Person-Centered Planning (PCP) in a nutshell

The philosophy of being “person-centered” is one that values directing service delivery to the goals, preferences, and needs of the individual being served. Rather than matching the person to services that already exist, services are developed based on the person’s priorities and unique situations. Being person-centered can enhance self-determination as students are encouraged to make decisions, set their own goals, and run their own meetings. Person-centered planning formats were developed to include individuals with disabilities more centrally in the process of developing goals, and to involve family members as partners with professionals. Person-centered planning can add significantly to the quality of traditional planning.

There are a variety of formats for person-centered planning, such as lifestyle planning (O’Brien, 1987), personal-futures planning (Mount & Zwernik, 1988), and the McGill Action Planning System (MAPS; Vandercook, York, & Forest, 1989). The outcome of a PCP process includes a list of actions participants will take to help the individual with disabilities achieve his or her goals.

Research on PCP provides evidence that using this approach can encourage participation by the family and individual with disabilities. The process can also increase the number of preferred, integrated activities in the person’s schedule. Many educators worry on first glance that using PCP methods will add to the burgeoning list of responsibilities, but once educators and families try PCP methods, they realize the benefits far outweigh the additional time requirements.