The Role of Values in Mental Health: Why It Matters in Therapy

When most people think about therapy, they imagine working through anxiety, depression, trauma, or other distressing symptoms. While symptom relief is important, it’s not the only goal. Many people find that even when their symptoms lessen, they still feel stuck or unfulfilled.

This is where values-based therapy—often used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—comes in. It focuses on identifying and living in alignment with your core values, so your life reflects what truly matters to you.

SEO Caption: reflecting on personal values is important for growth, connection, and compassion

What Are Values?

Values are the qualities, principles, or ways of living that are most important to you. They aren’t the same as goals—goals can be completed and checked off a list, but values are ongoing directions that guide your life.

For example:

• Goal: Run a 5k race.

• Value: Prioritizing health and self-care.

Values act like a compass, helping you navigate decisions and stay grounded during challenges.

Why Values Matter in Mental Health

When you’re disconnected from your values, you may feel:

• Unmotivated or directionless

• Unfulfilled, even when “everything looks fine” on the outside

• Trapped in habits or routines that don’t reflect your true priorities

Aligning your actions with your values can:

• Increase motivation and resilience

• Reduce avoidance behaviors

• Provide a sense of meaning and purpose, even during hard times

Research shows that values clarification can improve emotional well-being and help people sustain positive change—especially when combined with mindfulness and acceptance skills.

How Values-Based Therapy Works

In ACT and other values-driven approaches, therapy may involve:

1. Clarifying Your Core Values

   1. Through guided exercises, you identify what truly matters to you in relationships, work, health, and personal growth.

2. Recognizing Unhelpful Patterns

   1. Noticing when fear, self-doubt, or perfectionism pulls you away from your values.

3. Taking Committed Action

   1. Making choices that align with your values, even if they feel uncomfortable in the short term.

4. Building Psychological Flexibility

   1. Learning to stay present and act according to your values—even when difficult thoughts or emotions arise.

Try This: Values Clarification Exercise

This simple exercise can help you begin identifying your values. Take a few minutes with a pen and paper (or your journal) and reflect on the questions below:

1. When have you felt most alive, fulfilled, or proud of yourself? Write down what you were doing, who you were with, and why it mattered to you.

2. If fear, money, or time weren’t obstacles, how would you spend your days? Look for patterns in your answers that point toward what matters most.

3. Who inspires you, and why? Often, the qualities we admire in others reflect values we hold ourselves.

4. Imagine you’re 80 years old, looking back on your life. What do you hope you stood for?

After answering, look for recurring themes—these may be your core values. Words like connection, learning, adventure, compassion, honesty, or creativity often emerge.

Tip: Your values aren’t “right” or “wrong,” and they can evolve over time. The goal is to know your current compass so you can live more intentionally.

An Example from Therapy

Imagine someone whose value is connection. Anxiety might tempt them to cancel social plans to avoid discomfort. In values-based therapy, they would learn skills to manage anxiety while still showing up for the relationships that matter to them. Over time, this consistent alignment with their values helps build confidence and meaning in life.

Why This Approach Is Powerful

Values-based therapy shifts the focus from “How can I get rid of my symptoms?” to “How can I live the life I want, even with my symptoms?” This change in perspective can be empowering and long-lasting.

It’s not about waiting for anxiety, sadness, or self-doubt to disappear before you start living—it’s about taking steps toward your values now.

Taking the Next Step

If you’re ready to move beyond symptom management and connect with what truly matters to you, values-based therapy can help.

You don’t have to wait for the “perfect” moment to live according to your values. The moment is now.