Getting the most from the Feelings Explorer App

At the end, the app pulls everything together into a “Feelings Wheel” — a simple, visual summary made up of a pie chart (for Happy, Confident, Brave, My School, My Friends and My Family) and a colour-coded bar graph (for Worried, Sad, Guilty, Scared and Angry, shown in green/amber/red so it’s easy to see at a glance which feelings are sitting highest). This image can be downloaded and saved to a client’s file or used as a talking point in session.

The app runs entirely in the browser — nothing your client enters is sent anywhere or stored online. Everything only exists on the device you’re using, unless you choose to save a session file yourself (see “Saving and Loading Sessions” below).

GETTING STARTED

1. Open the app in a web browser (desktop, laptop or tablet all work well).
2. The welcome screen explains the basic controls:
– Left / Right arrow keys — move
– Space bar — jump
– Up or Down arrow key — talk to a signpost or enter a building
3. Click “Choose Your Character” to let your client pick an avatar, or click “Start” once they’ve chosen. Alternatively, click “Therapist Tools” first if you want to load a previous session or set a client name before beginning.
4. Your client explores the map, visiting each of the eleven locations in any order they like. At each one, they’ll be asked a simple question about that feeling, shown a few optional conversation prompts, and asked to give it a star rating from 1 to 10.
5. Once every location has been visited, a golden marker appears leading to the Feelings Wheel — the summary screen. Your client (or you) can open it early too, at any point, to see progress so far.
6. From the Feelings Wheel, you can download an image of the results (pie chart and bar graph together) to save into your notes.

THE TOP-LEFT AND TOP-RIGHT BUTTONS

– Load/Save (top right) — opens the Therapist Tools panel, where you can set a client name, add private session notes, save the whole session to a file, or load one back in later.
– Exit (top right) — leaves the app and returns to the main apps page. It will warn you first if there’s unsaved progress.
– Generate Temporary Link (top left) — takes you to the part of this website where you can create a link to send this app to a client for use outside of session.
– Tutorial (top left) — opens this guide in a new tab, so you can always find it again.

SAVING AND LOADING SESSIONS

Because the app doesn’t store anything online, you’re in full control of your client’s data:

– Save Session downloads a small file (a “.json” file) containing the client’s name, their scores, your session notes, and their chosen character. Save this file wherever you keep client records.
– Load Session lets you reopen that file in a later session, so you can pick up where you left off, compare scores over time, or simply continue adding notes.
– You can rename the file before saving, so it’s easy to file away against a specific client and date.

This makes it easy to track how a client’s feelings about different areas of life change across several sessions — a helpful visual for both you and them.

IDEAS FOR WORKING WITH CHILDREN

– Use it as a gentle icebreaker at the start of a session, especially with children who find it hard to sit and talk directly about feelings. The game format takes the pressure off.
– Let the child choose their own character and take ownership of “their” world — this alone can build a sense of safety and control.
– Pause at each location and use the built-in conversation questions as a springboard — you don’t need to ask them all, just pick whichever feels most relevant in the moment.
– Notice which locations a child visits first, lingers at, or avoids — this can be as informative as the scores themselves, and worth gently exploring (“I noticed you went to Angry last — was that a tricky one?”).
– Use the Feelings Wheel at the end as a visual anchor for the rest of the session — “I can see School scored quite high for you today, tell me more about that.”
– For younger children, you might drive the controls yourself while they direct you (“go left”, “go up to that house”), turning it into a shared, collaborative activity.
– Revisit the app across several sessions and compare downloaded Feelings Wheels side by side — children often enjoy seeing their own progress, and it can help them notice change themselves.
– Use the star rating scale as a shared language going forward — you can refer back to “your Worried was a 7 last time, where’s it sitting today?” in future conversations, even without opening the app.

IDEAS FOR WORKING WITH ADULTS

Although it’s designed with children in mind, many adults enjoy the light, playful format too — it can lower defences that a blank “how are you feeling?” question might raise.

– Use it as a low-stakes way into difficult topics with adults who struggle with more traditional talking therapies or who find direct emotional questions overwhelming.
– The simple 1–10 scoring system works well as a quick temperature check at the start or end of a session, or between sessions if a client uses it independently via a temporary link.
– The “My Friends / My Family / My School” locations can be reframed conversationally for adult clients (work, relationships, home life) even though the on-screen labels stay the same — use them as flexible prompts rather than literal categories.
– The playful tone can be a useful contrast when working with clients who are used to being very self-critical or overly analytical — it gives permission to answer more instinctively.
– Some practitioners find it a helpful tool for clients with additional needs, neurodivergent clients, or anyone who processes emotional language better through visual and interactive means rather than conversation alone.

A FEW PRACTICAL TIPS

– There’s no “right” order to visit the locations — let your client’s curiosity lead, and treat the order itself as useful information.
– You don’t have to complete every location in one sitting. Save the session and pick it up again next time.
– The Feelings Wheel can be opened at any point, not just at the end, if you want a mid-session check-in.
– Downloaded images and saved session files are just ordinary files — store them exactly as you would any other client record, in line with your usual confidentiality and data protection practices.
– If you’re using a temporary link to send the app to a client to use between sessions, agree beforehand how (or whether) they should save and share their results with you.

We hope Feelings Explorer becomes a useful and enjoyable part of your practice. If you have ideas for how you’re using it that you’d like to share, we’d love to hear them.