Carolyn Mehlomakulu, LMFT-S, ATR is an art therapist in Austin, Texas who works with children, teens, and families. I am a founding director of a company that supports approximately 1,800 adults working in education to understand if a child has emotional developmental interruptions and what to do to make a difference. The cards will not go out of date as I imagine they will illustrate life’s difficulties that are timeless. Contains a series of structured "easy to do" picture exercises to help people of all ages express, communicate and deal effectively with their emotions in everyday life.

This revised and updated second edition also contains a new section on how to use the superbly emotive The Emotion Cards (9781138070981) to facilitate deeper therapeutic conversations. It offers opportunities to rehearse other ways of functioning by trying out alternatives safely on paper in exercises that can be adapted for any age range and ability.When I’ve done this in a group setting, there is the additional benefit of experiencing one’s emotions accepted and witnessed by the whole group.

Smaller sheets of paper will help provide more containment and sense of security (and may also help clients feel more comfortable with doing quick images). Or a prompt for a client to create a collage about family is likely to lead to an exploration of feelings that are reflected in the chosen images. They might set up a directive in a way that will enhance affective processing or will directly give clients a prompt to make art related to their feelings. I have tried feelings mandalas (draw what you’re feeling in the inside of the circle and then what is going on in your life on the outside). This manual contains a series of structured "easy to do" picture exercises to help people of all ages express, communicate and deal more effectively with their emotions in everyday life.

Steiner (1984) proposes that “To be emotionally literate we need to know both what is is that we are feeling and what the causes for our feelings are. In addition to Hope 4 Hurting Kids, Wayne previously started I Am A Child of Divorce and Divorce Ministry 4 Kids to help kids who are dealing with the disruption of their parents' relationship. All directives, interventions, and ideas should be used by qualified individuals within the appropriate bounds of their education, training, and scope of practice. Enhancing a child’s vocabulary for their feelings is one way of helping them to understand and learn to manage their internal world. The second edition of Draw on Your Emotions contains a new section that explains how to get the most out of combining the activities in the book with these cards to encourage meaningful conversations and take steps towards positive action.

For the “how you feel today” image, I let them know that this may be one of the feelings that they already drew, it may be a combination of feelings, or it may include feelings that were not already explored. As an abstract artist, I truly believe that all forms of art are all about expressing our feelings and self-discovery. Group members are often able to relate to each other and enjoy discussing the common connections that they see.By witnessing the art, the therapist gives the client the experience of validation and acceptance of their feelings. In addition to blogging and working with clients, Carolyn enjoys making her own art, reading, running, enjoying nature, and spending time with her son and husband. To have images that are so evocative will enhance the dialogue and give opportunities for all involved to tickle the imagination and make more sense and help the children digest their emotional responses to life situations that cause them such pain and difficulty. Her books, which form the Helping Children with Feelings series are used as key therapeutic tools by child professionals all over the UK and abroad. It is helpful to inform young people that there is no ‘right answer’ but that the therapist is simply interested in how they might feel in a range of situations.

This exercise can be introduced by the therapist as a within-session exercise, or as a homework task which can be discussed in the next session. I also often ask clients which feelings were easiest or hardest to do and how they felt while they were working on it. He is a happily married father of four kids with a passion for helping young people who are going through rough times. All of these have been helpful for different clients and situations, and I continue to use them when they are appropriate.Dr Margot Sunderland is Director of Education and Training at The Centre for Child Mental Health London, Senior Associate of the Royal College of Medicine and Child Psychotherapist with over 30 years’ experience of working with children and families. I think it’s great when we have several options or are able to be flexible in the way we use different directives so that we can tailor our work to what is right for our clients, instead of relying on a “one size fits all” approach. For more awesome resources for learning about and dealing with emotions, please visit our Hope 4 Hurting Kids Emotions Help Center. Encouraging client to express their feelings in art is something that I have often done as a therapist, in many different ways over my years as a therapist. Sometimes the emotions are expressed unexpectedly or naturally arise from a directive that is not directly about feelings.