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Valuing is central to acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), yet few therapists truly understand how to engage clients in this complex process. Questions such as What is the purpose of my life? and How do I make decisions? are difficult to answer honestly for ourselves, let alone share with another person. The Art and Science of Valuing in Psychotherapy is the mental health practitioner's complete guide to helping clients identify their values and apply them to their lives in practical ways. You will also learn to establish your own values as a professional, which may shift from client to client, and act in accordance with these values in therapy.
The book provides you with practical tools for conducting values work, including easy-to-understand metaphors, defusion exercises, guided imagery exercises, scripts for role play, client worksheets, assessment quizzes, and more. Once you've mastered the art and science of valuing, you'll find out just how broad the applications for values work can be for conceptualization and interventions in the workplace, in organizations, and on the community level, and discover how effective values work can be for tapping into your clients' capacity for change.
[The Art and Science of Valuing in Psychotherapy] will illuminate how a focus on values can inform every aspect of psychotherapy, from case conceptualization to the therapeutic relationship. At once accessible and profoundÂ… highly recommended.
-Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., University of Nevada Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno
A Letter from the Series Editors ix
Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Chapter 1 An Introduction to Values in ACT 1
Philosophical Assumptions
Behavior Analysis and Values
ACT, Values, and Modern Psychotherapy
Summary
Chapter 2 ACT and RFT 13
Relational Frame Theory
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Summary
Chapter 3 Fusion and Potential Language Traps 43
Uncovering the Problem: The Effects of Fusion
Language Trap 1: Fusion with the Conceptualized Self
Language Trap 2: Fusion with Thoughts About Feelings
Language Trap 3: Fusion with the Verbal Constructions of Reasons and Rules
Language Trap 4: Fusion with Outcome
Summary
Chapter 4 The Process of Valuing in ACT 63
Step 1: Identifying Core Values
Step 2: Looking at the Function of Behavior
Step 3: Choosing Goals in Service of Values
Step 4: Evaluating Choices and Creating Patterns of Action
Summary
Chapter 5 Compassion and the Therapeutic Relationship 83
Compassion for Self: A Prerequisite
The Role of Values in the Therapeutic Relationship
The Therapeutic Process: History Meets History
Improving the Therapeutic Relationship
A Declaration of Therapist Values
When Client and Therapist Values Clash
Summary
Chapter 6 Values-Based Case Conceptualization and Assessment 105
Values and Common Presenting Problems
Establishing the Life Line: An Experiential Metaphor
Case Conceptualization Summary
Assessing Your Client's Values Using the Bull's-Eye
Therapeutic Pitfalls When Using Values Assessments
Creating the Context for Committing to a Values Path
Summary
Chapter 7 ACT Core Processes and Values 133
Defusion: LettingGo of Literality
Present Moment Awareness: Cultivating Openness to Experience
Cultivating Self-as-Context: The Self That Transcends Experiences
Acceptance and Willingness: Living a Valued Life When Psychological Pain Is Present
Summary
Chapter 8 Developing and Maintaining Committed Action 161
Flexibility: A Key Element in Valued Actions
Trying On a Value
What Maintains Values?
Stimulating Committed Action Using the Bull's-Eye Worksheet
Staying on a Valued Track in Therapy
Developing Valued Action Plans with Your Clients
Summary
Chapter 9 The Values Compass 191
The Values Compass: Creating a Course for Therapy
Using the Values Compass at the Start of Therapy
Applying the Values Compass Midtherapy
Applying the Values Compass Near the End of Therapy
Living in Accordance with Values: Some Important Issues
Summary
References 223
Index 231
Overview
Valuing is central to acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), yet few therapists truly understand how to engage clients in this complex process. Questions such as What is the purpose of my life? and How do I make decisions? are difficult to answer honestly for ourselves, let alone share with another person. The Art and Science of Valuing in Psychotherapy is the mental health practitioner's complete guide to helping clients identify their values and apply them to their lives in practical ways. You will also learn...