Values work across therapy modalities

ACT

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

In ACT, values are chosen life directions: the qualities a person wants their actions to reflect, even when difficult thoughts and feelings show up. Clarifying values gives committed action something to aim at, and gives acceptance a purpose. Clients are more willing to make room for discomfort when they can see what it’s in service of.

Using the cards in ACT

• Clarify valuesA full sort narrowed to five gives clients concrete words for their chosen directions. Check each top card: is it something the client chooses, or something they were told they should care about?
• Connect values to committed actionFor each top value, name one small, specific action the client could take this week.
• Make room for discomfortWhen a client avoids a step toward a value, explore what feeling shows up, and whether they’re willing to have it in order to move toward what matters.
• Practice defusionWhen a thought like “I’ll fail” blocks a step toward a value such as Leadership, set the card beside the thought and ask whether following the thought moves them toward the value or away from it.

Pairs well with the free Values Into Action worksheet.

MI

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Motivational Interviewing helps people resolve ambivalence about change by drawing out their own reasons for it. Values are one of the strongest sources of those reasons. When a client notices a gap between what they care about and what they’re currently doing, change talk often follows, without the therapist needing to argue for change.

Using the cards in MI

• EngageA card sort early in treatment is a low-pressure way to learn what matters to a client before discussing the behavior they’re ambivalent about.
• Develop discrepancyAsk how the current pattern fits with each of the client’s top values, and let the client draw their own conclusions.
• Evoke change talkInvite the client to describe how a possible change would connect to the values they chose.
• Plan and build confidenceHelp the client choose one step tied to a value. Afterward, reflect on how it went to build self-efficacy.

For clients torn between two important values, try the free Values in Conflict worksheet.

CBT

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Values add a question alongside “Is this thought accurate?”: “Is acting on it moving me toward what I care about?” They’re especially useful in behavioral activation, where they help clients choose activities worth doing rather than generic pleasant ones.

Using the cards in CBT

• Behavioral activationChoose activities linked to the client’s top values. A client who values Family but has withdrawn during depression might start with a short phone call to one relative.
• Thought recordsAdd a column: “Which of my values does this thought pull me away from?”
• Values versus rigid rulesA value can turn into a rule. A client who values Achievement may hold “If it isn’t perfect, I’ve failed,” which is all-or-nothing thinking. Separating the value from the rule makes the thought easier to examine.
• Relapse preventionInclude the client’s top values in their relapse-prevention plan as reminders of what the work has been for.

EMDR

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

EMDR is a structured, eight-phase therapy for processing distressing memories. Values work fits most naturally in preparation, when clients are building resources and stability, and after reprocessing, when new beliefs are being carried into daily life.

Using the cards in EMDR

• Preparation and resourcingA values sort helps clients name what matters to them before reprocessing, a steady reference point if sessions become difficult.
• Shaping the positive cognitionA client’s values can help them find wording for a positive cognition that feels meaningful to them, not just correct.
• Integration and future focusAfter reprocessing, revisit the client’s values and plan actions that fit the new belief, alongside future-template work.

For identifying the negative and positive cognitions themselves, see our EMDR Cognition Cards, or send clients the free online EMDR cognition card sort.

KAP / PAP

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) or Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP)

In ketamine and psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, much of the therapeutic work happens in the preparation and integration sessions on either side of a dosing session. Values give both a clear focus.

Using the cards in KAP and PAP

• PreparationA sort before a dosing session helps clients set an intention grounded in what they care about.
• IntegrationRevisit the sort afterward. Did any value feel more or less important? Did the experience point toward a change?
• From insight to actionChoose one value-linked change to carry forward, and track it over the following sessions.

The free My Core Values Reflection worksheet works well as integration homework.

RCT

Relational Cultural Therapy (RCT)

Relational Cultural Therapy holds that people grow through connection, and that chronic disconnection is a major source of suffering. Values shape what clients need from relationships and what they bring to them. Values are also shaped by family, culture, and community, which makes them a natural way into RCT’s attention to context.

Using the cards in RCT

• Values in relationshipsExplore which of the client’s values feel honored in their important relationships, and which don’t.
• Inherited and chosen valuesExplore where values came from, including family, culture, faith, and community, and which ones feel like the client’s own.
• ConflictName the values on each side of a disagreement, such as Freedom and Closeness. Both can be legitimate, which makes it easier to stay connected through the conflict.
• Couples and familiesSort side by side and compare top fives to see shared values and real differences.

Career

Career Counseling

Career decisions are often made on salary, title, and what looks good on paper. Values explain the rest: why a well-paid job can still feel wrong, or why a lateral move can feel like progress. A values sort gives clients specific language for what they need from work.

Using the cards in career counseling

• Clarify work valuesSort the Career Edition (or the Career Deck in the Complete Edition) and narrow to five.
• Evaluate current fitCompare how much each value matters with how well the current role supports it, and look for the biggest gaps.
• Compare optionsRate two jobs, programs, or paths against the same values so the tradeoffs are visible.
• Burnout and transitionsIdentify which values are being compromised, then sort out what could change in the current role and what would require a new one.

Free worksheets: Career Values Alignment Audit and Compare Two Opportunities.