Framework · Goal Design

STEPS™

An enhancement to conventional goal-setting for neurodivergent thinkers and anyone whose path to achievement carries hidden costs.

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STEPS™ asks two questions at once: can the goal be reached, and can the person reach it in a way that is safe, sustainable, aligned with how they think, and realistic about the barriers around them?

The five dimensions

Achievement has a cost. Goal design should account for it.

Safety-Centered: build from conditions where the person can function without unnecessary threat.
Trauma-Informed: allow flexibility and support when past experience changes what the task demands.
Energy-Aware: account for masking, recovery, natural rhythms, and fluctuations in capacity.
Pattern-Aligned: work with the person's natural way of thinking and organizing information.
System-Conscious: acknowledge structural barriers instead of pretending every obstacle is an individual deficit.

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