How to Make a Vision Board that Works, According to Therapists

When you hear the term "vision board" your mind probably jumps to something involving glue sticks, magazine cutouts of tropical vacations, and maybe a little too much inspirational word art. That may sound fun if you love crafting, but if you’re not artsy, it can be hard to believe that the multi-day project is really worth your time. We’re here to reassure you: beneath the poster board (or digital canvas) lies solid psychological territory that’s worth exploring.

So do vision boards actually work? The short answer from two licensed therapists and clinical educators: Yes, they really can. But like so many things, the how and why matter way more than the social media post-able, perfect final product.

The psychology of vision boards

Fundamentally, vision boards operate at the intersection of several psychological processes that we know enhance goal achievement. They are not magic, they are applied cognitive science. Here's what the research tells us so far.

Mental imagery can prime your brain for positive change

The imagery of vision boards is powerful. Research shows that experiencing something through mental imagery can create essentially the same psychological response as experiencing it in reality (Burton & Lent, 2016).

This is because your brain does not fully distinguish between vividly imagined experiences and actual ones, which is why imagery-based interventions are linked to effectiveness with everything from insomnia and depression to chronic pain and phobias. The act of creating a visual representation of your goals, signals your brain that achieving them is possible.

‘Value tagging’ helps you recognize goal-related opportunities

Vision boards also tap into something we call 'value tagging' (the brain's subconscious process of assigning value to everything it takes in) and our natural preference for visual cues over text cues (Kharbanda, 2025).

Regular exposure to goal-related images trains the brain to identify and seize relevant opportunities. It’s sort of like priming your internal GPS, so you suddenly notice pathways you would have previously walked right past.

The process of making unlocks motivation

And here's where it gets clinically interesting: the process of creating vision boards matters as much as the finished product. The creative act bridges conscious and subconscious thinking, which allows clients to access deeper motivations that might stay buried in traditional talk therapy (Deigh, 2025).

Plus, there's a built-in mindfulness component—searching for images, arranging them, making choices about what stays and what goes, all of this requires present-moment focus that naturally reduces anxiety.

How to make a vision board that works

If you're thinking about making a vision board at home—or, even better—integrating them into therapy sessions (see below for more on why this is helpful), here are recommended steps to consider:

STEP 1: Think at least 1 year ahead.

It is recommended that vision boards focus on 1-3 year goals. This makes it close enough to feel relevant and motivating, but far enough to allow for significant change. However, timeframes need to be personalized. Someone in early recovery might need a 6-month vision, while someone planning a major career transition might need 3-5 years.

STEP 2: Connect with your core values.

What matters most to you? Your vision board should reflect these values, not just surface-level wants. A balanced vision board addresses various areas: relationships, career, health, personal development, recreation, and community.

For each area of your life, determine what it is you want most at the deepest level.

STEP 3: Search for images that represent the path to your goals.

This is going to take some time, so give yourself a few days. Be sure to find images that represent the desired outcome and—equally important—images representing how you get there (e.g. through learning, practicing, struggling, growing).

Don't just pick images that look nice. Each element should resonate with YOUR story, YOUR values, YOUR goals.

STEP 4: Arrange images on whatever canvas makes sense for you.

It could be on a digital tablet, in a design app like Canva, on poster board, in a journal, on a literal canvas, or a decoupage tray. Whatever appeals to you and makes sense in the context of your life.

STEP 5: Decide where you’re going to display it.

Place it somewhere you’ll see it daily. Consistent viewing unconsciously helps you make choices aligned with your identified values and goals. We also recommend signing and dating it for future reflection (Burton & Lent, 2016).

The latest research on vision boards

Despite a mixed history of support, recent research exploring the utility and effectiveness of vision boards across multiple populations and settings demonstrate results that are quite encouraging.

Vision boards can fuel your inner drive

A 2025 study examined the relationship between optimism and hope among more than 50 vision board users (Kharbanda, 2025). Researchers found significant positive correlations; specifically they found that optimism in vision board users was more strongly linked with agency (or the motivation to pursue goals) than pathway thinking (the strategies used to reach goals).

In other words, vision boards boost your drive to go after what you want. They may not make you a better strategic planner, but they will definitely get you more fired up about taking action.

