About this resource
Naming a feeling is often the first step towards managing it. This worksheet offers a feelings word bank, a simple intensity scale and prompts about where a feeling shows up in the body, so people can build emotional vocabulary in a low-pressure way.
Purpose
To build emotional vocabulary and awareness in a low-pressure way.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Counsellors and therapists. Also relevant for educators and school support staff.
Client or participant group: Children and young people, completed with a practitioner, carer or educator.
Practice setting: Counselling and school wellbeing sessions, individually or in small groups.
Suggested uses
- Early sessions, to build a shared language for feelings
- Check-ins at the start or end of a session
- Classroom or group wellbeing activities
- Homework between sessions, with support from a carer
Instructions for practitioners
- Introduce the idea that all feelings are okay and that they can change.
- Look at the word bank together and circle any words that fit today.
- Use the scale to rate how strong the main feeling is.
- Talk about where the feeling shows up in the body, using the prompts.
- Finish by noticing one thing that might help, and revisit the worksheet over time.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Circle the feeling words that fit.
- Rate how strong the feeling is.
- Notice where you feel it in your body.
Accessibility considerations
Read the words aloud, accept pointing or drawing as answers, and adapt language to the child's age and communication needs.
Scope and limitations
Some people find it hard to identify feelings, and that is a normal part of learning. Offer choices rather than pressing for answers, and adapt the language for the person's age and communication needs.
Research basis
Understanding, naming and choosing strategies for emotions are central to emotion regulation; putting feelings into words and finer emotion distinctions are linked to better regulation. Brief psychoeducation can reduce symptoms of depression and psychological distress.
- Donker, T., Griffiths, K. M., Cuijpers, P., & Christensen, H. (2009). Psychoeducation for depression, anxiety and psychological distress: a meta-analysis. BMC Medicine, 7(1), 79. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-7-79
- Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion Regulation: Current Status and Future Prospects. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840x.2014.940781
- Kashdan, T. B., Barrett, L. F., & McKnight, P. E. (2015). Unpacking Emotion Differentiation: Transforming Unpleasant Experience by Perceiving Distinctions in Negativity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414550708
- Kircanski, K., Lieberman, M. D., & Craske, M. G. (2012). Feelings Into Words: Contributions of Language to Exposure Therapy. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1086–1091. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612443830
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure and layout were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
