Values and meaningful action / VAL-A01-3
Values versus Goals — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about values versus goals while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Avery values learning and has a goal of finishing a course.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. A value can guide ongoing action while a goal describes a possible milestone.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore values versus goals using an ordinary or fictional example? We can adapt it, observe, or stop." Ask what the person wants from the conversation.
Elicit before teaching
Ask: "How does this show up, if at all, in your own words?" Offer this idea tentatively: A value can guide ongoing action while a goal describes a possible milestone. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Sort chosen qualities, concrete goals, and external expectations into separate groups. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Avery values learning and has a goal of finishing a course.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: Which quality can be expressed even if the milestone is delayed? Avoid assigning motives or interpreting silence as agreement.
Respond to a mismatch
If the person rejects the frame, say: "Thank you for correcting it. What would be more useful?" Return to their language or choose a different approach.
Close with agency
Ask which observation, question, or support request the person wants to keep. Confirm a manageable ending and appropriate follow-up; do not turn a tentative possibility into a homework obligation.
Prompts for this resource
- Readiness, permission, cultural context, and access needs to check:
- Which quality can be expressed even if the milestone is delayed?
- What would tell me to adapt, stop, or seek supervision?
Conceptual background
Valuing as a Choice — Association for Contextual Behavioral Science
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.