Section One “The Problem” : The program asks a series of questions designed to help the user describe and define the problems and difficulties they are facing. This in itself has a “focusing” effect.
Some User Feedback :
“It helps me when I’m angry and can’t find a teacher to talk to”
“Its like having someone to talk to and it isn’t embarassing”
“WaysForward made me think about myself and why I worry so much”
Section Two “The Present” : The program then asks a series of questions to help the user think about Exceptions, times when the problems are less or do not appear at all. The program places particular emphasis on what the user is doing that is helping their situation.
Some User Feedback :
“It made me think about the good things about myself too”
“It helped me think about how I am feeling”
“On a bad day it calmed me down and made me think about my behaviour”
“I was surprised to see how many helpful things I was doing”
Section Three “The Future” : The program then asks questions about how the user would like things to be when the problems are resolved, and what would be the first signs of change happening. The program asks the user to rate on a Scale where they are now in relation to this Desired Future.
Some User Feedback :
“It made me think of what I can do to help me get happier”
“The questions asked by the program introduce an element of challenge, which often produced a real shift in the young person’s perception of the situation”
“WaysForward is fun and serious at the same time”
Section Four “Next Steps” : A unique feature of the WaysForward program is that it feeds back to the user information about their existing achievements in coping with or dealing with the problems, in their own words. (Click here to see a sample printout from the program) The program then encourages the user to think about the next few steps they can take.
Some User Feedback :
“I didn’t realise that I had done all this until I saw it listed back here”
“I liked being able to print off the summary of the session so that it can be reflected on”
“I liked it because it can’t talk back to me and tell me what to do”