Examples of Correct Need Statements:
| Client + Qualifier + What is lacking + Context |
The Smith family needs effective problem-solving techniques based on positive family communications.
The Smith family needs communication skills for resolving serious disputes in a way that decreases hostility.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need increased trust in the marital relationship.
Mrs. Smith needs appropriate boundaries in the parent/child relationship in daily interactions with children.
Mrs. Smith needs an independent living environment free from an abusive relationship with Mr. Smith.
Mrs. Smith needs [specific community resource] to address [specific problem in family].
Mrs. Smith needs affordable transportation for Joey’s counseling appointments and school conferences
Mrs. Smith needs positive working relationships with school personnel in relation to Joey’s poor school performance.
Mrs. Smith needs supportive working relationships with mental health personnel in working with Joey’s Oppositional Defiant Disorder and ADHD.
Mrs. Smith needs accurate and timely information from Juvenile Services to address Joey’s delinquent behaviors.
Mrs. Smith needs positive extended family contact and support.
Smith children need a healthy daily diet that is optimal for healthy growth and development.
The Smith children need improved hygiene including, cleanliness, appropriate dress, and daily grooming.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need housing that provides adequate space for privacy for parents and teen-aged children.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need the ability to heat and cool the home for appropriate comfort and safety.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need home furniture that is safe, clean, and functional for daily activities.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need a safe living environment for the family.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need an ongoing method for housekeeping chores to maintain a clean, safe living environment for the family.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need safe, adequate housing that is reasonably priced for their family budget.
Income
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need steady employment to provide adequate income for the family’s financial needs.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need finances necessary to provide adequate food and shelter for the family.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith needs knowledge and skills of budgeting and money-management.
Mrs. Smith needs vocational and employment skills to maintain long-term employment.
John Smith needs sufficient impulse control to terminate physically and verbally aggressive acts.
Joey Smith needs a desire to relate to others with a sensitivity to social behavior, respect for others.
Joey Smith needs a desire to accept the need for behavioral limits, relating to rules and relational boundaries.
Joey Smith needs increased ability to connect his actions to consequences.
Susie Smith needs effective [specific coping skill] in order accomplish daily care of family.
Susie Smith needs effective depression management in order to carry out normal family responsibilities.
Susie Smith needs elevated mood and energy levels to carry out normal family responsibilities.
Joey Smith needs effective anger management skills in order to terminate assaultive behavior.
Susie Smith needs increased motivation for complying with necessary medical treatment for diabetes.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith needs an adequate understanding of Joey Smith’s educational deficits.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need physical and mental health adequate for completing daily tasks and providing for appropriate care of self and family.
Mrs. Smith needs stable mood level, which is appropriate to the social context.
Mrs. Smith needs affordable medication to maintain optimal mental health without creating financial problems.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need increased motivation to follow through on referrals to support services for the family needs.
Mrs. Smith needs realistic understanding of neglect in the home and a desire to eliminate the problem.
Mrs. Smith needs personal involvement in family-centered meetings and home visits.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need sufficient knowledge for obtaining services from [specific community resource].
Mrs. Smith needs adequate organizational skills to follow through with obtaining necessary services.
Mr. Smith needs a positive working relationship with service providers for which the family is eligible and which would assist in ameliorating the family’s problems.
Mrs. Smith needs necessary independent living skill [choose lacking skill].
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need self motivation to provide age appropriate care and nurturance to their children.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need knowledge of the importance of healthy food in sufficient and balance amounts to the children.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need desire to provide adequate food and balanced diets to the children.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need understanding of appropriate and timely medical care when the children are sick or injured.
Mr. Smith needs a kind and nurturing relationship with the children.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need an understanding of normal child development in order to maintain appropriate expectations for their children’s behavior.
Mr. Smith needs interaction skills for age appropriate empathetic response to children’s feelings and behaviors.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need structure and daily routines for the children in the family.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need skills to resolve sibling rivalry.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need to encourage and facilitate Joey’s academic performance and positive school relationships.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need to ensure Joey’s regular school attendance.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need to encourage and facilitate Joanie’s appropriate adolescent development toward independence.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need sufficient accurate knowledge of the children’s developmental needs.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need ability to express frustrations without being physically abusive.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need ability to express frustrations without being verbally abusive.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need ability to express frustrations without being emotionally abusive.
Mrs. Jones needs understanding of basic childcare skills.
Mr. Smith needs accurate perceptions of his drug [and/or alcohol] use on his family.
Mrs. Smith needs abilities to maintain drinking to socially acceptable levels.
Mr. Smith needs realistic perception of his drug [and/or alcohol] dependence.
Mr. Smith needs abilities to maintain sobriety.
Mrs. Smith needs appropriate medical supervision while becoming drug free.
Mrs. Smith needs an understanding and acceptance of an appropriate recovery plan.
Mrs. Smith needs knowledge and skills to manage drug [and/or alcohol] cravings during activities of daily living.
Mr. Smith needs a work, school, or home environment that are supportive of his recovery efforts.
Mr. Smith needs abilities for maintaining sobriety to increase impulse control and eliminate aggressive, violent, or abusive behavior.
Mrs. Smith needs a greater sense of fulfillment from duties or obligations her family life.
Mr. Smith needs accurate understanding of the consequences of his substance.
Mr. Smith needs accurate understanding and acceptance of the recovery process.
Mrs. Smith needs age appropriate discipline techniques for her [preschool/school-age/teen-age] child.
Mr. Smith needs positive parenting skills to replace ridicule and sarcasm in his interaction with the children.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need effective discipline skills to replace physical punishment of the children.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need anger management skills to prevent further abuse of the children.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need appropriate expectations concerning age appropriate behavior.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need age appropriate interaction skills for nurturing, and disciplining their children and guiding their development.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need ability to provide consistent age appropriate rules and consequences concerning Joey’s behavior.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need to understand appropriate parent-child boundaries.
Mr. Smith needs consistent parenting skills that model age appropriate nurturing parental child interactions.
Mr. Smith needs knowledge and skill of non-violent methods of child behavior management.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need effective method to attend and reinforce Joey’s positive behaviors.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need an effective method to provide appropriate consequences for Joey’s misbehavior.
Mrs. Smith needs appropriate expectations about [infant/toddler/preschool/school-age/adolescent] needs for parental supervision.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need ownership of their responsibility for their very young child is continuous supervision by a responsible adult in a safe environment.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need safe, appropriate child care for their children while the parents work.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need to arrange safe, appropriate before and after-school care for their school-age children.
Joey Smith needs an environment free from [physical/sexual/verbal abuse and/or neglect].
Joey and Joanie Smith need a safe environment free from any type of maltreatment.
Mr. And Mrs. Smith need skills and motivation to provide supervision and protection to keep children free from physical abuse.
Mr. And Mrs. Smith need skills and motivation to provide supervision and protection to keep children free from verbal abuse.
Joanie Smith needs immediate supervision and protection to prevent any further sexual victimization.
Previous History of Child Maltreatment. . .
Mr. Smith needs understanding of the realistic and accurate consequences of his sexual abuse of Joanie.
The [adolescent boys/girls and/or children] needs supervision and protection to prevent any further contact with Mr. Smith.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need a strategy for achieving a safe physical environment for Joey and Joanie.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need a safe physical environment for Joey and Joanie.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need desire to eliminate physical abuse of Joey.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need skills to eliminate physical abuse of Joey.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need motivation to eliminate physical abuse of Joey.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need appropriate understanding to eliminate physical abuse of Joey.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith need accurate understanding of the consequences of physical abuse of Joey.