ACT Values Compass: A Worksheet for Direction (Not Goals)

Values work is what makes ACT ACT. Done well, it gives the client a compass that survives setbacks. Done badly, it produces a list of goals dressed up as values.

Values vs goals

A value is a direction. A goal is a destination. "Being present with my kids" is a value. "Putting my phone away at dinner" is a goal that serves the value. The worksheet keeps these in separate columns on purpose.

The clinical test: can you live this every day, in small ways, forever? If yes, it is a value. If you can "finish" it, it is a goal.

The ten domains

Family, intimate relationships, parenting, friendships, work, education, recreation, spirituality, community, health. Rate each importance and currently living it on a 0–10. The gap is the work.

The gap column is the diagnostic. Domains with importance 9 and living 3 are where clients are bleeding meaning. Those are the targets.

How to introduce in session

Skip the lecture about values theory. Hand the worksheet over and walk the first two domains together. Once the client sees how the gap column works, they can fill out the rest at home.

Bring it back next session and look at the top three gaps. Pick one. Build one concrete committed action — small, repeatable, this week — that moves toward the value. That is the assignment.

Common failure modes

• Treating values as moral imperatives. Values are chosen directions, not externally-imposed shoulds.
• Picking values that belong to someone else. Parents, partners, culture. The clinical question: "Is this yours?"
• Confusing values with feelings. "Feeling loved" is a feeling; "being loving" is a value.
• Generating values lists without committed action. The values are inert until paired with concrete behavior.

Pairing with the choice point

For in-the-moment decisions, the choice point worksheet operationalizes values into a two-fork decision: away move (toward avoidance) or toward move (toward values). Pair the compass for the long view with the choice point for the daily one.

Free printable

Our values compass worksheet is a one-page version of the standard ACT 10-domain assessment. Pair with the choice point worksheet for in-the-moment decisions.

FAQ

How often should clients revisit the compass? Quarterly is the most common cadence. Gaps shift as life shifts.

What if a client says they have no values? Almost always means they have values they have given up on. Work backward from grief: what loss hurt the most? Underneath the grief is a value.

Is the values list culturally universal? The ten domains are broadly applicable but should be adapted. Some clients have a strong domain (lineage, ancestry, land) that the standard list omits.