A values card sort helps a client explore how they want to act in areas of life that matter to them. Invite them to sort possible values, explain the words in their own language, choose one direction for a real situation and plan a small action. The useful outcome is a personally meaningful choice—not a perfect ranking or a finished pile of cards.
This therapist guide provides a complete session structure, original example words, exact prompts, three worked examples and adaptations for teens, groups and telehealth. A commercial deck is optional: blank scraps and client-generated words are enough.
What does a values card sort explore?
In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), values concern personally meaningful qualities of action. A card is an invitation to explore what a word means to this person, in this context. It cannot tell you whether they are living correctly, identify their personality type or diagnose a difficulty.
A goal can be completed; a valued direction can guide many actions. “Finish my course” is a goal. “Approach learning with curiosity” describes a direction. “Feel confident” is a desired internal experience; ask what the person would choose to do if confidence were not guaranteed.
Family, faith, community and collective responsibilities may be deeply chosen values. Do not assume that individual independence is more authentic than relational commitments. Explore choice and context without imposing the therapist’s preferences.
For the wider framework, see our guide to the six ACT processes and worksheet selection. This article focuses specifically on facilitating a card sort and translating it into one usable action.
Prepare the materials and invitation
Materials: scraps or cards, three heading cards, two blank cards and somewhere to record one action. Offer speaking, pointing or drawing instead of writing. Allow roughly 20–30 minutes for a small set and discussion, adjusting to the person rather than treating the timing as a protocol.
Start with 12–20 accessible words if a large deck would be tiring. You can expand later. The following original starter set is available in the article; it is not a validated assessment or a reproduction of a commercial deck.
| Word | One possible quality of action |
|---|---|
| Care | Respond considerately to needs |
| Curiosity | Ask and explore rather than assume |
| Fairness | Consider how decisions affect different people |
| Creativity | Make room to experiment and express ideas |
| Honesty | Communicate truthfully with appropriate boundaries |
| Connection | Give attention to relationships that matter |
| Courage | Take a chosen, appropriate step despite discomfort |
| Learning | Remain open to developing understanding |
| Respect | Treat oneself and others with consideration |
| Playfulness | Allow enjoyment and experimentation |
| Contribution | Offer something useful in a chosen setting |
| Steadiness | Return to a commitment in a workable way |
These meanings are examples, not definitions to teach as correct answers. Invite changes, translations and additional words. A client may prefer “showing up for my people” to “connection.” Keep their phrasing.
Opening invitation: “Would it be useful to explore what you want your choices to stand for in this situation? These words are suggestions. You can change them, add your own, leave some undecided or stop. There is no right set to choose.”
Agree on a focus, such as returning to study, navigating a family request or making room for friendships. If immediate danger, coercion, acute distress or practical deprivation is the main issue, address the relevant assessment and support first. A values exercise should not become pressure to endure harm or overcome inaccessible conditions through willpower.
Run a values card sort in six steps
1. Let the client make sense of the words
Lay out a manageable selection. Ask the client to remove confusing or irrelevant wording and add anything missing. Do not explain every card before they have a chance to respond.
Say: “Which words need changing so they sound like you? Is something important missing?”
Example: A client replaces “achievement” with “doing work carefully.” Explore whether that means care, learning, reliability, recognition or something else. The word alone does not settle its function.
2. Sort by present relevance
Use three headings: Important here, Maybe / unsure and Less relevant here today. This is one flexible facilitation option, not a standardised scoring method. Let the client move cards and leave some between piles.
Say: “For this situation, which directions matter to you? Less relevant today does not mean bad or unimportant forever.”
Notice what helps participation. If the client asks where a card belongs, return authorship: “What does that word mean in your situation?” Do not reward particular selections with more enthusiastic approval.
3. Explore a few choices without forcing a permanent top five
Invite the client to select two or three cards for closer discussion. A smaller set can help attention, but a compulsory ranking can create an unnecessary test.
Ask: “Tell me about an ordinary moment when this mattered.” Then ask: “How would someone notice you acting in that direction?”
