Emotes

Emotes is a unique social-emotional learning program that encourages children to increase their ability to identify, understand and express their emotions. Through books, games and play therapy toys, children explore their emotional and social world in a fun and engaging way. By using Emotes to strengthen social-emotional coping skills, children will not only be better prepared for the emotional c

hallenges of being a child and beyond, but will also be better prepared to benefit from future counseling and classroom sessions. Emotes are designed to be easy to use and so they can be implemented in a variety of settings including classrooms, individual or group counseling sessions and with families at home. Emotes Mission Statement

The goal of the Emotes project is to help young people increase their social-emotional intelligence and boost their emotional vocabulary—the ability to put feelings into words. The Emotes books, comics, games and play therapy toys provide children with an engaging way to explore and express their emotions. Each Emotes character represents a different emotion, and therefore mirrors a child’s own emotions. In this way, children are able to externalize and literally interact with their emotions while having fun along the way. Through play, children learn about themselves, and discover how to express and channel their emotions in healthy and constructive ways. Children face many challenges as they grow up in our increasingly complex world. Peer pressure, bullying and prejudice can leave a child feeling alone and insecure. Emotes model forgiveness and acceptance despite differences between us, and help us to better understand confusing feelings such as jealousy and fear. All of this contributes to the development of a healthy social and emotional intelligence and a more connected and cohesive world view. The Emotes team invites educators, parents, psychologists and professionals to use this set of fun and nurturing tools to help young people learn to identify and express their feelings. A Psychological Perspective

The Emotes: A Psychological Perspective
Matt Casper, M.A. MFT; Emotes author. The Emotes teach us that every emotion is valid. In the world of the Emotes, everyone works together to better understand and accept the unique emotional “super power” that they each possess. These dynamic and engaging characters model how important it is for each of us to acknowledge and express all of our feelings. Each Emote is special and important, just as every human emotion is important. In the world of the Emotes, emotions aren’t denied they are celebrated. Far too often, children are discouraged from having certain feelings or are made to feel ashamed of having feelings such as anger or sadness. The Emotes are role models—they teach us that bringing all emotions into the light of awareness is much healthier than trying to hide them in the dark. When developing children are taught to push their feelings into “the darkness” of the unconscious, a deep sense of shame can occur. This shame can lead to negative “acting out” behavior such as physical aggression and hatred towards others. This shame can also be turned inward, leading to lower levels of self-esteem, depression and even self-harm. The denial and repression of feelings such as anger or sadness can have serious negative effects on the development of a child. If not modified, this pattern of denial and projection can last a lifetime. Unexpressed or repressed emotions do not simply go away just because they are ignored. Out of fear, and in an attempt to get rid of these painful feelings, these repressed emotions are often projected onto others, leading to prejudice and intolerance, and causing great difficulty within interpersonal relationships. Characters such as Boom (the angry) model for children that anger is normal—we all feel angry sometimes. Anger cannot be denied. The Emotes teach children to express their feelings in healthy ways, and to respect the feelings of others, rather than denying feelings, and allowing them to mutate into destructive and hateful behavior. The Emotes are in a sense an early intervention--they help to prevent patterns of emotional denial and projection from solidifying and carrying over into adult relationships by modeling how to identify, understand and express feelings. The Emotes, like us, are not perfect. Even the happiest Emote (Bubba) sometimes struggles to maintain his happiness when faced with the projected feelings of others. The adventures of the Emotes then normalize the emotional struggle that every human being must face. As children read about and explore the world of the Emotes, they learn to accept their own struggles as normal. What a relief! Especially for a child who feels they need to be perfect in every way. The Emotes teach children in a dynamic and playful manner that emotions do not have to be hidden. They model the acceptance and tolerance for the different emotions that everyone is capable of feeling, and they teach our children empathy and compassion for others, as well as for the self. Goals of Emotes

1. To allow children to IDENTIFY their emotions.

2. To allow children to EXTERNALIZE their emotions.

3. To allow children to INTERACT with an external representation of their internal emotional states.

4. To allow children to UNDERSTAND their emotions.

5. To allow children to EXPLORE the associations and underlying causes of their emotions.

6. To allow children to EXPERIENCE how their emotions impact social relationships with others.

7. To allow children to EXPRESS their emotions in a safe manner without shaming or criticism.

8. To allow children to LEAD the experience; the facilitator tracks and follows the child’s feelings.

9. To allow children to ENGAGE with their emotions and discussion of them in a PLAYFUL manner.

10. To allow children to LEARN about specific situations in which emotions may arise and provide OPTIONS and SOLUTIONS on how to MODULATE and MANAGE these feelings.

“It is essential that we positively reinforce children for embracing and undertaking the process of discovery, rather than setting up a reinforcement schedule that only praises achievement and ‘success.’ It’s crucial that a child feels that they have permission to stumble and sometimes to fall. For it is in these struggles where true emotional strength is built.”
--Matt Casper, MFT