Booklet author: Russell Deal Illustration & Design: Mat Jones

20 cards for PICTURING OUR FEELINGS

© St Luke’s Innovative Resources 2012

Booklet author: Russell Deal Illustration & Design: Mat Jones

20 cards for PICTURING OUR FEELINGS

© St Luke’s Innovative Resources 2012

First published in 2012 by:

St Luke’s Innovative Resources137 McCrae Street BENDIGO Victoria 3550 AustraliaPh: 03 5442 0500 Fax: 03 5442 0555Email: info@innovativeresources.orgWebsite: www.innovativeresources.orgABN: 99 087 209 729

© St Luke’s Innovative Resources 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978 1 920945 64 0

Edited by Karen Masman and Caitlyn Lehmann

4.

4. . . . . . Introduction

7. . . . . . The Gallery of Koalas

14. . . . Using the Cards

27. . . . Being Mindful

30. . . . Did You Know?

32. . . . About St Luke’s Innovative Resources

34. . . . The Zoo Keepers

CONTENTS

iii

4.

INTRODUCTION

4

Meet The Koalas.

There are 20 members in The Koalas family,

each one portraying a different emotion.

Describing our feelings in words is not always

easy, but because these koalas look so much

like we humans, chances are most people will

be able to interpret and describe each of the

emotions they portray. However, we may use

different words to do so.

Describing our feelings is never an exact

science. We ‘language’ our feelings in many

different ways. The culture we grew up in or

live within, our familiarity with language, our

social context and our emotional and cognitive

state at any particular time will all infl uence

our interpretation.

5

We know that clear linguistic descriptions of

our feelings can be elusive and frustrating.

It is a challenging skill to learn. Much of

childhood is spent honing this skill, but for

many children, such as those on the autism

spectrum, interpreting and describing feelings

can be excruciatingly diffi cult, if not downright

impossible.

At the same time most adults are aware of the

limitations that language imposes on our ability

to describe emotions. Having a set of simple

visual metaphors such as the characters from

The Koalas—characters who exhibit many human

characteristics—can be profoundly liberating

even for those who may have considerable

linguistic skills.

6

Twenty years ago Innovative Resources published The Bears, the fi rst of many tools for building emotional vocabulary. It remains one of our bestsellers because of its success in helping people attach words to feelings. However, from the outset we have received requests for a simpler set; a set for children, for those with an intellectual or learning disability, for those from a wide variety of cultures and languages—and for those who simply found the 52 Bears too many to handle.

For these reasons we chose to limit The Koalas to only 20 human expressions that can be recognised and interpreted across cultures.

Meet the 20 Koalas who make up the full set!

7

THE GALLERY OF koalas

8

9

10

11

12

Each Koala uses facial expressions and body

language to convey his or her feelings.

For ease of reference, each card is numbered.

The following is a selection of words that could

be used to describe the emotions portrayed

by The Koalas:

1 Angry

2 Confi dent

3 Confused

4 Contented

5 Curious

6 Depressed

7 Energetic

8 Friendly

9 Frustrated

10 Furious

11 Happy

12 Joyful

13 Discouraged

14 OK

15 Proud

16 Sad

17 Scared

18 Shy

19 Tired

20 Worried

Because we all interpret and describe feelings differently, this is not a list of the ‘right’ words for the cards. That is why no words appear on the cards. Each person will attach a word that fi ts their interpretation of the emotion being portrayed. For example, the ‘curious’ Koala could equally be described as ‘quizzical’; the ‘depressed’ one could be described ‘sad’ or ‘distressed’; the ‘worried’ bear could be described as ‘anxious’ or ‘impatient’; the ‘successful’ bear could be called ‘proud’—and some that look ‘sad’ to one person may even look ‘refl ective’ or ‘thoughtful’ or even ‘peaceful’

or ‘determined’ to someone else.

While there are 20 cards, there are potentially many more emotions being expressed via The Koalas. It all depends on what you think each Koala is feeling!

13

USING THE CARDSExactly the same questions and activities

designed around The Bears or other sets from

our ‘Feelings Suite’ (such as My Feelings, Funky

Fish, Stones…have feelings too!) can be used

with The Koalas. Less can be more and the

simplicity of The Koalas belies their ability to

bring conversations alive and ‘give voice to the

voiceless’ in profound and elegant ways.

There are countless ways of using The Koalas.

In this section of the booklet you will fi nd some

of our suggestions…we hope they will inspire

you to invent your own.

14

Unpacking the Baggage

At any one moment or at any event in our

lives we are carrying emotional memory or

residue that could be described as ‘baggage’.

We are never a blank slate or existing in an

emotional vacuum. But often we don’t stop

to check the nature of this cargo and how it

might be impacting on us or others.

The Koalas can be used to ask a whole range

of questions such as:

• How are you feeling today?

• How was your weekend?

• Which Koala is the closest to how you are

feeling right now?

15

4.

