How Counselors-in-Training Can Navigate Value Disclosures

By Hana Shewamoltot Meshesha & Veronica Johnson

March 2025

Counselors today face significant challenges due to growing differences in social and environmental justice values. Value conflicts influence systemic policies that often silence marginalized voices, sometimes culminating in major protests and demonstrations.

At a macro level, such conflicts can lead to civil unrest and international wars, such as the conflicts between Israel and Hamas, Russia and Ukraine, and internal strife in Sudan and Ethiopia, as well as global climate change protests. In the U.S., policy shifts during and after the first Trump administration, including the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the passage of anti-LGBTQ+ laws, illustrate how systemic changes affect individuals on a micro level.

Counselors, like all members of society, form their values based on the prevailing social, environmental and contextual discussions. This often leads to a disconnect between the values held by counselors and those of their clients, which can affect client choice and the therapeutic relationship. In fact, political polarization has become a prominent factor in social justice advocacy, significantly impacting the well-being of both counselors and clients. As a result, discussing political issues in therapy sessions has become increasingly common. A study by Solomonov and Barber (2019) found that 87% of therapists reported discussing politics in therapy, with 63% making political self-disclosures during sessions. The study emphasized the importance of understanding therapist-client political differences in fostering therapeutic alliances.

Counselors-in-training must receive support and guidance as they navigate value-based self-disclosures and political discussions in clinical settings. Establishing a strong therapeutic alliance is crucial for collaborative goals and positive outcomes. The values held by both counselors and clients significantly influence this alliance.

Counselor education programs aim to teach strategies for managing value differences and activating points to develop strong working alliances. However, recent changes in political and social contexts have led to a trend of openly sharing values and perspectives in therapy, raising ethical considerations for value communication with clients.

To assist counselors-in-training in navigating these complexities, we presented several strategies at an education session at the Rocky Mountain Association for Counselor Education and Supervision regional conference in Whitefish, Montana, in September 2024.

We recommend the following strategies:

• Develop self-awareness. Counselors should assess their personal values outside the counseling room and reflect on how these values manifest in their work. Awareness of one’s values is crucial for determining whether and how to disclose them during sessions.
• Intentional value disclosure. Counselors must consider how their values might benefit clients. While disclosing similar values can strengthen the therapeutic alliance, this must be done intentionally and in adherence to the ethical principle of beneficence. Counselors should evaluate whether their advocacy within sessions truly benefits clients.
• Recognize activation points. Counselors should develop skills to identify triggers and grounding techniques to manage them during sessions. Understanding potential activation points through deep exploration of values and perspectives can help prevent unintended disclosures that may not serve the client’s interests.
• Embrace diversity. Counselors should differentiate between working with specific populations of interest and maintaining openness to clients with differing values. Identifying areas of specialization while being receptive to diverse value systems is essential.

Counselors often find themselves compelled to communicate their values regarding macro-level policy issues. When considering value disclosures with clients, however, beneficence should be the guiding principle. Counselors’ intentionality in sharing values helps ensure that their disclosures benefit clients rather than simply reflecting a desire for advocacy. By fostering self-awareness and developing skills for managing activating content, counselors can prioritize client welfare and equal access for all clients, regardless of differing perspectives.

Bio

Hana Shewamoltot Meshesha, PhD, LPC, LAC, is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling at Idaho State University. She has over 12 years of experience teaching in higher education in both an international and national context. She also has experience working with college-level clients and court-mandated clients with substance use disorders with diverse backgrounds.

Veronica Johnson, EdD, LCPC, is a professor and department chair in the Department of Counseling at the University of Montana. Her professional interests include professional ethics, intimate relationship development and maintenance, and forgiveness in interpersonal relationships.