Scaling Questions

Anyone who has received medical treatment and been asked to rate his or her pain on a scale from 1 to 10 has encountered scaling questions. Scaling questions are a tool that allows individuals to appraise their experiences and quantify progress toward goals. These questions provide marriage and family therapists with a way to gather data about the client’s subjective experience. Through scaling questions, therapists help clients notice their feelings as well as see the progress they are making. These questions can assist therapists in gauging not only the client’s progress and current experiences, but also the client’s level of motivation in regard to change. Additionally, scaling questions allow clients to visualize and explore what higher levels of achievement look like.