I just did a professional development day for a local school. They had me come to speak about anxiety and kids. Also, they wanted to grow their team’s connectivity, team work, and collective vision. I think it went really well. We went through a number of activities that took them from co-workers to having a vision for where they were and are going.

The first experiential activity I did with them is one I have done in several dozen locations. I learned it at a conference hosted by The Association for Experiential Education. I don’t remember the facilitator’s name, otherwise I’d let you know more about her work.

I have used this activity with families, clients in residential facilities, corporate groups, and in the classroom. It works in almost every setting because it is so versatile.

Here’s the Set-up

1. Prior to the event, you need to print off the list of values, I usually do it on card stock. CLICK HERE to get the Values Activity from Practice of the Practice

2. I usually cut them each into a square, which takes a while. You can also hand small groups a sheet of paper with scissors. I’ll talk more about how to use this to meet different clinical issues in groups in a minute.

Here is the list of values:

Abundance

Acceptance

Accessibility

Accountability

Accuracy

Achievement

Affluence

Amazement

Ambition

Approval

Art

Articulacy

Artistry

Assertiveness

Assurance

Awe

Balance

Beauty

Belonging

Benevolence

Bliss

Calmness

Camaraderie

Carefulness

Change

Cleverness

Community

Compassion

Competence

Competition

Connection

Consciousness

Conservation

Cooperation

Cordiality

Courtesy

Craftiness

Creativity

Decisiveness

Depth

Desire

Dignity

Diligence

Direction

Directness

Discipline

Discovery

Dreaming

Drive

Eagerness

Ease

Economy

Empathy

Encouragement

Endurance

Energy

Enjoyment

Entertainment

Enthusiasm

Environmentalism

Exhilaration

Expectancy

Exploration

Expressiveness

Extravagance

Faith

Family

Flexibility

Flow

Freedom

Friendliness

Friendship

Fun

Generosity

Gentility

Giving

Grace

Gratitude

Growth

Guidance

Happiness

Harmony

Health

Heart

Helpfulness

Honesty

Honor

Hopefulness

Humor

Imagination

Independence

Individuality

Industry

Influence

Ingenuity

Inquisitiveness

Insightfulness

Inspiration

Integrity

Intellect

Intelligence

Introspection

Introversion

Intuition

Intuitiveness

Joy

Justice

Keenness

Kindness

Knowledge

Leadership

Learning

Liberation

Liberty

Lightness

Liveliness

Logic

Longevity

Making a difference

Mastery

Maturity

Meaning

Meekness

Mellowness

Mindfulness

Modesty

Motivation

Mysteriousness

Nature

Neatness

Obedience

Open-mindedness

Openness

Optimism

Order

Originality

Outdoors

Partnership

Patience

Passion

Peace

Perceptiveness

Perfection

Perkiness

Perseverance

Persistence

Persuasiveness

Philanthropy

Piety

Playfulness

Pleasantness

Pleasure

Poise

Potency

Power

Practicality

Pragmatism

Precision

Preparedness

Presence

Pride

Privacy

Proactivity

Professionalism

Prosperity

Prudence

Punctuality

Purity

Rationality

Realism

Reason

Reasonableness

Recognition

Recreation

Refinement

Reflection

Relaxation

Reliability

Relief

Reputation

Respect

Responsibility

Rest

Restraint

Reverence

Richness

Rigor

Sacredness

Sacrifice

Sagacity

Saintliness

Sanguinity

Satisfaction

Science

Security

Self-control

Selflessness

Self-reliance

Self-respect

Sensitivity

Serenity

Service

Sharing

Significance

Silence

Silliness

Simplicity

Sincerity

Skillfulness

Solidarity

Solitude

Sophistication

Soundness

Speed

Spirit

Spirituality

Spontaneity

Spunk

Stability

Status

Stealth

Stillness

Strength

Structure

Success

Support

Supremacy

Surprise

Sympathy

Synergy

Teaching

Teamwork

Thankfulness

Timeliness

Traditionalism

Tranquility

Transcendence

Trust

Trustworthiness

Truth

Understanding

Uniqueness

Unity

Usefulness

Utility

Valor

Variety

Virtue

Vision

Vitality

Vivacity

Volunteering

Wealth

Willfulness

Willingness

Winning

Wisdom

Wonder

Worthiness

During the Group

If you have not cut out the values, give each individual or small group a sheet (depending on group size). Say, “Cut out the top five values on each sheet.”

Here are some set-ups I might say based on specific populations:

Family: “There are a number of things that make a family function. At your core as a family, you make decisions based on your values. Sometimes parents, kids, and others in the household have similar values, other times they are different. In front of you is a pile of over 200 values. I want each of you to pick your top five values for a family to be successful (you can insert any word here other words might be ‘loving’, ‘vibrant’, or ‘healthy’).”

“Now that you’ve completed that, I want you to work with your family to decide on what are the top ten values to be successful/loving/healthy (whatever word you picked earlier).”

“Now decide on the top three values.”

“Now decide on which one is the top value.”

With a residential group or classroom: “There are a number of things that make you successful here as a group and as an individual. At your core as a group, you make decisions based on your values and your reactions to other’s values. Sometimes others in this facility have similar values, other times they are different. In front of you is a pile of over 200 values. I want each of you to pick your top five values for a group to be successful (you can insert any word here other words might be ‘loving’, ‘vibrant’, or ‘healthy’).”

“Now that you’ve completed that, I want you to work with your group to decide on what are the top ten values to be successful/loving/healthy (whatever word you picked earlier).”

“Now decide on the top three values.”

“Now decide on which one is the top value.”

With a corporate group: “There are a number of things that make you successful in your company as a group and as an individual. At your core as a group, you make decisions based on your values and your reactions to other’s values in an effort to improve the company, bottom line, and your value to the company. Sometimes others in this team have similar values, other times they are different. In front of you is a pile of over 200 values. I want you to get with a partner and pick the top three values for a business to be successful (you can insert any word here other words might be ‘loving’, ‘vibrant’, or ‘healthy’).”

“Now that you’ve completed that, I want you to work with your group to decide on what are the top ten values to be successful/loving/healthy (whatever word you picked earlier).”

“Now decide on the top three values.”

“Now decide on which one is the top value.”

De-brief

With each group you’ll want to discuss:

1. How did you decide on these values?

2. What was your process? Was everyone heard?

3. Is this typical of your family, group, or business?

4. If these are your core values, what changes need to happen in your family, group, or organization to reflect these values?

Now What?

Following this, you’ll want to use these values as a way to de-brief all future activities. Did you reflect your values when you did this activity? This week, how did you reflect your core values?

The use of experiential activities with families, groups, and in corporate training can be effective and meaningful in a way that talk therapy can’t engage individuals, families, and corporations.

Joseph R. Sanok, MA, LLP, LPC, NCC is a licensed counselor and owner of Mental Wellness Counseling in Traverse City, MI. What have you learned from these podcasts? Will you comment below or email Joe? If you want to take your private practice to the next level, check out the elite e-newsletter subscription.

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