New Values Resources – Valued Domains and Exploring Valued Domains

What’s new?

We’re excited to announce two new resources designed to simplify the concept of valued domains, helping clients to discover what truly matters to them. These tools will guide clients in clarifying their values.

What are values?

Values are the “principles for living” that capture what matters most to a person – whether that’s integrity, playfulness, or a sense of justice. Elucidating values can serve many therapeutic functions, such as clarifying one’s sense of purpose, informing goal setting and treatment planning, and motivating clients to engage with difficult experiences or challenging therapeutic tasks.

Values-focused interventions have a long history in the talking therapies. Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy (Frankl, 1946) and Carl Rogers’ person centred therapy (Rogers, 1964) have long focused on helping people connect with their core values.

Among modern approaches to psychotherapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has proven the most fertile ground for values work. Values and committed action are core components of ACT and accordingly, all ACT interventions ultimately support individuals to live by their values (Hayes et al, 1999)

What’s the difference between values and valued domains?

Values and domains of living are easily confused. Values are the personal principles that define what’s important to someone, like being honest, or helping others. Valued domains are the areas of life where values come into play – such as family, intimate relationships, work, and spiritual life (Simon, Howe & Kirschenbaum, 1972).

For instance, if someone values honesty, they might enact that value by consistently being transparent with colleagues,  friends and family.

Building on our recent Values: Connecting To What Matters guide (and the free version: An Introduction To Values), we have created two new resources to help therapists explain and explore valued domains with their clients.

Who is this series for and how can it be used?

People often lose touch with their values: self-doubt, fear of judgment or displeasing others, adherence to externally determined norms, and avoidance of pain can all disconnect people from what matters most.

These resources are ideal for therapists working with clients who feel disconnected from their values. Clients often lose sight of their values due to external pressures like fear of judgment or avoidance of pain. These resources are designed to help therapists guide clients in reconnecting with what truly matters.

Joanne Dahl and colleagues (2009) suggest that exploring the domains in which values are enacted can help clients to:

• Identify more potential values.
• Engage in a wider variety of valued activites, increasing psychological flexibility.
• Connect with powerfully motivating values in a particular domain.

Try these resources for free, now

You can try up to 5 resources for free when you set up a free Psychology Tools trial. Choose from 450+ worksheets, information handouts and exercises, including both valued domains resources.

References

Dahl, J. C., Plumb, J. C., Stewart, I., & Lundgren, T. (2009). The art and science of valuing in psychotherapy: Helping clients discover, explore, and commit to valued action using acceptance and commitment therapy. New Harbinger Publications.

Frankl, V. E. (1946). Ein Psycholog erlebt das Konzentrationslager [Man’s Search For Meaning]. Vienna: Verlag fur Jugend und Volk, Vienna.

Rogers, C. R. (1964). Toward a modern approach to values: The valuing process in the mature person. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 68, 160–167. DOI: 10.1037/h0046419.

Simon, S., Howe, L., & Kirschenbaum, H. (1972, 1978, 1995) Values clarification: A handbook of practical strategies for teachers and students. New York, NY: Hart Publishing.