Client values play a central and fundamental role in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for anxiety disorders. Unlike traditional approaches that primarily focus on reducing or controlling anxiety, ACT emphasises living a life that is rich, full, and meaningful, guided by what is truly important to the client.
Here are some key ways in which client values are integral to ACT for anxiety:
- Values as Motivation for Change: Identifying and clarifying one’s core values provides clients with a powerful motivation to engage in the often challenging work of therapy, including accepting unwanted anxious thoughts and feelings and taking action in their lives. Without a sense of purpose or meaning rooted in their values, clients may lack the willingness to confront their anxiety. ACT helps clients connect with what really matters to them to give them a reason to become more psychologically flexible.
- Values as a Compass for Action: Values act like compass headings, giving clients a sense of direction in their lives. They guide clients towards what they want their life to stand for and help them make decisions about how to act, even when anxiety is present. ACT therapy encourages clients to orient their actions towards these valued directions rather than being driven by avoidance of anxiety. A key question ACT therapists might ask is, “In what valued direction are your feet currently taking you?”.
- Values as a Foundation for Acceptance: Knowing what is deeply important to them makes clients more willing to experience unpleasant thoughts and feelings, including anxiety, if those experiences arise while moving towards their values. ACT’s goal is not to get rid of anxiety first and then act, but to help clients create a life worth living even with anxiety. Clients are asked, “Would you rather suffer with anxiety and have a meaningless life, or have a meaningful life that just happens to also have anxiety in it?”.
- Values in Committed Action: Commitment to action aligned with values is a core component of ACT. ACT helps clients bridge the gap between what they value and what they actually do. Values are ultimately defined by actions, not just by what clients say is important. Therapy involves helping clients set small, achievable goals that are consistent with their values and taking steps towards them.
- Values in Exposure Therapy: While ACT may incorporate exposure-like exercises, they are always framed within the context of value-guided action. The primary goal is not to reduce anxiety through extinction, but to help clients engage in valued activities even when anxious. These exercises are seen as opportunities to enrich living (FEEL exercises) and move towards what matters. Therapists should always link exposure exercises to a client’s values and goals.
- Values Versus Anxiety Control: ACT shifts the focus away from struggling to control anxiety and towards living in accordance with values. Attempting to control anxiety is often seen as part of the problem, leading to experiential avoidance and a restricted life. ACT reframes therapy to focus on a life lived well, not living to feel well.
- Assessing and Clarifying Values: ACT places a strong emphasis on assessing and clarifying client values throughout therapy. This often involves specific exercises and discussions to help clients identify what is truly important to them in various life domains. Therapists help clients to distinguish between values (a direction) and goals (an outcome).
- Values as a Measure of Progress: Progress in ACT is not solely measured by a reduction in anxiety symptoms but also by the degree to which clients are taking actions that are consistent with their values and creating a more meaningful life.
In essence, client values are the driving force and guiding principle in ACT for anxiety. They provide the “why” behind the willingness to experience difficult emotions and the motivation to take action, ultimately leading to a richer and more fulfilling life, even in the presence of anxiety.