ACT · Values

Goal–Value Alignment Audit

Every goal on your list should be serving a value you hold

therapistassist.app

A goal can be finished; a value can only be lived. This worksheet separates the two, then puts them back together — because goals without values become obligations, and values without goals stay abstract.

Value (a way of being)

Goal (a thing you can finish)

Being a present parent

Get home for dinner Mon–Thu

Caring for my body

Run a 10K in October

Craftsmanship in my work

Ship the redesign by Q3

Your turn

Value

Goal that serves it

Any goal on your current list that doesn't serve a value you hold?

Any value you hold that no goal is currently serving?

Option One

Get the Goal–Value Alignment Audit

Print-ready PDF. Instant download — no account needed. We email you a copy too.

Option Two

Or send it to your client

Every worksheet, plus 80 interactive tools your client opens on their phone. No app. No login.

Their response lands in your dashboard
Unlimited worksheet downloads

Start 7-day trial

$20/mo after · cancel in one click

About this worksheet

In ACT, values are directions you can live in (kindness, craftsmanship, curiosity); goals are landmarks you can reach (finish the book, run the 10K, hit the promotion). Goals without values become obligations; values without goals stay abstract. This audit puts them in one table. First a worked example (parenting value → home-for-dinner goal; body-care value → 10K goal; craftsmanship value → ship-the-redesign goal). Then the client's own — every current goal in the left column, the value it serves in the right. Two closing prompts do the surgical work: any goal on your list that doesn't serve a value you hold (obligation to drop), any value you hold that no goal is currently serving (the next action to add). Runs cleanly as a year-end review or a burnout-recovery reset.

When to use it

New-year reviews and quarterly resets.
Burnout recovery — obligations usually outnumber values.
Mid-life reorientation.
ACT committed-action planning after values clarification.
Career pivots — separates 'I should want this' from 'this serves what I actually value'.

How to use it

1
Fill in current goals first, values second
Working backwards from the goals surfaces obligations. Working forward from values gives an idealized list that doesn't match the client's actual week.
2
Watch for goals with no value underneath
These are obligations — someone else's goals in the client's calendar. Naming them is the intervention.
3
Watch for values with no goal
These are the next actions. Values without landmarks stay abstract and unlived.
4
Small edit, not full rewrite
The output is usually one or two goals to drop and one or two to add — not a life redesign.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from a values-vs-goals sort?+

A values-vs-goals sort teaches the distinction. This audit applies it to the client's actual current commitments and returns one or two concrete edits.

What if I can't name the value under a goal?+

That's diagnostic — the goal is probably an obligation. Try 'whose goal is this really' before assuming there's a hidden value.

Is this worksheet free?+

Yes. Free printable PDF. Sign in to send as a secure client link.