Kimochis

Kimochis® are "Toys with Feelings," a complete therapeutic educational program designed not just for children to explore and expand their emotional vocabulary and understanding, but to benefit the families and groups of which they're a part as well. Everyone can handle Kimochis® and everyone can be helped by them.

Pronounced key-MO-chees, the word means “feeling” in Japanese, and the soft, cuddly characters and feeling pillows that comprise the heart of the curriculum teach children (and the adults who love them) how to recognize their feelings, experience them authentically, and communicate them effectively and productively. You've heard of the "three R's" — reading, writing, and arithmetic. Well, Kimochis® offer a fun, concrete, and nonthreatening way to help people learn about and improve upon what I think is the hugely important fourth R: relationships!

This innovative and intuitive learning approach now plays an active role in my work with both individuals and groups, and Kimochis® products regularly accompany me when I present at conferences and workshops, so I can introduce as many people as possible to their healing and healthy properties. By far, the feeling pillows have become my best therapeutic tool for guiding people through learning to access and manage feelings.

My devotion to this therapy approach led me to seek out the founders of Kimochis® to become more involved with the enterprise at the developmental level. I am now thrilled to be a trainer and a writer for the company and am very excited about the recent release of the Kimochis® Feeling Pillows Guide: Activities for Mental Health Professionals, co-authored with Kimochis® co-founder, Ellen Dodge. To learn more about the Guide, click here.