[Free Guide] An Introduction To Values

Developed in collaboration with Dr Jenna LeJeune, the guide is an abridged version of Values: Connecting To What Matters, and is available for free! The full version includes more exercises and information to help readers refocus on achieving a well-lived life. Sign up for a free trial account to access this guide.

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Free Guide (PDF)

A free psychoeducational guide. Typically containing elements of skills development.

Overview

People’s lives feel unfulfilling or directionless if they’re not guided by values. This free guide, based on concepts from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), equips the reader with tools to help clarify their values and integrate them into their lives. It emphasizes the importance of living a value-driven life over merely attempting to avoid pain.

Why Use This Resource?

Integrating the principles of values in therapy is essential for helping clients move beyond symptom management to a life enriched with meaning and purpose. This free guide helps therapists facilitate conversations about values in a structured and engaging manner, offering pathways to understanding and prioritizing what truly matters to clients.

  • Assists in identifying personal values that provide meaning and direction.
  • Encourages action towards values even amidst emotional challenges.
  • Supports the development of psychological flexibility.
  • Designed for easy integration into ACT sessions.

Key Benefits

Direction

Helps define values as directions not destinations, emphasizing ongoing commitment rather than endpoint achievement.

Awareness

Increases awareness of values as guiding principles influencing clients’ actions and decisions.

Engagement

Encourages clients’ active engagement in their therapeutic journey towards a valued life.

Insight

Provides insights into how avoiding pain contrasts with moving towards meaningful living.

Who is this for?

Depression

Moving towards what matters can create meaning and mitigate feelings of hopelessness.

Anxiety

Shifting focus from avoidance to proactive engagement with values.

Trauma

Provides tools for rebuilding a life grounded in core values post-trauma.

Growth

Beneficial for clients seeking clarity and direction in various aspects of life unrelated to specific diagnoses.

Integrating it into your practice

01

Explore

Start by exploring clients’ existing understanding of values.

02

Identify

Help clients identify areas in life where they wish to focus on values, such as relationships or personal growth.

03

Engage

Use exercises to engage clients in actions that move them toward their values.

04

Reflect

Encourage regular reflection on the alignment between daily actions and core values.

05

Adapt

Adjust therapeutic approaches based on continuing discussions about values.

06

Collaborate

Work collaboratively with clients to overcome barriers in pursuing their values.

07

Reinforce

Reinforce the concept that living aligned with values improves life satisfaction.

Theoretical Background & Therapist Guidance

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) emphasizes the importance of values as central to psychological wellbeing and behavioral change. In ACT, values are defined as freely chosen, verbally constructed life directions — ways of living that matter deeply to the individual (Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 2016). Unlike goals, which are finite and achievable, values are enduring qualities that can guide behavior across contexts and over time.

Living in alignment with one’s values enhances psychological flexibility, the core aim of ACT. Psychological flexibility refers to the ability to act effectively in the service of one’s values, even when faced with internal obstacles such as difficult thoughts, feelings, or memories (Hayes et al., 2006). This stands in contrast to experiential avoidance — the attempt to control or avoid distressing experiences — which has been linked to poorer mental health outcomes (Kashdan & Rottenberg, 2010).

By helping clients move toward what matters — rather than away from what hurts — this guide fosters sustainable therapeutic change grounded in values, not avoidance.

What's inside

  • Detailed descriptions and exercises to help clarify and connect with values.
  • Real-life examples illustrating the impact of values.
  • Exercises to identify and prioritize personal values.
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FAQs

Values describe qualities and directions for living that align with how clients want to act, bringing meaning and satisfaction to life.
Values are ongoing directional principles, while goals are specific achievements.
By emphasizing values, clients can shift focus from avoiding discomfort to pursuing meaningful life directions, which can reduce the impact of painful experiences.
Therapists can use this guide's exercises to help clients explore what is most important to them and how they wish to express these values.

How This Resource Improves Clinical Outcomes

By shifting focus from symptom alleviation to values-based living, this guide supports clients in achieving:

  • Increased well-being through alignment with core values.
  • Enhanced resilience in facing life's challenges.
  • Increased motivation and engagement in therapy.
  • A more fulfilling and meaningful life, as directed by personally determined values.

Clinicians Who Use This Resource Also Use

References And Further Reading

  • Harris, R. (2022). The happiness trap: How to stop struggling and start living. Shambhala Publications.
  • Hayes, S. C. (2005). Get out of your mind and into your life: The new acceptance and commitment therapy. New Harbinger Publications.
  • Oliver, J., Hill, J., & Morris, E. (2015). Activate your life: Using acceptance and mindfulness to build a life that is rich, fulfilling and fun. Robinson.
  • Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2016). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
  • LeJeune, J., & Luoma, J. B. (2019). Values in therapy: A clinician’s guide to helping clients explore values, increase psychological flexibility, and live a more meaningful life. New Harbinger Publications.
  • Luoma, J. B., Hayes, S. C., & Walser, R. D. (2007). Learning ACT: An acceptance & commitment therapy skills-training manual for therapists. New Harbinger Publications.
  • Miller, W. R., C’de Baca, J., Matthews, D. B., & Wilbourne, P . L. (2001). Personal values card sort. University of New Mexico.

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