Course Description

While any effective psychological treatment considers and integrates patient values, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has explicitly incorporated identifying and clarifying values into the psychotherapy model. This functions to help individuals change their behavior in ways that align with what brings them meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. Values clarification is a powerful tool in not only helping patients to connect with who they are, but also in providing concrete strategies to help make changes that they themselves have defined as important to creating the lives they want to live.

This course provides practical instruction in the process of values clarification. This may be particularly useful with patients who struggle with the following:

  • Getting “unstuck” from unworkable patterns of behavior
  • Rule governed behaviors 
  • Avoidance
  • Feeling aimless or lost in their lives
  • Disconnection from a sense of meaning, purpose or fulfillment

While this course is rooted in an ACT framework, participants from all theoretical orientations can apply the knowledge presented in this course to their own work. Specific knowledge of ACT is not required.

Total running time 136 minutes. 2 Hours CE. Recorded Video Format (non-interactive). 

Content Advisory: To protect client confidentiality, case examples may include fictionalized elements.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Apply at least two psychoeducation tools to increase patient knowledge and understanding about the importance of values

  • Demonstrate at least three strategies (including visual aids and metaphors) to teach the effective use of values with patients

  • Describe at least two differences between values and committed actions

  • Apply at least two practical tools to clarify values and use these to shape patients towards using committed actions

Course Outline

1. Introduction to values

2. Why we lose contact with values

a. Experiential avoidance

b. Pain versus values

3. Values contact through clarification

a. Defining values

b. Defining values in session

c. Is that really a value?

d. Discussing versus imposing values

4. Using values to shape behavior

a. Committed actions

b. Workability

5. Valued actions as risk taking

6. Case examples

7. Values and expansion

References

Instructors

Nikki Rubin, PsyD, Licensed Psychologist

Nikki Rubin, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist (CA PSY30047; NY 019595) in private practice in Los Angeles, specializing in evidence-based therapies. She currently serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor within UCLA's clinical PhD program. She previously served as an adjunct professor and clinical supervisor at Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she helped lead a shift towards training and supervision in CBT.

Additional Information

Format and Length:

Recorded video format (non-interactive). Total running time 136 minutes. Progress is saved after each lesson section so you can complete the course in multiple sittings. Please note that if you leave the course in the middle of a video, quiz, or survey section you may be required to start that section from the beginning.

Topic Area:

Clinical practice

Instructional Level:

Intermediate. This course assumes significant familiarity and experience with evidence-based approaches to psychotherapy. Specific experience or familiarity with ACT is not required. 

Completion Requirements:

To obtain your CE certificate, you must progress through all course segments, complete a satisfaction survey, and obtain a score of 80% or higher on a course completion quiz. Learners are expected to complete the quiz within a reasonable number of attempts, and may be blocked from completing the course and receiving their certificate if unable to do so.

Completion Quiz and Course Evaluation:

After watching course videos, the course completion quiz will be available to complete, followed by the course evaluation.

Who Should Attend:

Psychologists, counselors, masters or doctoral level clinical social workers, and marriage and family therapists.

Publication and Review Dates:

Course Published: July 2, 2021 

Financial Support Statement:

SimplePractice pays course presenters for their teaching. There is no other financial support for this course.

Conflict of Interest Statement:

There is no potential conflict of interest or outside commercial support for this course.

Refund Policy:

Click here to see our policies on attendance, refunds, grievances, and accessibility, and other frequently asked questions. Click here to contact us or submit a grievance.

Contact Information:

For any inquiries related to subject matter guidance, correction, grading, comments, or problem resolution please contact us.

System Requirements:

Please ensure your device meets our system requirements.

Continuing Education Approvals:

SimplePractice is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. SimplePractice maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course provides 2 hours of continuing education (2 CE credits) for psychologists.

SimplePractice has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6961. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. SimplePractice is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

SimplePractice has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6961. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. SimplePractice is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

SimplePractice, #1749, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Simple Practice maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 07/06/2021 – 07/06/2024. Social workers participating in this course will receive 2 continuing education credits in the Clinical topic area.

SimplePractice is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LPCCs, LCSWs, and LEPs (CAMFT CEPA provider #145276). SimplePractice maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course meets the qualifications for 2 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. 

SimplePractice is approved as a Rule/Statute Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling. Note that we do not automatically report CE completion to CE Broker at this time, so certificates of completion must be manually uploaded. Click here for more information.

SimplePractice LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0582.

SimplePractice LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0030.

SimplePractice LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0091.

SimplePractice LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0206.

This course is not part of our continuing education program approved through NAADAC. Click here to view our complete CE approval information, or check out our collection of NAADAC approved courses.