Free ACT-Based Resource
Personal Values Card Sort Tool
Get Clear on What Matters Most
Welcome to Your Personal Values Card Sort
If you’re exploring ways to better understand your core values and live a life that feels authentic to you, you’ve come to the right place.
This Personal Values Card Sort Tool, adapted from the original work of W.R. Miller and colleagues, is a gentle but powerful way to reconnect with your core motivations. It’s frequently used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), motivational interviewing, and values-based coaching — and it’s now available to you, for free, with no sign-up required.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a values card sort?
A values card sort is a simple, structured exercise used in therapy, coaching, and personal growth to clarify what matters most. By sorting values into categories based on personal importance, individuals identify their internal compass — the qualities they want to guide their lives.
How does ACT use values to support therapy?
In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), values are considered the guiding life directions that help people move toward meaning — even through pain or uncertainty. Values card sorts help clients reflect on what they want their lives to stand for, which in turn supports committed, values-based action.
Why is clarifying values helpful for burnout and decision fatigue?
When you’re burned out, overwhelmed, or facing a life transition, it’s easy to feel untethered. Clarifying your core values helps you move from reaction to intention. It reduces internal conflict, supports values-aligned boundaries, and reconnects you with your “why.”
Who is this values card sort for?
This tool was created for high-performing professionals, therapists, healthcare workers, and anyone navigating burnout, decision fatigue, or ethical complexity. It’s also widely used by ACT practitioners and coaches who support clients in clarifying direction and identity.
Is this tool based on real research?
Yes. This card sort was adapted from the original Personal Values Card Sort developed by W.R. Miller and colleagues (2001), and informed by frameworks in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Hayes et al.) and motivational interviewing (Miller & Rollnick).
How was this version developed?
This interactive version was created by Dr. Jenny Shields, a licensed psychologist and certified healthcare ethicist. It blends evidence-based design with clinical warmth, making space for professionals to reconnect with what grounds them — without needing to sign up, share data, or perform.
On your phone?
The Values Card Sort works best on a laptop or desktop.
Bookmark a copy of this page to revisit!
Discover What Matters Most
This values card sort is designed to help you reconnect with what matters. Whether you're navigating burnout, decision fatigue, or transition, this process helps bring clarity back to your choices.
How to Use This Values Card Sort
This values card sort is designed to help you pause and reconnect with what matters most — especially if you’re navigating burnout, identity shifts, or decision fatigue. You’ll review 50 values and organize them into four categories based on how central they are to you right now.
Step 1: Sort Your Values
Drag and drop each value card into one of four categories: Least Important, Somewhat Important, Very Important, and Most Important.
Step 2: Identify Your Core Values
Look at your “Most Important” pile. Narrow this list to 5–10 values that feel especially relevant in your current season of life.
Step 3: Reflect
Notice which values feel clear, which feel conflicted, and which feel neglected. Where are you living in alignment? Where is there room to shift?
Step 4: (Optional) Download or Print
Once complete, you can download or print your values. Many users bring this into therapy, coaching, or self-reflection practices.
Remaining values to sort: 50
Least Important
These matter the least to you right now.
Somewhat Important
They matter occasionally, but aren’t core drivers.
Very Important
These values show up in how you lead, live, and relate.
Most Important
Your non-negotiables. The values you protect fiercely.
Available Values
📚 Additional Research & Resources
If you're a therapist, coach, healthcare professional, or simply curious, the following links offer the academic foundations and applied theory behind this values card sort.
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Miller et al. (2001) – Personal Values Card Sort (University of New Mexico)
Original values sort tool frequently used in MI and ACT-based interventions.
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Berkout et al. (2021) – NIH Review on Values Clarification in Psychology
A peer-reviewed article exploring mechanisms and outcomes of values clarification strategies.
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ACT Mindfully – Russ Harris' Tools for ACT & Values Work
Training materials, worksheets, and metaphors from one of the leading ACT educators.
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Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT)
Official site for MI education and research on behavior change rooted in personal values.
What You Do With This Clarity Is Up to You
You’ve just taken an important step toward living with more integrity, meaning, and direction. Whether you're navigating burnout, transition, or simply trying to reconnect with yourself — returning to your values is always a wise and courageous move.
If you'd like support applying this clarity to your work, relationships, or life decisions, Dr. Shields offers private therapy and consultation grounded in ACT, ethics, and deep clinical experience.
Request a Consultation →No tracking. No pressure. Just a path back to what matters.