Solution-Focused Goal Setting
Solution-Focused
Scaling Questions
A self-paced reflection tool — no right answers, no pressure to perform
When progress feels stuck, the brain tends to zoom in on what's broken — what's missing, what hasn't worked, what you should have done differently. This tool asks you to look somewhere else: at what's already here, what you've already built, and what one small shift might open up.
There are four scales: success, motivation, confidence, and independence. You don't have to complete them in order, or all at once. Skip a question if it doesn't land. Come back to it later. Write a few words or a few paragraphs — both count.
The number you pick on each scale isn't a grade. It's just a starting point. What matters is what you notice from there.
It doesn't have to be perfectly defined. A direction, a situation, something you want to feel differently about — that's enough to start with.
The Success Scale
This isn't about whether you've done enough. It's about honestly locating yourself right now — not to judge where you are, but to understand what got you here and what might come next.
0 = nothing has started yet · 10 = you've reached where you want to be · Your number is yours — there's no wrong answer
What's already working, even a little?
What could you do more of, because it actually helps?
What helped you reach your current point — even if the path was nonlinear?
What's different about your situation now compared to then?
What would be different — even subtly — if you moved one point up?
What would that shift make possible?
What's one small thing you could actually do from here?
How will you recognize it when you've moved — even slightly?
The Motivation Scale
Motivation isn't a character trait. It goes up and down — sometimes by the hour. For many neurodivergent people, it's closely tied to interest, energy, meaning, and nervous system state, not willpower. This scale helps you understand what actually moves you, not what's supposed to.
0 = no pull at all right now · 10 = genuinely energized · Low numbers are useful information, not failures
What conditions, activities, or moments tend to spark motivation for you?
What could you lean into more, because it genuinely helps?
What was present then that helped you stay connected?
What's different now — and is any of that recoverable?
What might be different — in how you think or act — at one point higher?
What becomes possible when your motivation climbs even slightly?
What's one concrete, low-effort move you could make?
How will you know something has shifted — even subtly?
The Confidence Scale
Confidence isn't always about believing you can do something perfectly. Sometimes it's just believing you can handle what happens if you try. For people who've spent years being told they're doing it wrong, confidence takes longer to build — and that makes sense. This scale meets you where you are.
0 = very little self-trust here right now · 10 = I trust myself to navigate this · Your number reflects your honest experience
What — even small — is helping you feel more capable right now?
What could you lean into more, because it builds your trust in yourself?
What helped you reach your current level of self-trust — even if it came in pieces?
What's different now — and does any of that difference explain the gap?
What would shift — in your thinking or behavior — at one point higher?
What would that shift make possible?
What's one doable thing that might build a little more self-trust?
How will you recognize that your confidence has moved, even a little?
The Independence Scale
Independence here isn't about doing everything alone. It's about having enough internal clarity to know your next move — even if you still want or need support. Knowing when and how to ask for help is part of it too.
0 = I don't know how to move and need support to figure it out · 10 = I know my next steps and feel capable of taking them
What helps you trust your own judgment in this area?
What could you lean into more, because it increases your clarity?
What helped you reach your current level of clarity — however you got there?
What's different about this situation now?
What would change about how you approach this with a bit more internal clarity?
What does more clarity make possible that isn't possible right now?
What's one thing — research, conversation, decision — that would help you feel one step clearer?
How will you know you've moved — even slightly — toward clearer footing?
Looking Back at the Whole
Having sat with all four scales — where do you feel you are overall right now? (0–10, or just describe it.)
What's already in place — strengths, strategies, or supports — that you sometimes forget to count?
What approaches haven't been working as well — and is there anything useful to learn from that?
What part of this exercise, if anything, felt most useful or clarifying?
What's one thing you want to carry forward from this — something to try, remember, or do differently?
