Challenge, focus, inspiration and support: Processes of values clarification and congruence

Fitzpatrick, Marilyn; Henson, Alisha; Grumet, Robin; Poolokasingham, Gauthamie; Foa, Clare L.; Comeau, Thea; Prendergast, Claire Nicole

doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2016.02.001

Cited by 15 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Values differ from goals in that they are pursued throughout life rather than obtained, and additionally, provide meaning and guided purpose for the things we do. Most often, values that are identified are related to career and relationships (Fitzpatrick et al 2016 ), which is in line with stressors identified by frontline professionals. When working with clients who are essential workers, this could involve having clients elaborate on why they chose their career, and refocus their goals on working in a field that can serve others and potentially save a life.…”

Section: Intervention Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 69%

CBT-Informed Interventions for Essential Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Benhamou

Piedra

2020

J Contemp Psychother

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Essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic face heightened levels of anxiety and depression due to increased work demands, lack of adequate personal protective equipment, fear of contracting the virus, and fear of spreading it to loved ones. This is a time of urgent need for mental health support for workers affected by the pandemic crisis. Clinicians may employ empirically supported interventions derived from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and related therapies. Psychological First Aid, an evidence-based crisis intervention, may be utilized to emphasize basic needs and support, but is intended as an acute disaster intervention. Given that a pandemic is an ongoing and prolonged stressor, additional CBT-informed interventions are likely needed to fully support essential workers during these times. It is recommended that clinicians help essential worker clients meet their basic needs by modifying health and sleep habits where possible and helping them advocate for their needs using interpersonal effectiveness skills. Empathic listening, validation of the crisis at hand, and values clarification can aid the therapeutic relationship, help them feel a renewed sense of purpose and meaning in their careers and with their families, and facilitate behavior change consistent with chosen values. Self-monitoring through a daily diary can help clients focus their thoughts and recognize maladaptive patterns in their thoughts and behaviors. In tandem with these techniques, behavioral activation and coping strategies including relaxation, distress tolerance, and acceptance promote engaging in positive and adaptive activities. Finally, therapists can help clients reduce anxiety related to the pandemic by helping them limit information intake.

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Section: Intervention Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 69%

CBT-Informed Interventions for Essential Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Benhamou

Piedra

2020

J Contemp Psychother

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“…Administering values-based assessment approaches and/or utilizing motivational interviewing techniques are likely to be useful tools in this process [ 35 , 36 ]. For example, treatment providers can assist people to connect with and operationalise their values by facilitating a step by step process initially utilising a structured values assessment measure [ 36 ]. Following the identification of values, strategies can be implemented to develop congruence between values and behaviour also known as committed action [ 37 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following the identification of values, strategies can be implemented to develop congruence between values and behaviour also known as committed action [ 37 ]. In support of this process, clients can be helped to set short and longer-term value-congruent goals, develop and implement action plans in service of those goals which can be monitored overtime [ 36 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The extent to which we could assess people’s values was limited to the method of assessment utilised, namely the Personal Values Questionnaire [ 13 ] which operationalises values by organising them into life domains typically valued by people. Future research could usefully utilise an alternative assessment tool, such as Schwartz’s Value Survey (SVS [ 8 ]) which would extend upon our findings examining qualitatively different aspects of people’s values according to Schwartz’s theory on values [ 36 ]. For example, the SVS assesses the importance people ascribe to value items as life-guiding principles such as achievement (success, capability, ambition, influence on people and events) and benevolence (helpfulness, honesty, forgiveness, loyalty, responsibility).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An exploration of values among consumers seeking treatment for borderline personality disorder

