When I was a child, I went through a traumatic event that sent me on a spiral into mental health disorders. I was all alone with my emotions and didn’t know how to handle them. Once I knew feelings were real, I was able to get help and life got easier. I want other kids to know their feelings are real and give them words and strategies to express and manage them in healthy ways I didn’t have.
It can be used in a variety of ways. The cards are color coordinated by emotion to make it easier to sort and separate. The spinning wheel can be placed in the center of the table or floor and the participants can sit around each other. One person spins the wheel, landing on an emotion. They pick a card from that emotion deck and learn a new word. They can act it out, talk about the physical sensations, draw or write about it, or talk about an experience with that word. Then they pick a calm body or comfort coping activity they want to use to manage that emotion.
The media and word of mouth has been very helpful in spreading the word about the game and its impact.
You can go to my website directly to get your game and learn about our other innovations: www.somocomlab.com.
