Values are intrinsic to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as they represent what’s important to a person. It can include different aspects such as maintaining healthy relationships, being part of a group or a community, serving as a positive influence on others, and striving for meaningful achievements. Recognizing one's values helps with identifying their priorities whether for their short-term or long-term goals.
The DBT Values And Priorities Worksheet is an interactive resource where clients can place a checkmark next to the values or priorities that resonate with them, as well as add any additional ones they feel are important. They are also encouraged to write examples of ways they can implement each value.
Use this activity to motivate kids and teens to take an active role in shaping their lives based on their values and behave in ways that feel authentic to them. After answering the worksheet, have a group discussion or sharing session where each child talks about their top value or priority and action plan.
Values and priorities are key aspects of accumulating positive emotions, which is the “A” in the DBT “ABC” skills. Thus, this worksheet pairs well with our DBT Accumulate Positive Emotions handout, and also with our Accumulate Positive Emotions Long-Term Worksheet.
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References:
- Faßbinder, E., Schweiger, U., Martius, D., Wilde, O. B., & Arntz, A. (2016b). Emotion regulation in schema therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01373
- Grégoire, S., Doucerain, M. M., Morin, L., & Finkelstein‐Fox, L. (2021). The relationship between value-based actions, psychological distress and well-being: A multilevel diary study. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 20, 79–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2021.03.006
