ACT: values and committed action · worksheet 157
A value is the way you want to act in your life, what really matters to you. It is not a goal to achieve or an obligation. There are no right answers: nobody can live every value at 10.
Before you start
- What it is for: To see what really matters to you and where your current life drifts away from it, so you know which direction to step in.
- About 20 to 30 minutes, without rushing.
- A value describes how you want to act, not what you want to achieve. If in doubt, read the guide “Values: a compass, not a destination”.
- It isn’t an exam: nobody lives all their values at 10, and it is fine for some to matter little to you.
Prefer paper? Download the PDF to print (with a page for psychologists).
What to do with your results
Look above all at the values that are very important but little lived. Choose just one and move on to worksheet 37 to turn it into a concrete plan.
If you find it hard
If everything seems important, ask yourself which ones you would choose if you could keep only five. If a value hurts to look at, it is often because it matters a lot to you.
For psychologists
The PDF also includes a page for the psychologist: how to run the exercise in session, points to watch and scientific references. You are free to use it with your clients.
For psychologists: aim, audience and duration
Help the person identify, from a list of defined values, the ones that matter most to them, and estimate how much they are living them now, to make visible the gaps to work on.
Start of work on values in ACT, feeling of living “on autopilot”, loss of meaning, difficult decisions, before a committed action worksheet. Duration: 20-30 min.
References
Wilson, K. G., Sandoz, E. K., Kitchens, J. & Roberts, M. (2010). The Valued Living Questionnaire: Defining and measuring valued action within a behavioral framework. The Psychological Record, 60(2), 249-272.
Miller, W. R., C’de Baca, J., Matthews, D. B. & Wilbourne, P. L. (2001). Personal Values Card Sort. University of New Mexico (domaine public).
Harris, R. (2019). ACT Made Simple: An Easy-to-Read Primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (2nd ed.). New Harbinger.
These worksheets do not replace therapy. If you are in distress or having suicidal thoughts, call your local emergency number (112 in Europe; 3114 in France, free, 24/7).
Free worksheet for non-commercial use: you may share it with credit to the author, without modifying it (Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence).
