Rank, sort, and reflect on what matters
Pick up to ten values that matter most, rank them, sort into categories, and write a short line on why each one is alive for you. Saves to this device — revisit any time.
Values card sort — a free interactive ACT exercise
This free values card sort turns the classic paper deck into an interactive tool you can run in session or send to a client between sessions. Sort 60+ values into Very Important, Important, and Not Important, then rank the top ten. Save the result per client so the values compass is in the chart the next time meaning, motivation, or committed action shows up.
What is a values card sort?
A values card sort is a structured therapy exercise — used most often in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), motivational interviewing, and recovery work — where the client sorts a deck of values (compassion, freedom, family, creativity, integrity, and so on) into piles by importance. The exercise reveals what actually matters to the client, separate from what they think should matter. The top values become the compass for committed action.
What clinicians use it for
- ACT case formulation — identifying the values that committed action will serve
- Motivational interviewing — building discrepancy between stated values and current behavior
- Recovery work — anchoring sobriety in what the client cares about
- Depression and anhedonia — finding the small actions that reconnect the client with meaning
- Couples work — comparing each partner's top values to surface what they're really fighting about
Pair it with the rest of the toolkit
- Committed Action Tracker — translate top values into concrete weekly behaviors.
- Defusion Cards — unhook from the thoughts that pull the client off their values.
- Printable values compass worksheet — a paper companion for clients who prefer pen and paper.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a values card sort?
- A values card sort is a structured exercise — used in ACT, motivational interviewing, and recovery work — where the client sorts a deck of values (compassion, freedom, family, creativity, etc.) into Very Important, Important, and Not Important piles. The act of forcing a ranking surfaces what actually matters to the client, separate from what they think should matter. The top values become the compass for committed action.
- How do you do a values card sort in therapy?
- Hand the client the deck and ask them to read each card without thinking too hard. First pass: sort into three piles — Very Important, Important, Not Important. Second pass: take the Very Important pile and rank the top 5–10. Third pass: for each top value, ask 'when did you last act on this?' The gap between stated values and lived behavior is where the therapeutic work begins.
- What's the difference between a values card sort and a goals exercise?
- Goals are achievable destinations; values are directions you keep walking in. A client can achieve 'get the promotion' (goal) but cannot finish 'being a generous person' (value). Values card sorts surface the direction; goal-setting picks the next step in that direction.
- Which therapy modalities use values card sorts?
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) uses values as one of the six core processes. Motivational interviewing uses values cards to build discrepancy. Recovery work (especially refuge recovery, ACT for substance use) uses them to anchor sobriety in something the client cares about. Logotherapy and existential approaches use values to address meaning.
- Can I send the values card sort to my client between sessions?
- Yes. Every completed sort can be sent to the client portal as a saved reference, plus a weekly check-in asking which top values they acted on. Free plan includes one client.