Values in Therapy is a powerful and practical guide for any therapist—chock-full of insight and tools to conceptualize, integrate, and effectively apply values work in-session. With an emphasis on cultivating meaning and vitality in client lives, the values component of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is what draws many clinicians to the treatment model. Yet, until now, there have been no practical guides available on values-based practice written from an ACT perspective. And while values work may appear deceptively simple, it’s often difficult to effectively carry out in practice. That’s where this comprehensive guide comes in. Values in Therapy emphasizes the facilitation of specific qualities inherent in effective values conversations, such as vitality, choice, present-focused awareness, and willing vulnerability. This book will help you move away from basic techniques and exercises and toward the nuance and skills you need to do effective values work. You’ll also learn how to use these tools, with detailed scripts for in-session exercises, handouts for clients, homework ideas, assessment and tracking tools, case examples, practical vignettes, and more. Whether you’re an ACT clinician, or simply looking to incorporate values-based work into your treatment, this essential guide provides everything you need to help clients connect with what really matters to them, so they can live full and meaningful lives.

In Psychotherapy Is Worth It: A Comprehensive Review of Its Cost-Effectiveness, edited by Susan G. Lazar, M.D., and co-authored with members of the Committee on Psychotherapy of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, surveys the medical, psychiatric and psychological literature from 1984 to 2007 that is relevant to the cost-effectiveness of all kinds of psychotherapy. The volume explores the cost of providing psychotherapy in relation to its impact both on health and on the costs to society of psychiatric illness and related conditions. Written for psychotherapists, psychiatric benefit providers, policy makers, and others interested in the cost-effectiveness of providing psychotherapeutic treatments, this book analyzes the burden of mental illness, particularly in the United States, and the enormous associated costs to society that constitute a chronic, insufficiently recognized crisis in the health of our nation. The authors point out that in the United States nearly 30% of the population over the age of 18 has a diagnosable psychiatric disorder and yet only about 33% of those treated receive minimally adequate care. In fact, most people with mental disorders in the United States remain untreated or poorly treated, leading to loss in productivity, higher rates of absenteeism, increased costs, morbidity and mortality from medical illnesses, and loss of life through suicide. This book provides a systematic and comprehensive review of 25 years of medical literature on the cost-effectiveness of psychotherapy and discusses the: Epidemiology of mental illness, including prevalence and treatment rates Misconceptions and stigmas associated with psychiatric illness and the provision of psychotherapy and how they affect those most in need of care Cost-effectiveness of psychotherapy for the major psychiatric disorders as well as savings that psychotherapy can yield in increased health, work productivity, lives saved, and medical and hospital related costs For instance, in a review of 18 studies conducted from 1984 to 1994, psychotherapy was found to be cost-effective in treating patients with severe disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder, and led to improved work functioning and decreased hospitalization. Likewise, studies point to the enhancement of outcomes when psychotherapy is used in conjunction with medical therapies in the treatment of cancer, heart disease, and other prevalent, chronic diseases. Psychotherapy Is Worth It: A Comprehensive Review of Its Cost-Effectiveness concludes that studies confirm psychotherapy works for many conditions, is cost-effective, and is not over-used by those persons not truly in need. A treatment that is cost-effective is not "cheap"; rather, it can provide effective medical help at a cost acceptable to society, in comparison both to other effective treatments for the same condition and to medical treatments for other classes of mental disorder.

Ethics and Values in Psychotherapy is an examination of the role of the therapist as ethicist and the ways in which the ethical convictions of both therapist and client contribute to the practical process of psychotherapy. As Psychotherapy strives to establish itself as a 'Profession', practitioners are increasinly focusing on the issue of ethics as they attempt to agree on guidelines and standards for professional practice. Alan Tjeltveit argues that any discussion of professional and ethical practice in psychotherapy is inadequate if carried out in ignorance of or in isolation from traditional ethical theories. He applies this approach to issues such as: * the role of therapy in society * the goals and outcomes of psychotherapy * techniques and practices * the existence and operation of values * the intellectual and social context in which therapy takes place. In the second part of the book, he uses clinical examples and case studies to relate this theoretical discussion to clinical practice. Ethics and Values in Psychotherapy will be welcomed by the growing number of experienced Psychotherapists and post-graduate students who are interested in the increasingly contentious issue of professional ethics.

Valuing is central to acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), yet few therapists truly understand how to engage clients in this complex process. Questions such as What is the purpose of my life? and How do I make decisions? are difficult to answer honestly for ourselves, let alone share with another person. The Art and Science of Valuing in Psychotherapy is the mental health practitioner's complete guide to helping clients identify their values and apply them to their lives in practical ways. You will also learn to establish your own values as a professional, which may shift from client to client, and act in accordance with these values in therapy. The book provides you with practical tools for conducting values work, including easy-to-understand metaphors, defusion exercises, guided imagery exercises, scripts for role play, client worksheets, assessment quizzes, and more. Once you've mastered the art and science of valuing, you'll find out just how broad the applications for values work can be for conceptualization and interventions in the workplace, in organizations, and on the community level, and discover how effective values work can be for tapping into your clients' capacity for change. [The Art and Science of Valuing in Psychotherapy] will illuminate how a focus on values can inform every aspect of psychotherapy, from case conceptualization to the therapeutic relationship. At once accessible and profound... highly recommended. -Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., University of Nevada Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno

This text is an attempt to stimulate and support therapists' efforts to take care of themselves, to understand and maintain commitment. Such reflection, it argues helps therapists to be active and receptive.

An in-depth look at a much misunderstood practice, offering a fresh viewpoint on how this science can be a universally effective route to our better selves.

Originally published: Roleplaying in psychotherapy. Chicago: Aldine, c1966, in series: Modern applications of psychology.