The Impact of Personal Values in Psychotherapy Practice

Dimensions of Human Values: Individual and Influential

Every individual has their unique understanding of what matters in life. This is based on what values we consider important and to what degree. Personal values function as core beliefs, which are inextricably tied to our emotional states. They influence where we focus our attention, shape our perceptions, and direct our decision-making, often without our conscious awareness.

For psychotherapists, understanding our values serves as a clarifying compass, while unexamined values create blindspots that limit clinical judgment and narrow our therapeutic lens. By bringing more conscious awareness to our personal values, we enhance our integrity and effectiveness in practice. This alignment isn’t just beneficial for clients and ourselves- it directly connects to our ethical obligation to provide competent care.

When Values Operate Unconsciously

When therapists fail to recognize their own values, they may impose values-based frameworks onto clients, whose own values may differ. This can manifest in micro-interactions that shape the therapeutic process in subtle but significant ways:

In our attention:

• A therapist with unexamined values may show less enthusiasm when a client discusses being a stay-at-home parent compared to when that same client discusses career goals

In our language choices:

• Describing a client’s parent as “involved” or “intrusive” depending on the therapist’s family values
• Labeling emotional expressions as “processing feelings,” “ruminating” or “having an outburst” depending on whether they align with the therapist’s regulation style

In our boundaries and session management:

• Consistently running overtime when working with clients who embody the therapist’s unacknowledged ideal traits

In our emotional validation patterns:

• More validating responses when clients express conventionally-accepted emotions (grief after death) rather than stigmatized ones (relief)

Impact on the Therapeutic Relationship

When therapists remain unaware of how their values influence sessions, clinical judgment can become compromised as they overlook, misinterpret, or discourage certain information. From the client’s perspective, they may experience pressure, misunderstanding, judgment, or a sense of being guided away from their own authentic needs and values-aligned actions. 

Therapists may find themselves in countertransference reactions of disproportionate frustration, disengagement, or over investment with particular clients. Ultimately, when values operate unconsciously, treatment effectiveness suffers- transforming what could be healing into misattunement and invalidation.

Practical Tools for Developing Values Awareness

When we are able to acknowledge the values that are operating beneath the surface, a new perspective is possible- one that is rooted in reflection, humility, and conscientious care. The awareness itself is a significant step.

Self-Reflection Practices:

Present Moment Awareness (5 minutes daily)

• When moments of judgment arise, label it as “judging” and return to observing the present moment
• When used consistently, this practice can help create more space between observation and values-driven evaluation

Create a Personal Values Statement

• Articulate your current values in a 1-2 page statement or bulleted list
• Deliberately consider where your values could potentially conflict with clients
• Revisit often and revise as needed

Family of Origin Values Mapping

• Create a chart with the following domains: work/achievement, emotions/expression, relationships, money, success/failure, health, body
• For each, reflect upon and journal about explicit/implicit messaging from your family of origin
• Which of these values have you taken on? Rejected? Changed?
• Consider how these show up in your clinical work

Session Review Reflection (end of session)

• Where did I spend the most time/energy?
• What did I reinforce or discourage, and why?

Values Reaction Journaling (end of session)

• Document therapy sessions when you felt positively or negatively moved
  • What specific client statement or behavior preempted my response? 
  • What personal value could be connected to my reaction? 
  • How might this reaction have influenced my interpretations or decisions?

Integration Into Professional Practice

Values awareness isn’t a one-time achievement but an ever-evolving conversation as we grow and change, personally and professionally. This work transforms not only our clinical approach but also the relationship we have with ourselves. As we become clearer and more attuned with our internal landscape of personal values, we create space for curiosity about our client’s unique worldviews. This curiosity, free from unconscious judgment, becomes the foundation for true therapeutic presence, allowing us to accompany our clients on their journeys with both ethical clarity and humble openness.

In a profession dedicated to understanding and healing, few endeavors are more fundamental than clarifying the lens through which we see. By committing to ongoing values reflection, we honor our ethical duties and the sacred trust placed in us.