For “respect,” one person might describe listening without interrupting; another might describe declining a request without insulting anyone. Ask about both actions and context. Avoid inferring a value from the therapist’s preferred behaviour.
4. Separate direction, goal and other people’s responses
Draw three spaces: How I want to act, A possible goal and What I cannot guarantee. Work through one card.
Say: “Which part is a way you want to act, which part could be completed, and which part depends on someone else?”
Example: Care → offer a short, considerate check-in → the other person may or may not reply. This keeps connection from becoming a requirement to obtain reassurance, approval or reconciliation.
5. Build one action with a smaller backup
Agree an observable action, a realistic cue, a likely obstacle and needed support. Make the first step small enough to try in the client’s actual circumstances. “Be more connected” is too broad; “after lunch on Thursday, invite a suitable friend for a ten-minute call” is specific.
Ask: “What is one version of this you could choose this week? What would make it possible? If the first version is too much, what smaller version would still express the direction?”
Rehearse the action in session where helpful. For example, practise the invitation aloud, check the wording and leave room for a refusal. Do not insist that discomfort disappear before a step can count, or that all discomfort must be pushed through.
6. Close by checking choice and usefulness
Let the client record or photograph their own selected words if appropriate, respecting privacy and resource licences. They can also leave with one spoken intention and no card record.
Ask: “Does this feel like your choice? Is anything here turning into another demand? What should we check when we meet again?”
If the client leaves less clear, slow down. Clarifying uncertainty can be useful; there is no requirement to produce an identity statement or homework.
Optional prepared resource: Therapy Courses’ 80 printable Values Sorting Cards offers a reusable selection for individual sessions, groups and workshops. Its listing describes sorting and narrowing to five values; adapt the conversation to the client rather than treating that number as mandatory. The blank-paper approach above remains usable without buying a deck.
Three worked values card-sort examples
The following are fictional teaching examples. They illustrate facilitation decisions, not treatment outcomes or client cases.
Example 1: a teen chooses learning but dislikes school
Situation: Jordan chooses creativity and learning, then says, “But I hate school, so that probably makes no sense.”
Therapist response: “Learning does not have to mean liking every lesson. Where do you already enjoy finding something out?” Jordan describes editing short videos. Ask, “What quality of that activity matters—experimenting, mastering a technique, expressing an idea, or something else?”
Action: Jordan chooses experimenting. After opening a video project on Saturday, they will try one unfamiliar editing option for five minutes. A smaller version is watching one short demonstration and deciding whether to try it later.
Review: “Did this express experimenting in a way you chose? What helped or got in the way?” Do not secretly turn the exercise into compliance with a school target. If school participation is also a goal, discuss that openly and explore needed accommodations.
Example 2: care and rest appear to compete
Situation: Priya chooses care and steadiness. She feels that declining a relative’s request would contradict both.
Therapist response: “Could care include how you communicate the limit, rather than always agreeing? What responsibilities, cultural meanings and practical consequences need to be respected here?”
Action: Priya rehearses: “I cannot drive on Tuesday. I can help you look at the transport options on Sunday.” She chooses this only after considering whether it is safe and realistic in her circumstances.
Backup: Ask for time to respond instead of agreeing immediately. Review the effect and any support needed; the relative’s disappointment does not by itself decide whether the action expressed care.
For a fuller map of competing commitments and internal experiences, see ACT Matrix worked examples.
Example 3: “I don’t know what matters anymore”
Situation: Alex finds ranking the cards exhausting and says nothing feels important. Explore the wider clinical picture rather than assuming this is simply a values problem.
Therapist response: “We do not have to find your biggest values today. Is there one small way of acting you might be willing to try and then review?” Offer a fictional example or pause the exercise if that fits better.
Action: Alex tentatively chooses curiosity: ask one question about a familiar hobby during an already planned conversation. No claim that this will improve mood is needed.
Review: “Was that direction meaningful, neutral or unhelpful? Would you keep it, change it or leave values work for now?” An experiment can inform the next choice without establishing a permanent value.
