ACT · Values
Values Worksheet
Six life domains, what matters there, one aligned action
About this worksheet
A values worksheet is the centerpiece of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Values are not goals — goals are destinations you reach and stop; values are directions you keep walking in. A client can finish 'get the promotion' but can never finish 'being a generous person.' The worksheet asks the client to name their values across the standard life domains (relationships, work, health, learning, leisure, community, self-care), rate how important each is, then rate how consistently they're actually living it. The gap is where the therapy happens. This is also the single best antidote to depression-driven anhedonia: when 'what do you want?' draws a blank, 'who do you want to be?' usually doesn't. Pair the worksheet with the choice point or a committed-action plan so naming values translates into the next small behavior. Use early in ACT, in motivational interviewing to build discrepancy, and any time a client is stuck on what to do next.
When to use it
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy case formulation and early sessions.
- Motivational interviewing — surface the discrepancy between values and current behavior.
- Depression, burnout, anhedonia — when 'what do I want?' is blank, values usually aren't.
- Recovery work — anchor sobriety in a value, not in willpower.
- Major life transitions: career change, divorce, retirement, post-diagnosis.
How to use it
- 1Read the domain list
Don't rank yet. Just notice which domains feel alive and which feel hollow.
- 2Name the value in each domain
One to three words. 'Connection,' 'craft,' 'courage,' 'integrity.' Adjective or noun — not a goal.
- 3Rate importance (0–10)
How much does this value matter to you, regardless of how you're doing on it?
- 4Rate consistency (0–10)
How well are you actually living it, in the last month?
- 5Find the biggest gap
Importance minus consistency. The largest gap is usually the most painful — and the most fertile.
- 6Pick one committed action
One small behavior in the next week that would close the gap by one point. Specific, doable, this week.
Frequently asked questions
What is a values worksheet in therapy?+
A structured handout that helps a client identify what matters to them across life domains, rate the gap between stated values and current behavior, and choose committed actions. Core to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) but useful in motivational interviewing, recovery work, and existential therapy.
What's the difference between values and goals?+
A goal is achievable and finite — 'run a marathon,' 'get married.' A value is a direction — 'pursuing health,' 'building lasting love.' You can finish a goal; you can't finish a value. Goals are how values get expressed in time-limited form.
What are the standard life domains for a values worksheet?+
Most ACT worksheets use 8–10 domains: intimate relationships, family, friendships, work/career, education, recreation, spirituality, community, physical health, mental health. The exact list isn't sacred — what matters is breadth.
How do I use a values worksheet with a depressed client?+
Skip 'what do you want?' (depression makes that question blank). Instead ask 'who do you want to be?' or 'what would the version of you you'd respect be doing this week?' Values questions bypass the anhedonia that goal questions trip over.
Can clients use a values worksheet alone?+
Yes for the first pass — but a therapist's role is essential in catching values that are actually internalized 'shoulds' from family or culture. The discrimination between owned and inherited values is the work.
Related worksheets
Worksheet — Values Worksheet — provided by TherapistAssist for clinical use. Not a substitute for assessment or treatment.