The study also highlighted something important—hope strongly predicts both motivation AND planning ability. So while optimism gives you the push, hope gives you both the push and the roadmap. In summary, Kharbanda (2025) demonstrated that vision boards, when done thoughtfully, can boost self-efficacy, encourage optimism, and activate brain pathways linked to motivation.

Vision boards can unlock support for underrepresented youth

While the previous study focused on adults, vision board work with underrepresented youth has also shown particularly promising results (Waalkes et al., 2019). A summer camp study with 25 rising eighth graders (all BIPOC and from low-income areas) used vision boards as a capstone exercise to explore identity, values, and career aspirations through creative expression. Three themes emerged: strength and leadership, relationships and service, and creative expression. Critically, every student expressed themselves uniquely. No cookie-cutter dreams here.

What made this powerful? Vision boards gave these students, many of whom society had essentially written off as lacking potential, a way to articulate aspirations that encouraged adults around them to respond proactively and supportively. That's not just goal-setting; that's identity affirmation (Waalkes et al., 2019). In short, Waalkes et al. (2019) determined that the process of visioning that occurs while creating a vision board is very similar to guided imagery – both provide open-ended structure, allow creative expression, and facilitate processing of discovering personal meaning.

Integrating vision boards into therapy

According to research on therapeutic alliance, interventions (aka activities or exercises) delivered within a strong therapeutic relationship show significantly better results than self-administered versions of the same techniques (Flückiger et al., 2018).

The translation: If you’re seeing a therapist, doing a vision board with them may be a more meaningful option than doing it alone.

As an accessible tool that establishes concrete, behaviorally-defined goals, vision boards are adjustable enough to fit within virtually any theoretical framework. A few examples of how vision boards work with different types of therapy:

In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, vision boards could help identify negative thought patterns and replace them with positive imagery while highlighting concrete behavioral goals like healthier lifestyle choices, improved self-esteem (Deigh, 2025).

For Person-Centered approaches, vision boards encourage self-exploration through personally meaningful imagery in completely nonjudgmental ways. No right or wrong answers. Just the client's authentic experience.

Solution-Focused clinicians love vision boards because they're inherently future-oriented. Clients visually outline desired outcomes and successes, reinforcing that solution-focused mindset (Burton & Lent, 2016).

In trauma-informed settings, vision boards provide a safe, non-verbal outlet for survivors to visualize healing and resilience while reinforcing existing strengths and coping abilities (Deigh, 2025). Sometimes words fail; images don't.

The limitations of vision boards

Vision boards aren't a cure-all and are not for everyone.

First, they cannot replace ongoing work and strategic planning, so they need to be part of a systematic goal setting process that blends visualization with concrete actions (Kharbanda, 2025). Think: SMART goals.

Some individuals struggle with the creative aspect of doing vision boards. For example, literal thinkers or those who don't identify as "artistic" might freeze up and struggle to produce anything meaningful. Clients dealing with low self-efficacy or identity confusion, might also struggle; which is useful clinical information about where they are developmentally (Waalkes et al., 2019; Tipton et al., 2025).

When someone is in an acute crisis or experiencing depressive symptoms, it could be invalidating or overwhelming to envision a positive future. Individuals who have very perfectionistic or obsessive tendencies could find vision boards are just another source of self-criticism and rigid expectations.

It’s also important to recognize that sometimes creating vision boards becomes a substitute for actual action; sometimes they are unrealistic (becoming a professional athlete at 45 with no athletic background, for example) and can set individuals up for disappointment and failure; and, some individuals who have disordered thinking, could be harmed by doing vision boards that perpetuate the focus on unhealthy values.

And, ultimately, magazine-based boards can feel limiting, since they are shaped by commercial interests and may lack culturally diverse representation (Waalkes et al., 2019). It’s important to utilize varied materials, consider electronic options, integrate poetry and personal photos, etc. Remember: it’s the process over product that matters.

The bottom line on vision boards

After doing the research, here’s our take: vision boards work best when they're used thoughtfully; when they focus on the journey, not just the destination; and when they’re integrated into therapy. Ideally, they are not standalone interventions; they are tools (potentially powerful ones) that enhance outcomes by fostering resilience, motivation, and deeper purpose (Deigh, 2025).

The beauty of the vision board is its simplicity. A vision board is inexpensive, accessible and flexible. And, they create something tangible—a visual reminder that change is possible, that the journey is already in process, and that goals matter. When combined with a commitment to actual behavior change and used in the context of therapy, they absolutely can be part of something transformative.