What to do when the values conversation gets stuck
| What happens | Useful therapist response |
|---|---|
| Every card is important | “We do not need to rank your whole life. Which one is most relevant to the situation we agreed to explore?” |
| The client seeks the correct answer | “There is no therapist-approved pile. What does this word mean to you?” Offer a fictional demonstration if the task is unclear. |
| A value becomes self-criticism | “Is this helping you choose, or becoming a verdict about what sort of person you are?” Return to one feasible action. |
| The chosen aim is to feel happy | “If happiness were uncertain, what would you want to do or stand for in this part of life?” Also explore distress and support needs. |
| The action is inaccessible | Identify money, time, disability, discrimination, caregiving or safety constraints. Change the plan or arrange support rather than calling the barrier avoidance. |
| Two values seem incompatible | “What would give some expression to each here? What limits must we accept?” Do not promise a choice without cost. |
Adapt the values card sort for teens, groups and telehealth
For teens: use a concrete situation and a smaller selection
Offer six to twelve relevant words alongside blank options. Ask about an ordinary setting, such as a hobby group, friendship or home responsibility. Let the teen point, draw a symbol or select a fictional character’s possible values before discussing their own. Avoid praise for choosing adult-approved words. Ask what the activity helped them decide, not whether they now have the right priorities.
For groups: keep values personal and participation optional
Begin with the fictional example of someone deciding whether to join a community activity. Members can suggest several possible valued directions without agreeing on one. Then offer private individual sorting. Invite each person to share one word, one possible action or nothing. Do not compare rankings, award points or ask the group to decide whether someone’s values are genuine.
Reserve time to close and explain how individual support can be accessed. For a mixed group, allow observation and a neutral planning task. A shared card sort should not become a public account of trauma, family conflict or personal beliefs.
For telehealth and different access needs
Confirm privacy before displaying personal selections. Use a short shared list, read one word at a time or ask the client to write their own words locally. Do not require dragging cards with a mouse. Offer larger text, fewer words, a preferred language and breaks. Check product permissions before sending copies or placing materials on a shared platform.
Review the chosen action next session
Ask whether the attempt happened, what it expressed and what conditions affected it. A missed action is information, not evidence that the client lacks commitment.
- “What did you try, if anything?”
- “Did that action express the direction you intended?”
- “What practical support or change would make the next attempt more workable?”
- “Would you choose this direction again, revise it or stop?”
If a visual conversation would help, the two-page Values Bullseye Worksheet is an optional paid format for exploring life areas and current actions. Use it collaboratively; distance from the centre is not a score of personal worth. A plain page with the review questions is also sufficient.
Values card sorts: common questions
How many values should a client choose?
There is no universal number for a clinical conversation. A few can make discussion manageable. If using a particular published instrument, distinguish its specified procedure from a flexible therapeutic adaptation. Do not call an adapted sort a standardised assessment.
Is a values card sort the same as the ACT Matrix?
No. A sort focuses on exploring possible valued directions. The Matrix brings what matters together with internal experiences and observable actions. They can complement each other without requiring both in every session.
What if the client chooses something I disagree with?
Clarify what it means and how it would be enacted, while maintaining ordinary ethical and safety boundaries. Explore effects on others and the client’s context. Do not approve harmful action or use the exercise to impose your own worldview.
Can someone change their values selection?
Yes. Wording, priorities and situations can change. A card selection is a starting point for exploration, not a permanent declaration.
Is there a free printable PDF in this article?
This article provides usable words, instructions and prompts on the page, but no separate PDF download. The linked Therapy Courses cards and bullseye are paid resources. MINT also hosts a distinct open-access Personal Values Card Sort, linked below; it is not the Therapy Courses product.
Sources and scope
ACBS resources inform the distinction between values, goals and actions and the possibility of tentatively exploring a direction through experience. MINT provides an established example of a personal values card-sort resource. The six-step session structure, dialogue and fictional cases here are original teaching illustrations, not a validated protocol, clinical assessment or substitute for individual formulation.