Emotion scale worksheet
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Looking for an emotion scale to use with therapy clients?
This guide to the emotion scale is for therapists looking for practical tools and strategies to use with clients in their therapy practice, and it includes a free downloadable emotion exploration scale worksheet to use in your therapy practice.
Additionally, we provide an overview of the emotion exploration scale, examples of how to use emotion intensity scales with clients, and a free downloadable emotion scale 1-10 worksheet to save to your electronic health record (EHR) for repeated use.
What is an emotion scale?
Clinicians have used emotion scales for decades as clinical assessment tools to measure a client’s mood states.
One of the earliest tools was the Profile of Mood States (POMS), which measured transient mood states, including:
- Fatigue-inertia
- Anger-hostility
- Vigor-activity
- Confusion-bewilderment
- Depression-dejection
- Tension-anxiety
- Friendliness
Additional measures have since been developed to include positive affect and a broad range of other emotions, including the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List-Revised (MAACL-R), the Positive Affect-Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), the Mood-State Introspection Scale (MIS), and the EsSense Profile.
Scales that measure emotional expression, such as the Measure of Verbally Expressed Emotion (MoVEE), have also been developed.
Mental health therapists may use an emotion exploration scale or emotion intensity chart to explore a range of felt emotions with clients and provide psychoeducation on emotional states.
Emotion scales can also increase self-awareness, enhance emotional regulation, and strengthen distress tolerance.
Emotion scale examples
An emotion scale can be adapted depending on the situation and client. However, emotion exploration scales typically appear in the following formats:
Numeric scales
A number-based scale helps clients rate the intensity of their emotions on a scale of one to 10, with one representing the least disruptive emotion and 10 being the most intense.
For example, one might indicate feeling calm and relaxed, three is mildly annoyed, six is increasing tension levels, eight is feeling overwhelmed, and 10 represents feeling out of control or rage.
Face-based scales
Typically used with children, a face-based emotion chart helps kids recognize faces with different expressions and match them to different emotional states.
Emotions wheel
A word-based chart usually has a list of emotions to choose from, including basic emotional states (happy, sad, angry, etc.) to more specific emotions and feelings like rejection, disappointment, and humiliation.
These might also be color-coded, with less intense emotions in neutral colors and more evocative emotions in deeper colors, like red or purple.
Thermometer-based scales
Visual tools, like an anger thermometer, are another form of emotional scale. The bottom of the thermometer corresponds with zero and is usually colored green to represent calmness, then yellow as emotional states escalate.
The top of the scale is numbered 10 and is usually red, representing intense feelings of anger and rage.
Benefits of using an emotion scale with clients
Emotion scales can be helpful in therapy for several reasons:
Improve self-awareness
Emotion scales can help clients recognize their emotions and understand the impact of their intensity.
Enhance emotional regulation skills
Through improved awareness, clients work with therapists to identify triggers and develop coping strategies to promote emotional regulation.
Improve distress tolerance
By learning distress tolerance skills, clients strengthen their coping skills and the ability to manage difficult emotional states.
Enhance interoception
Many clients, particularly neurodivergent clients, may struggle to identify and express emotions (alexithymia).
Using emotional exploration skills can strengthen interoceptive skills—the ability to recognize emotional states and bodily signals.
Healthcare uses
Emotion scales can be helpful in a healthcare setting to describe the severity of pain or discomfort so that clinicians can adequately assess the patient and the level of intervention required.
How to use the emotion exploration scale worksheet
You can download and use the emotion exploration scale with clients in several ways:
- In session, to illustrate the emotion scale
- To provide psychoeducation about emotional regulation and distress tolerance
- To empower clients to identify and monitor their emotions
- As a handout for clients to plot their emotions and assess their level of distress on a feelings scale 1-10
Sources
- Jacobson, C., Hill, R., Pettit, J. W., & Miranda, R. (2015). The Measure of Verbally Expressed Emotion: Development and factor structure of a scale designed to assess comfort expressing feelings to others. Journal of psychopathology and behavioral assessment.
- Johnson, M. (2021). Emotion scales. Society of Sensory Professionals.
- McNair, D. M., Lorr, M., & Droppleman, L. F. (1971). Profile of mood states. San Diego: Educational and Industrial Testing Service.
- O'Connor, P. J., Hill, A., Kaya, M., & Martin, B. (2019). The Measurement of Emotional Intelligence: A Critical Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Researchers and Practitioners. Frontiers in psychology.
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