The Volitional Questionnaire (VQ) Version 4.1, 2007

Authors: Carmen Gloria de las Heras, Rebecca Geist, Gary Kielhofner, and Yanling Li

     The VQ provides insight into a person's inner motives and information about how the environment affects volition by systematically capturing how a person reacts to and acts within his/her environment. The VQ provides the occupational therapist with insight into a person's inner motives and the effect of the environment on the person's participation in meaningful occupations.

     Volition is assessed through observation, making it an effective tool to evaluate clients regardless of their verbal or cognitive abilities. Additionally, since observations may be conducted in any occupational context, including naturally occurring events and therapy sessions, it is not necessary to view clients in a specifically designed or standardized situation. This tool can be used with the Remotivation Process (sold separately) for occupational therapy evaluation and intervention. This version of the VQ uses the same items and rating scale as the previous version, but presents the items according to the volitional continuum, for easier interpretation and use with the Remotivation Process manual

• To see an example of the “VQ Environmental Form”, click here. (PDF file.)


• To see an example of the items on the new “Volitional Continuum” form , click here. (PDF file.)

      The VQ manual includes forms for single observation, double observations, and multiple observations, a volitional continuum form, and an “Environmental Characteristic Form”. All forms are reproducible

This assessment is discussed and illustrated with a case in chapter 15 of The Model Of Human Occupation: Theory and Application (Kielhofner, 2008).

Additional information (references, research, and clinical discussion
regarding this assessment) can be found in the Evidenced- Based Practice section of this website by selecting this assessment.