Anxiety and Stress-Related Disorders. Focus, 19(2), 184–189. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20200045

Doran, G.T. (1981) There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review, Vol. 70, (11), pp. 35-36. In https://www.scribd.com/document/458234239/There-s-a-S-M-A-R-T-way-to-write-management-s-goals-and-objectives-George-T-Doran-Management-Review-1981-pdf

Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B., & Löwe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10), 1092–1097. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092