Valued Living Questionnaire

What is a Valued Living Questionnaire?

Determining core values and personal belief systems can lead one to find a greater sense of purpose. Our values and beliefs shape our personal, professional, social, and life-oriented choices, allowing us to embrace knowledge, wisdom, and profound self-realization.

Values are nurtured through personal experiences, observational learning, and environmental influences, each playing a significant role in their formation. Moral values hold immense importance in maintaining our inner peace and equilibrium.

The (VLQ) is a self-report measure developed as part of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to assess the degree to which individuals live according to their values.

Created by Kelly Wilson and colleagues in 2002, the VLQ consists of 20 items that cover 10 domains of life. The questionnaire explores the importance of various areas, including family, relationships, work, education, recreation, spirituality, and physical self-care, among others.

The VLQ has good psychometric properties, exhibiting strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability. It is sensitive to changes occurring during psychotherapy and serves as a valuable tool for monitoring progress within the framework of ACT.

By completing the questionnaire, individuals gain insight into their value system and how well their actions align with their chosen values. This information helps guide therapeutic interventions and decision-making processes, empowering individuals to lead more purposeful and meaningful lives.

How does it work?

Valued living is considered an essential component for leading a happy and fulfilling life. Our Printable Valued Living Questionnaire can serve as a valuable resource to assist in identifying them.

Step 1: Familiarizing the Patient with the VLQ

As mentioned, there are ten domains covered in the VLQ, such as family, relationships, work, education, recreation, spirituality, citizenship, and physical self-care. Helping the patient familiarize themselves with each is a crucial step. Emphasize that each domain represents an important aspect of their life.

Step 2: Assessing the Importance of Each Domain

The patient has to rate the importance of each domain on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 indicating low importance and 10 indicating high importance. Make sure that you encourage them to reflect on their values and assign ratings accordingly.

Step 3: Gathering Data on the Patient's Consistency

According to their values within each domain over the past week, ask the patient to rate their current level of consistency in living. Use the same rating scale of 1 to 10, with 1 representing complete inconsistency and 10 representing complete consistency.

Step 4: Engaging in a Meaningful Discussion

Engage in a discussion to explore their responses after the patient completes the questionnaire. Have them reflect on any discrepancies between the importance and consistency ratings and delve into the reasons behind these inconsistencies.

Step 5: Aligning Goals with Values

Collaborate with the patients to set meaningful goals aligned with their values. Use the insights gained from the VLQ to guide the development of personalized therapeutic strategies and action plans.

When would you use this Template?

The Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) template is a great resource that can be used by therapists, counselors, life coaches, career counselors, wellness practitioners, and personal development professionals.

It is a valuable tool for understanding clients' values and priorities. By analyzing the completed questionnaire, practitioners gain insights into core values and can tailor treatment plans, guide goal-setting, career decisions, and wellness strategies, and support personal growth.

The VLQ template is appropriate whenever professionals aim to align actions with values, making it a valuable resource in therapy, counseling, life coaching, career counseling, wellness practices, and personal development.

Benefits

Facilitates Self-Reflection

Our Free Valued Living Questionnaire provides individuals with a structured framework to reflect on their values and priorities. It prompts deep introspection and encourages individuals to identify what truly matters to them in various domains of life.

Enhances Clarity and Focus

By completing the Valued Living Questionnaire, individuals gain a clearer understanding of their core values and the areas of life they want to prioritize. This clarity helps them make more informed decisions and focus their time and energy on activities aligned with their values.

Assists in Decision Making

When faced with choices or dilemmas, the Valued Living Questionnaire serves as a decision-making tool. It enables individuals to assess which option aligns better with their values, making it easier to make choices congruent with their authentic selves.

Supports Therapeutic Processes

Therapists and counselors can utilize the Valued Living Questionnaire as a therapeutic tool. It assists in assessing clients' values, understanding their life domains, and facilitating discussions around values-based interventions. The questionnaire can contribute to the therapeutic process and promote positive outcomes.

Increases Satisfaction and Fulfillment

Living in accordance with one's values is associated with increased life satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment. The Valued Living Questionnaire aids individuals in identifying and pursuing their most important values, ultimately leading to a more satisfying and meaningful life.

Research & Evidence

Kelly Wilson, PhD, and her colleagues developed the Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) in 2002. This was done as a component of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) program.

The VLQ has been the subject of substantial research, all of which have demonstrated, in a consistent manner, that it possesses desirable psychometric qualities. This comprises a high level of concept validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and so on. 

It is well recognized to be utilized in many research studies evaluating various therapeutic techniques, such as those based on mindfulness, ACT, and other psychological treatments. The construct validity of the VLQ assures that it accurately evaluates valued living, which was the primary goal of the instrument. 

These research investigations have repeatedly shown that the Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) is useful in assessing valued living and locating areas where there is a misalignment between values and behaviors. 

There has been a correlation established between the application of the VLQ in treatment and intervention programs and the achievement of favorable results. This demonstrates how powerful it is in directing individuals toward leading lives richer in purpose and guided by values.

References

Wilson, K. G., & Murrell, A. R. (2004). Values work in acceptance and commitment therapy: Setting a course for behavioral treatment. In S. C. Hayes, V. M. Follette, & M. M. Linehan (Eds.), Mindfulness and acceptance: Expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition (pp. 120-151). Guilford Press.

Wilson, K. G., Sandoz, E. K., Kitchens, J., & Roberts, M. (2010). The Valued Living Questionnaire: Defining and measuring valued action within a behavioral framework. The Psychological Record, 60(2), 249-272.

Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Luoma, J. B., Hayes, S. C., & Walser, R. D. (2007). Learning ACT: An acceptance and commitment therapy skills training manual for therapists. New Harbinger Publications.