Therapists’ Values in Behavior-Analytic Therapy

Abstract

Since the 1950s, it has been argued that, to some extent, therapists do not remain value-free in psychotherapy
and may even influence clients’ values. Behavior-analytic therapy is no exception to this rule, even though its concept of
values differs from traditional views. This work demonstrates how therapists can reveal their values during behavior-analytic
therapy, whether these values are personal or shared with a particular culture (e.g., society as a whole, psychology, behavior
analysis). To this purpose, it reviews how values have been conceptualized in behavior analysis and discusses what makes it
possible for therapists to disclose their values during behavior-analytic therapy. At the end, some implications of this issue
for clinical practice are briefly discussed.