Values and meaningful action / VAL-A16-1
Values in Relationships — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind values in relationships and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Avery wants honesty and cannot require the other person to respond warmly.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. A person can choose how to participate without controlling another person's values.
The idea
A person can choose how to participate without controlling another person's values.
An ordinary example
Avery wants honesty and cannot require the other person to respond warmly.
What this can look like
Describe the quality you want to bring to one relationship and a boundary that protects agency.
Check the fit
What part of the relationship is yours to choose? You may disagree with the framing, use fiction, or decide that this approach is not useful today.
A useful distinction
A value can guide ongoing action even when a goal is delayed or a barrier requires external support.
Prompts for this resource
- What part of this idea makes sense to me?
- What part of the relationship is yours to choose?
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.