Values clarification — identifying what matters most to you at the deepest level — is a cornerstone of ACT therapy for animal behavior and provides direction when animal behavior removes other navigational tools.
Why Values Matter for Animal Behavior
Animal Behavior often disconnects us from our values through avoidance, withdrawal, and reduced capacity. Reconnecting with values provides:
- Direction when animal behavior has eliminated other motivation
- Meaning that persists even through difficult animal behavior periods
- A basis for action independent of how animal behavior makes you feel
Clarifying Your Values with Animal Behavior
Ask yourself: 'If my animal behavior were less present, what would I be doing more of? What kind of person would I be?'
Values are not goals (achievable and done) but ongoing directions: being a present parent, creating beauty, contributing to others.
Values-Based Action in Animal Behavior
ACT therapy teaches: act according to values even when animal behavior is present. Small values-aligned actions, despite animal behavior, are more sustainable than waiting for animal behavior to lift first.