- Understand values and their value in therapy
- Know the clinical benefits of values work
- Identify a range of tools that are useful for assessing values and values-congruence
- Implement research-based strategies to help clients live in congruence with values
Working with your patients’ values to increase change in psychotherapy
Prof. Marilyn Fitzpatrick, Psychologist
Master evidence-based values assessment and activation strategies to reduce client anxiety, resolve relationship conflicts, and increase meaningful action.
Overview
Symptom reduction contains a paradox: clients who identify and act on personal values often experience greater relief than those who focus primarily on eliminating distress. Values work addresses what matters most while simultaneously reducing what troubles most. But values remain largely tacit, easily overlooked, and frequently in conflict with environmental demands or relational patterns.
In this course, you will learn to integrate values-based interventions into your therapeutic practice, regardless of your theoretical orientation. You will work with evidence-based assessment tools and activation strategies drawn from ACT, humanistic psychology, and social psychology research.
You will learn to use five validated assessment instruments to help clients identify core values. You will discover how to activate values through three distinct pathways: rational elaboration, inspirational emotion, and automatic priming. You will implement strategies to address values conflicts in workplace settings, bicultural identity, and intimate relationships. You will apply values work to reduce anxiety, counter rumination, and move clients from avoidance to meaningful action.
The course presents clinical strategies through case examples addressing common therapeutic challenges. You will see how affirming values buffers stress responses during difficult life circumstances. You will learn how person-environment fit explains workplace dissatisfaction and guides intervention choices. You will discover how mapping partner values using the Schwartz circumplex reduces relationship conflict without requiring value change. You will explore how increasing values-consistent behavior precedes symptom reduction in generalized anxiety disorder.
You will leave equipped to recognize when values work serves your clients best. You will hold concrete tools for clarifying what clients prize most. You will understand how to help clients act on values even when emotion, cognition, or context create obstacles. The framework applies equally to individual therapy, couples work, and your own professional grounding when working with challenging clients.
- 5h of continuing education
- 26 lessons that last from 5 to 15 minutes each
- 1 certificate of achievement
- 1 PowerPoint
- 1 bibliography
- 1 course evaluation
- 7-day money back guarantee
- Unlimited access
- 97% of participants who completed the satisfaction survey declare they would recommend this course to a colleague
Accreditation
Ordre des Psychologues du Québec
Canadian Psychological Association
Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association
Collège des médecins du Québec
For physicians who practice psychotherapy, training recognized by the Ordre des psychologues du Québec is automatically considered as activities adopted by the Collège des médecins, in accordance with Article 3 of the Regulation.
For physicians who do not practice psychotherapy, the College evaluates each recognition request based on the following criteria:
- the relevance of the activity to the practice of the profession
- the skills and experience of the trainer
- the quality of the content and its adequacy with the physician's practice
- the pedagogical framework of the activity
- the quality of the documentation provided
- compliance with the training objectives set out in the regulation
- the presence of a certificate of participation or an evaluation
About the expert
Prof. Marilyn Fitzpatrick is Professor Emerita at McGill University, where she directed the Counselling Psychology Program and established an influential research program on therapeutic processes, with particular focus on the role of values in psychotherapy outcomes.
With over 30 years of clinical practice as a registered psychologist, Prof. Fitzpatrick has specialized in helping clients use values clarification and values-based action to address anxiety disorders, depression, and relationship difficulties. Her research has contributed to the evidence base demonstrating how values work reduces psychological distress and increases life satisfaction across diverse clinical populations.
Prof. Fitzpatrick's work bridges academic rigor and clinical application. She has trained numerous counselling psychology graduates in integrating values-based interventions into practice, and her research on values as therapeutic mechanisms has informed treatment protocols for generalized anxiety disorder and relationship conflict. Her current writing projects focus on making values-based approaches accessible to both clinicians and the general public, translating complex research findings into practical strategies for creating lives of meaning and purpose.
