Values and meaningful action / VAL-A19-3
Values Conversation Cards — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about values conversation cards while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: A group discusses different meanings of responsibility in an ordinary scheduling dilemma.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. A group can explore differences without ranking people's values.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore values conversation cards 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 group can explore differences without ranking people's values. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Use fictional situations to compare possible valued directions and invite participants to pass or redefine the terms. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: A group discusses different meanings of responsibility in an ordinary scheduling dilemma.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: How can different answers expand understanding rather than create a contest? 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:
- How can different answers expand understanding rather than create a contest?
- 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.