Mohi

Deane

Bailey

et al. 2018

bord personal disord emot dysregul

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BackgroundConsumer feedback identifies a new challenge in the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is to address the discrepancy between clinical treatment targets and the more personally meaningful goals people are seeking in treatment. This highlights the need to increase clarification of people’s values and link these to therapy goals. The current study explores ways in which individuals with BPD identify with values across key life domains.MethodsAt initial assessment 106 consumer participants attending an outpatient clinic for the treatment of BPD completed the Personal Values Questionnaire by Blackledge and colleagues. This 90-item measure asks participants to respond to different value appraisals such as importance, commitment, desire to improve, success and, motivation across nine life domains. These included: relationships, health & wellbeing, education & personal development, work & career, spirituality, recreation & leisure, and community involvement.ResultsA consistent pattern of value appraisals was found across all life domains. Specifically, life domains were endorsed as highly important but participants reported significantly lower levels of value commitment, desire to improve and success. Successful value pursuit also related differentially to value motivations (internal vs. external) depending on the particular life domain. Relationships with family, friends and romantic partners, as well as health & wellbeing were most important compared to other life domains.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that people with BPD identify with values and prioritise different life domains in terms of importance. Our results show discrepancies between higher importance and lower commitment, desire to improve and success at living in line with what is valued. Identification of such discrepancies provides opportunities to more effectively support consumers with BPD to prioritise goals that are consistent with valued domains. These findings offer new insights for cultivating the personal meaning consumers are currently seeking in BPD treatments.

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“…Committed actions refer to those patterns of action that are developed within the values framework (Dahl, 2015, p. 44). ACT creates a distinction between values, overarching concepts that direct behavior, and goals, specific objectives that require certain behaviors that can be successfully fulfilled or completed; goals can be considered an intermediary between one's values and committed actions (Fitzpatrick et al, 2016). Within the ACT therapeutic environment, individuals are engaged in exercises that are designed to clarify common qualities or characteristics of behaviors and events that are meaningful or important to him or her (his or her values), and first identifying behaviors that are consistent with these values, then engaging in these behaviors that contact reinforcers in the individual's natural environment (Dahl, 2015).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Randomized Control Trial to Evaluate the Use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to Increase Academic Performance and Psychological Flexibility in Graduate Students

Paliliunas

Belisle

Dixon

2018

Behav Analysis Practice

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Graduate students experience high levels of demand in their degree programs, which often results in difficulty maintaining their academic performance and managing their distress. The present study examined the effectiveness of a 6-week values clarification and committed action training program derived from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to increase academic performance and psychological flexibility of graduate students in a behavior analysis and therapy program by comparing a Values intervention group to a Study Tips active treatment control group on measures of academic performance, psychological flexibility, values-driven behavior, and stress. The results suggest that the Values group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in academic performance (t (32) = 1.902, p < 0.05), psychological flexibility (t (32) = 1.895, p < .05), and ratings of the importance of education-related values (t (32) = 2.013, p < .05) compared to the control group, and nonsignificant improvements in reports of consistency with education-related values (t (32) = 0.7204, p > .05) and perceived stress (t (32) = 1.521, p > .05). The Values group also demonstrated a higher score for social validity than the control group following the intervention (t (32) = 2.449, p < .05). Keywords Values clarification. Randomized controlled trial. Graduate students. Psychological flexibility In 2015, there were 2.9 million students enrolled in graduate degree programs in the USA, and within the next 10 years, that number is expected to increase by as much as 12 % (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). While the number of students enrolling in graduate studies is increasing, attrition is a common problem among this population, with varying rates of program completion among programs in different areas of study. For example, attrition in master's and doctorate level psychology-related programs can be as high as 10% of students (Michalski, Cope, & Fowler, 2016). Graduate students' failure to complete their degree programs may be related to the high demands they experience, which can result in various academic and psychological problems.

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Challenge, focus, inspiration and support: Processes of values clarification and congruence

Cited by 15 publications

References 41 publications

CBT-Informed Interventions for Essential Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

CBT-Informed Interventions for Essential Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

An exploration of values among consumers seeking treatment for borderline personality disorder

A Randomized Control Trial to Evaluate the Use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to Increase Academic Performance and Psychological Flexibility in Graduate Students

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