Values Clarification for PTSD: Pliance, Priorities, and Pain

So, for some people, starting the conversation about values in a direct way can go really smoothly. You can describe the process, perhaps give the compass metaphor, and maybe they’re ready and they know what’s important to them. But with trauma survivors oftentimes, there can be more challenges than that. So, I’m going to talk to you now about some common difficulties that therapists may encounter when they’re working with values clarification in the context of posttraumatic stress disorder or other posttraumatic problems in living.

Orsillo, S. M., & Batten, S. V. (2005). Acceptance and commitment therapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. Behavior Modification, 29(1), 95–129.,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.

And so with certain clients, for example, one challenge that you might find is that you need to watch the process carefully to make sure that the client isn’t overintellectualizing values to the extent that the heart of the process is being lost. So, if you have a client who is highly verbal and seems more focused on providing the exact, technically perfect description of his values, that can be an opportunity to notice the process and maybe point out that the idea isn’t to get the exact, perfectly written description. The idea is to get a description on paper that speaks to the person and helps orient them and remind them what’s important.

Orsillo, S. M., & Batten, S. V. (2005). Acceptance and commitment therapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. Behavior Modification, 29(1), 95–129.,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.