Values and meaningful action / VAL-A20-3
Reviewing a Values Experiment — Clinician dialogue
Guide a collaborative conversation about reviewing a values experiment while checking fit and participant choice.
15 minutes · Clinician script · Mental health professionals
Fictional example: Avery's planned check-in happened differently than expected.
Use within your training and assessment of readiness. Review asks about fit and direction rather than perfect consistency.
Invite and obtain permission
Offer: "Would it be useful to explore reviewing a values experiment 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: Review asks about fit and direction rather than perfect consistency. Ask what fits and what does not.
Guide the task
Describe an attempted action, what mattered, what got in the way, and a chosen revision. Ask for permission before giving an example. Use this fictional illustration if useful: Avery's planned check-in happened differently than expected.
Reflect and check accuracy
Reflect only what was offered: "I heard you describe ___. What did I miss?" Ask: What is worth keeping, changing, or leaving aside? 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 is worth keeping, changing, or leaving aside?
- 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.