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Welcome to Dealing in Feelings

Helping kids understand emotions

woman in black top holding colourful books

My Story

 I’m Julie, an Educational and Developmental Psychologist from South Australia with over 27 years of experience working with children and families, particularly children with disabilities.

My passion for helping children began from my own experience of my son’s developmental language disorder, reinforcing the value of early intervention.

Throughout my career in schools, foster care, disability services, and private practice, I’ve assessed and worked with many children with developmental delays, intellectual developmental disorders, and autism.

My interest in trauma’s impact on children in foster care with disabilities led me to receive a Churchill Fellowship in 2007, allowing me to research therapeutic foster care programs internationally.

In 2019, I had the idea of creating some emotion cards to help children recognise and understand their feelings. This resulted in the creation of my brand, Dealing in Feelings.

I am passionate about supporting children’s emotional development. I enjoy using my expertise as a psychologist to promote well-being by developing social and emotional resources that parents, teachers and therapists can use.

 

Why I created the Dealing in Feelings Cards

I’ve always used games in therapy and know how much children love to play.

I have also worked with many children who find it hard to talk about feelings.

Some children have difficulties recognising emotions in their bodies, while others find it hard to read facial expressions and body language.

Some have language delays or are anxious about talking to others.

I was looking for some emotion cards that could help the kids I saw in my therapy practice express how they were feeling inside. So many kids have difficulty understanding emotions and I couldn’t find anything that realistically showed children’s feelings.

So in July 2019, I decided I would create my own cards and the Dealing in Feelings emotion cards were born!

Since then they have gone on to sell all around the world.

Feelings and Me

In 2020 I wrote Feelings and Me, a fun picture book for young children that features some very expressive animals all with different feelings.

I wrote this book specifically for very young children to introduce them to emotions in a fun and engaging way.

I love hearing from families about how much my products have helped them and their child, and this motivates me to develop new ideas.

My vision is to continue to create engaging and fun educational games, cards and books that help children learn and talk about emotions.

emotions cards in therapy
colourful therapy  cards products on white background

Library News

Feelings and Me featured at Melton Library Story Walk

It was very exciting for me to learn that Feelings and Me, had been selected by Melton City Libraries for their Summer Story Walk this year.

This event transforms reading into an interactive experience by featuring a children’s picture book in installations around Caroline Springs Lake and the Melton Botanical Gardens. The purpose of the Summer Story Walk is to encourage children and families to explore books in an outdoor setting. This facilitates engagement with the story in a natural environment.

The 2023 Summer Story Walk marked a special occasion as “Feelings and Me” was integrated into the landscapes of Caroline Springs Lake and the Melton Botanical Gardens. It offered families a unique opportunity to connect with the story amidst the beauty of nature.

In addition to the book’s feature in the Story Walk, I also conducted a talk at the Caroline Springs Library in January. The focus was on  providing families with insights on preparing preschoolers emotionally for the transition to school. This session offered practical advice and supported the themes presented in “Feelings and Me,” emphasising the importance of emotional readiness for school.

 

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City of Charles Sturt Story Time

Henley Library Story Time is a delightful experience, being invited to read at a library is always enjoyable, but there’s something extra special about doing so at your local library. This was at the very first reading of Feelings and Me and it was great fun!

ASTRA Toy Showcase

Dealing in Feelings at Toy Showcase at ASTRA

We were thrilled to have our products showcased at the Toy Showcase at ASTRA’s first-ever international trade show, which took place in June 2023 in Colombus Ohio. The event was a great opportunity for us to get our cards seen by US retailers, and we were lucky enough to have the support of the amazing Azhelle Wade from The Toy Coach.

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is a big deal in the toy industry, and we were proud to be a part of it. Our MESH toys were featured, which stands for mental, emotional, and social health. These toys and games help children learn how to deal with strong emotions and tough experiences.

As parents and educators become more aware of the importance of these skills, there’s a growing demand for MESH toys and games. At Dealing in Feelings, we’re happy to be a part of this exciting development in the toy and game space.

If you want to learn more about our mission, be sure to listen to the podcast No 180 Trailblazing Toy Creators Share their Mission behind their brand on the Making It In The Toy Industry.

 

Woman holding toys on colourful background

 

Episode 180 Making it in The Toy Industry Podcast

Book Awards

 

 

Speech Pathology Book of

The Year Awards

 

Feelings and Me is Shortlisted 

It was a complete surprise and an honour when Feelings and Me was shortlisted for the prestigious Speech Pathology Australia’s Book of the Year awards in 2021 in the 0-3 years category.

Speech-Pathology-Australia- Book- Award
Feelings -and-Me-by- Julie- Dini

In the News

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Eric Hoffer Book Awards

Eric- Hoffer- Grand- Prize- Short-List-Award

Feelings and Me is a Grand Prize Shortlist Winner in the Eric Hoffer Book of the Year Awards  2022 and receives an Honourable Mention for Children’s Books.

 

Making it in the Toy Industry Podcast with Azhelle Wade

Hear the story behind the creation of Dealing in Feelings emotions cards on Making it in the Toy Industry Podcast Episode 123 with Azhelle Wade the Toy Coach.

Making-it-in the-Toy-Industry -Podcast episode 123

Amazon Launchpad Feature

Dealing in Feelings was proudly highlighted in Start Up Daily’s Amazon Launchpad feature, showcasing the innovative and emotional products offered by our brand. Join us on this exciting journey of exploring unique and meaningful ways to connect with your emotions through our carefully curated selection.

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Dealing in Feelings Approach

The Dealing in Feelings

Approach®

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Understanding emotions is a skill that is an integral part of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is related to many positive outcomes for children. This includes increased attention, improved behaviour, positive relationships and empathy towards others.

 I developed the Dealing in Feelings approach to help those helping children with their emotional development. It’s based on helping children learn four key skills.

These four key skills are the building blocks for strong emotional intelligence. They develop sequentially in children.

All of the Dealing and Feelings products have been specifically designed to develop and enhance these four key skills.

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The Dealing in Feelings Approach to Understanding Emotions

Underpinning all the products I create, is the Dealing in Feelings Approach to understanding emotions which is based on four key skills;

Feel involves recognising and noticing emotions in the body.

Talk is naming and expressing feelings.

Think is reflecting and connecting feelings to experiences.

Practice is learning positive ways to cope with feelings.

These skills are key to developing strong emotional intelligence. When kids are helped learn these skills, they are off to a great start.

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We Support Trees For Life

Our products are paper-based and are produced using ethically sourced materials. We believe in the importance of giving back to our environment. A proportion of every product sold is donated to Trees For Life.