Values and meaningful action / VAL-A08-3
Values and Boundaries — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about values and boundaries while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Avery limits extra work to preserve reliable participation at home.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. A boundary can support a valued relationship or role.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore values and boundaries 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 boundary can support a valued relationship or role. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Link one limit to a chosen quality and draft a respectful statement with a realistic consequence or alternative. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Avery limits extra work to preserve reliable participation at home.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What valued direction does this boundary serve? 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:
- What valued direction does this boundary serve?
- 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.