She brings both empirical expertise and extensive clinical experience to teaching professionals how to implement values work effectively across theoretical orientations and clinical presentations.
Learning objectives
Learning material
A theoretical course illustrated with clinical examples. This course is composed of videos of 5 to 15 minutes each. The PowerPoint of the course to download.
Syllabus
- PowerPoint
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Objectives
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A therapy-relevant definition of values
- 3. The definition of values
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Why focus on values in psychotherapy
- 4. Why focus on values in psychotherapy
- 5. Presenting the Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
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The case of Shauna: using values to cope with adversity
- 6. The case of Shauna
- 7. Tools to identify values
- 8. Naming and affirming values
- 9. Person-environment fit
- 10. Values and anxiety
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The case of Jarret: using reason and inspiration to promote values congruent behaviour
- 11. The case of Jaret
- 12. Identifying domains for action
- 13. Using reasoning in values
- 14. Accessing the inspirational qualities of values
- 15. Conclusions on the Jaret case
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The case of Anya and Lucas: using values to reduce conflict in relationships
- 16. The case of Anya and Lucas
- 17. Value cards and the circumplex
- 18. Recognizing the worth of values
- 19. Values instantiations
- 20. Values conflicts
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The case of Eden: developing under-used caring values
- 21. The case of Eden
- 22. Self-transcendent values and well-being
- 23. Value priming
- 24. Finding meaning
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Caring values in social media
- 25. The -normal- heroes
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Summary of processes for working with values in psychotherapy & troubleshooting values block
- 26. Conclusion
- Bibliography
CE Credits
Download a certificate of successful completion.
Audience
This training is intended for mental health professionals.
Your comments
"The trainer's communication and popularization skills were very helpful in stimulating my interest in the subjects covered in the training, as well as facilitating my understanding of the research results presented.
The clinical examples were well-chosen and supported by concrete courses of action and evidence-based data.
The presentation was well structured, fluid and engaging.
I would be very interested in taking further training from this trainer on related topics. Many thanks!" (automatically translated)
A psychotherapist (Canada)
"The course was very well taught and I like the fact that concepts were backed up by research and case presentations. I would be very interested in taking more courses by Marilyn in the future."
A psychologist (Canada)
Registration
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Frequently asked questions
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Is there an evaluation at the end of the course?
To validate the achievement of the learning objectives, a final evaluation in the form of true/false questions is required. It must be completed in order to obtain the certificate of completion.
In addition, an optional self-assessment is offered at the beginning and end of the course, allowing you to measure your progress on the targeted skills.
These evaluations are not graded and are intended primarily to support your professional reflection.
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I have a disability. Can I receive specific support?
Yes! This training is offered as a pre-recorded video format, without subtitles. If you have a disability, we can provide an adapted alternative (technical assistance for viewing or individual supervision). For any request, please contact our disability coordinator at the following address: contact@asadis.net
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How long do I have access to the course?
After your registration, the course is accessible anytime and from anywhere with unlimited access.
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When does the course start?
That is entirely up to you! When you buy a course, you'll receive an access link that you can activate when you want.
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Is there a student rate?
Yes there is! To learn more, email us at contact@asadis.net.
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Legal notice
The courses offered by ASADIS are accredited by different professional organisations. In addition, ASADIS is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. ASADIS maintains responsibility for the program.
The CPA’s approval of an individual, group, or organization as a CE Sponsor or Provider is restricted to the activities described in the approved application or annual report form. The CPA’s approval does not extend to any other CE activity the Sponsor or Provider might offer. In granting its approval, the CPA assumes no legal or financial obligations to Sponsors, Providers, or to those individuals who might participate in a Sponsor or Provider’s CE activities or programs. Further, responsibility for the content, provision, and delivery of any CE activity approved by the CPA remains that of the CE Sponsor or Provider. The CPA disclaims all legal liability associated with the content, provision, and delivery of the approved CE activity.