Doing an emotions check-in with young people gives them opportunity to take a moment to bring awareness to what’s going on inside. Having a emotions chart handy like this gives them words and visual images to describe what they are feeling. I really like the charts that were created by Kristina Marcella from Art of Social Work and she has them listed on her site for free.
I use the larger feelings chart for older youth and the feelings wheel for children. What’s nice about these charts is that they have the main emotions listed, the graphics are simple, and they can be coloured in.
Emotions check-in activity:
Print out any emotions chart you like using. If it’s blank, ask the young person to colour each emotion according to what colour they feel it relates to. Once they are done colouring, have a conversation about why they chose certain colours. This can reveal a lot about how they deal with certain emotions. For example, a child might colour anxiety as grey and then explain that when they’re anxious, everything becomes cloudy.
I give them the emotions chart they created to take home and explain to parents to put it on the wall or fridge as a handy reference tool for the family. In my office, I always have my laminated one where it is easily viewed and frequently used for check-ins.
Kristina’s website is one of the main reasons why I wanted to start a blog. She has so many valuable resources that are practical and engaging to use in therapy with young people. Check out her website.
