Can't see progress? Rate it 0 to 10, then find the next notch

What is the scaling question?

When you're worn out, it's easy to feel it's "same as ever", as if nothing's improved at all. The scaling question uses a ruler from 0 to 10 to help you see more clearly: 0 is the worst it's been, 10 is how you'd like it, so where is today? Once there's a number, you can ask two very useful questions: why isn't it lower, and what would one point higher look like?

The scaling question comes from solution-focused brief therapy. Therapists often ask it at the start of each session, to see where the change has got to and find the next small step together.

If you can't say what a 10 would look like, try the miracle question first: it helps you picture the morning the problem has gone and get clear on what you want, then come back and rate it. To start from what already works, try finding exceptions, and look at a time it was less bad and what was different.

Research has found that, compared with talking only about the problem, people answering scaling questions came up with more concrete next steps; overall, solution-focused therapy helps many people, though the quality of studies varies. This exercise lets you try it once on your own; it can't replace a full course of therapy.

This exercise isn't therapy, and it isn't a crisis tool. The number is your own ruler, not a score to chase. If the number stays low or keeps getting heavier, or you're having thoughts of not wanting to live or of hurting yourself, please reach out: a counsellor, a psychologist, or one of the lines answered around the clock.

The scaling question comes from solution-focused brief therapy, developed by Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg and their team in Milwaukee, USA. The steps and wording here are our own, written for this method.

How it works

1. 1Write one thing to rate, then in your own words what 0 and 10 look like.
2. 2Drag or tap the ruler to put today between 0 and 10, then tap "That's my number".
3. 3Write why it's this number and not lower: things you've managed, people who've helped, things you've kept going.
4. 4Watch the "next notch" light up on the ruler, and write what others would see you doing one point higher.
5. 5Pick the smallest thing, decide when, and keep it on your ruler card; come back in a few days to rate it again, and you'll see where you were last time.

What this version leaves out

In therapy, the scaling question is asked again at every session, and a therapist may help you rate different things, like confidence, hope or how much a change matters. Here it's condensed into one exercise you can do on your own, rating one thing; this device remembers your last number so you can pick up the ruler next time.

References

1. Berg, I. K., & de Shazer, S. (1993). Making numbers talk: Language in therapy. In S. Friedman (Ed.), The new language of change: Constructive collaboration in psychotherapy (pp. 5–24). Guilford Press.
2. Iveson, C. (2002). Solution-focused brief therapy. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 8(2), 149–156.
3. Neipp, M. C., Beyebach, M., Sanchez-Prada, A., & Delgado Álvarez, M. C. (2021). Solution-focused versus problem-focused questions: Differential effects of miracles, exceptions and scales. Journal of Family Therapy, 43(4), 728–747.
4. Franklin, C., et al. (2024). Solution-focused brief therapy in community-based services: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. Research on Social Work Practice, 34(3), 265–276.