Who can use Mixed Emotions?  
Parents, educators, group leaders, counselors, therapists

   What ages can benefit? 
Young people ages 7 & up. Adults too!

   How does Mixed Emotions help? 
We can get overwhelmed when we don’t understand–or don’t know how to express–our emotions. Mixed Emotions is a hands-on tool for helping people figure out—and articulate—their feelings. 

Basic Use

● Parents, teachers, and counselors can use the board and chips as a simple check-in activity--a way for the young people in your life to bring you up to date on their recent experiences, feelings and moods. 

● Families and other groups can use the board and chips to process a significant event. Each person uses a different color of chip to indicate their emotional reactions to the event. Then each person takes a turn to explain the perceptions and thoughts that led to those emotions.

● Play a game. You can also play a game with the (included) Mixed Emotions cards. The game helps players develop insight and empathy by discussing situations faced by children, teens and adults. ​

Use with CBT

In CBT the therapist and client engage in a dialog in order to reflect on the connection between situations, thoughts, emotions and behavior. Adding the colorful Mixed Emotions board and chips to the dialog provides a tactile and visual component to the therapy, enhancing the learning process. This is vitally important in working with children, but clients of all ages enjoy and benefit from a multi-sensory approach.

This booklet includes a few examples of ways that therapists can incorporate the Mixed Emotions materials into therapy sessions:
1. Feelings Check-In
2. Let’s Think About Feelings
3. Lights, Camera, Action!
4. Be a Feelings Detective