Values and Moral Distress — Session activity

0–5 min | Agree on purpose and fit

Explain the educational scope. Ask what would be useful, check readiness and access needs, and establish choices to observe, adapt, or pass. Use an ordinary example; do not solicit trauma narratives.

5–10 min | Orient with an example

Values conflict and impaired control can overlap but are not the same concern. Fictional example: Noah feels guilt and is unsure whether it reflects personal values or feared judgment. Ask what is observed and what remains uncertain.

10–20 min | Practice and compare

Separate chosen beliefs, messages from others, distress about values, and difficulties controlling behavior; discuss the distinctions with a qualified clinician. Offer quiet individual work, a supported conversation, or an observing role. Compare two possible responses without evaluating people as right or wrong.

20–25 min | Reflect on meaning

Which part of the distress needs a values conversation, and which needs behavioral assessment? Ask what fit, what did not fit, and how culture, power, disability access, or external conditions affect the options.

25–30 min | Integrate and close

Invite one optional next step or support request. Orient to the current setting, allow an unfinished question to remain unfinished, and agree how to revisit it. End early or adapt if activation increases.

Adaptations

For a group, use fiction and no compulsory round-robin disclosure. For remote use, allow off-camera reflection and private notes. For brief use, keep one example and one question while retaining opening and closing choices.

Prompts for this resource

1. What outcome would make this practice useful?
2. Which part of the distress needs a values conversation, and which needs behavioral assessment?
3. What adaptation or follow-up is needed?