Working with your patients’ values to increase change in psychotherapy

In this course, Dr. Marilyn Fitzpatrick, Professor Emerita, McGill University draws on insights across psychological disciplines to address the when, why, and how of values work in therapy. Values clarification and committing to values-based living have a long history in humanistic theory and in philosophy. In the research realm, values have been extensively studied by social psychologists, by organizational psychologists and by vocational psychologists and are becoming more prominent in psychotherapy research. Commitment to values-based action is also a core element of ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. Studies indicate that values-congruent living relates positively to a range of valued outcomes including decreases in depression and anxiety and increases in subjective well-being and life satisfaction.

This course presents a therapy-relevant definition of values and highlights the importance of helping clients find workable personal values. Using case material as a base, Marilyn introduces a range of instruments to assess values and shows how to use them therapeutically to clients clarify the values that they prize most. Relevant research Illuminates the case material. Marilyn highlights a range of clinical strategies that were used in the cases, as well as strategies that might be used in similar situations. The strategies focus on ideas about how to integrate values work into your practice regardless of your theoretical orientation. The seminar addresses common clinical dilemmas. How do I help clients recognize situations where values can be key to change? How can I inspire clients draw on values as the foundation for action? How do I help clients recognize and address values conflicts? What strategies are effective for motivating clients to consult their values instead of ruminating on decisions? Marilyn will answer these questions and more beginning with the research base and elaborating it with case examples. She will focus attention on the special role of intrinsic or caring values for client well-being. You will leave the course with an evidence-based understanding of values work and a range of strategies to use to help clients reduce distress and live more meaningful lives.