Values Clarification: Assessment Questions

In this video, I’m going to talk to you about the idea of using exploratory questions to assess values. I’ve given you examples of how to describe values and goals. I’ve given you some examples of exercises and metaphors, talked to you about looking at pain as a way to identify values.

But you can also very specifically use carefully crafted questions as both an assessment and an intervention for values. Sometimes, we just think about questions as just a way of advancing the conversation in therapy. But I want to introduce the idea that they can be used specifically as an interventional assessment. So, the questions that I’m going to go over are an assessment in the sense of advancing your tailored case conceptualization for that individual. But they’re also an intervention in the sense of asking deep questions and actively listening in a way that can advance the relationship.

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

So here’s the first example: What would you do if what you’ve been struggling with related to your trauma history were no longer a problem for you? The aim of this question is to examine engagement in values-based activities, which may be prevented currently by avoidance.

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