What is a “Vision Board” and What Role Can It Play in the Person-Centered Planning Process?

What is a “vision board”?  A vision board is an assemblance of images that together, help individuals visualize the outcome of the goals they set. They support the notion to “keep your eye on the prize” as we move about in this world and the answer to “why” we set out every day to tackle what might otherwise be viewed as monotonous daily tasks. Vision boards provide motivation and purpose.

So how can vision boards benefit the person-centered planning process? Simply put, they assist in:

Establishing Goals
Vision boards can provide a starting point for developing your initial person-centered plan. For those who already have their goals in mind – creating a vision board provides a motivation tool. For those who are unsure – vision boards help define where they want to see themselves in the future.

Clarifying Goals
Beginning the process by creating these bigger picture endings makes it easier for support staff to be able to back-step to create all necessary steps needed to make the end visions a reality. For the individual served, it reduces the “overwhelm” that the end-goal may create by clarifying the short- , mid-, and long-term steps necessary to achieve the goals on their vision board.

Focusing on Goals
Let’s face it, life gets hectic. Often times, we get buried in managing pop-up responsibilities and forget our ultimate goals. (The things that, when accomplished, actually give us intrinsic value and meaning.) For the person served, having a vision board in plain sight each day helps them align their daily to-do’s and activities to reach the important goals.

Achieving Goals
Positive feelings and reward… if there weren’t any, what would be the driving factor to accomplish things? Achieving goals and feeling those good “feels” are reinforcement for continuing the goal-setting process and growing and evolving as human beings.

Maintaining Goals
Again, life can sometimes interfere with our goals. Vision boards help people get back on the track and align ourselves with the goal’s action plan.

Flourish, CreateAbility’s person-centered planning app is a modern vision board app that the individuals served can carry in their pockets each day. In addition to grouping their pictures, it talks to them, and reminds them about the things they need to accomplish each day towards these goals. For the support staff, it provides the foundation to establish, clarify, and help their client’s focus and achieve goals with the added benefit of providing documentation needed for annual reporting.

If you are looking for a way to simplify your person-centered planning process, please reach out to us at info@createabilityinc.com.