Purpose: To clarify what the client values for its own sake: what gives your life meaning?
General Method: To distinguish choices from reasoned actions; to understand the distinction between a value and a goal; to help clients choose and declare their values and to set behavioral tasks linked to these values
When to use: Whenever motivation is at issue; again after defusion and acceptance removed avoidance as a compass
Examples of values techniques
| Coke and 7-Up | Define choice and have the client make a simple one. Then ask why? If there is any content based answer, repeat |
| Your values are perfect | Point out that values cannot be evaluated, thus your values are not the problem |
| Tombstone | Have the client write what he/she stands for on his/her tombstone |
| Eulogy | Have the client hear the eulogies he or she would most like to hear |
| Values clarification | List values in all major life domains |
| Goal clarification | List concrete goals that would instantiate these values |
| Action specification | List concrete actions that would lead toward these goals |
| Barrier clarification | List barriers to taking these actions |
| Taking a stand | Stand up and declare a value without avoidance |
| Pen through the board | Physical metaphor of a path – the twists and turns are not the direction |
| Traumatic deflection | What pain would you have to contact to do what you value |
| Pick a game to play | Define a game as “pretending that where you are not yet is more important than where you are” -- define values as choosing the game |
| Process / outcome and values | “Outcome is the process through which process becomes the outcome” |
| Skiing down the mountain metaphor | Down must be more important than up, or you cannot ski; if a helicopter flew you down it would not be skiing |
| Point on the horizon | Picking a point on the horizon is like a value; heading toward the tree is like a goal |
| Choosing not to choose | You cannot avoid choice because no choice is a choice |
| Responsibility | You are able to respond |
| What if no one could know? | Imagine no one could know of your achievements: then what would you value? |
| Sticking a pen through your hand | Suppose getting well required this – would you do it |
| Confronting the little kid | Bring back the client at an earlier age to ask the adult for something |
| First you win; then you play | Choose to be acceptable |
These clinical materials were assembled by Elizabeth Gifford, Steve Hayes, and Kirk Stroshal