The Name Game

Turn the 20 Koala cards over one at a time and

name as many different feelings that might

describe each one. This is a great way to build

emotional vocabularies but also to demonstrate

how imprecise our language can be and how we

are constantly making interpretations that can

vary considerably from person to person and

from time to time.

16

17

The Smorgasbord

Because we have an inherent tendency towards simplicity we often think and talk as if we only sit with a single emotion. But often (perhaps always) we actually experience several different emotions at any one time. Even if one emotion dominates, chances are this emotion is tempered or enhanced by other feelings.

One way of demonstrating this is to think about a signifi cant event in our lives that we might consider to be a transition or a turning point. In telling the story of this event, see if you

can use The Koalas to identify all the different feelings you remember being associated

with this event. By picking Koalas who were ‘present’ in you at this time, you may well recognise some very different, even apparently contradictory, feelings.

18

Our Relationship with the Problem

Imagine a problem you have now, or have

faced in your life. (We all know about problems

so this shouldn’t be hard!) One of the things

about problems is that we easily forget our

relationship with the problem changes.

It never stays the same for long. Sometimes

the problem is very dominant and pushes us

around. At other times its hold on us lessens

and we can keep it under control, park it in

the background or even forget about it. These

‘better’ times are sometimes called ‘exceptions’.

You can tell the story about one of your

problems by using The Koalas to describe

the ways your relationship with this problem

changes.

• Which Koala represents you when the

problem has you in its grip?

• When does this grip lessen? Which Koala

is you now?

• Are you able to forget about your problem at

least for a while? How do you do it? What is

this like? Which Koala is you in these times?

• If you imagine the problem disappearing

from your life altogether, what will be

different? How will you be feeling? Which

Koala will you be?

19

4.

Feelings Snap

Just about everyone knows how to play Snap;

the card game based on matching two or more

identical sets of cards.

Two or more sets of Koalas can be used to play

Snap with a twist. Instead of calling ‘Snap’ when

two matching cards are turned up, participants

call out ‘Koalas’ and name the emotion

portrayed on the matching cards. Older children

or adults can be invited to name three or more

possible interpretations of the cards.

20

The Memory Game

This well-known game is often called ‘Fish’ but

can also be played with two sets of The Koalas.

Rather than turning the cards up one at a time

as in Snap, all the cards are laid out face down

and each person in turn tries to turn over a

matching pair—initially by guess work and then

according to their memory of the position of

cards already turned over.

21

22

Feedback and Evaluation

The feelings portrayed by The Koalas make the

cards a delightfully different way to provide

feedback or evaluation.

Children (or adults for that matter) can be asked

to fi nd the Koala that sums up their feeling

about a particular event or activity.

Children in particular are often not asked their

opinion by adults because we struggle to fi nd

words and questions that they can understand

and answer in meaningful ways.

In the Child and Family Services programs at

St Luke’s we have devised simple questionnaires

that ask the children in these programs

questions about their experience. All the

questions can be answered using a Koala card

or sticker to accompany their words.

Using The Koalas can open up signifi cant

sources of insight for workers, parents and the

children themselves.

Years ago a St Luke’s staff member was asked

to run a client evaluation of a service where

the clients had never before been asked to

comment. All the clients had cerebral palsy

making it very diffi cult for them to express

themselves. Some could barely talk or be

understood. But all could point. So the research

was designed around questions that could be

answered by pointing to one of The Bears that

summed up their perception. For a client group

who literally ‘did not have a voice’, it was a

profound and liberating experience. The Koalas

can be used in exactly the same way.

23

24

Perceptions of Power

Body language and facial expressions can say a lot about our perceptions of power and power relationships. In strengths-based practice we strive to create ‘power with’ rather than ‘power over’ relationships. Interpreting emotional states provides a different way of thinking about how power is used and transmitted.

For example you might ask:

• Which of The Koalas is the most powerful? Why?

• Which Koalas are doing ‘power with’? Which are doing ‘power over’?

• Looking at all The Koalas, do you think that at times each of them might be using ‘power over’ strategies? Might they all be doing ‘power with?’ What would make the difference?

Storytelling

Being invited to make up a story can reveal interesting and unexpected insights into ourselves because we often inject aspects of our own experience into the stories we tell. This is particularly true for children and is one of the fundamental tenents of play therapy.

Children can be given a deliberately chosen card from The Koalas and asked to make up a story about that Koalas. Alternatively, the child might be presented with all or part of the set and asked to choose the Koala they would like to tell a story about.

• Why is your Koala sad or happy (or whatever)?

• Have you ever been in a story like your Koala?

• What other Koalas were there at the time your story happened?

25

26

• Which Koala were you during the story?

• Did you change and become another Koala

during the story?

• Which Koala do you remember most when

you remember the story now?

Any visual metaphor has the potential to arouse

strong emotions and evoke powerful memories.

Even animals with such a cute marketing image

as The Koalas may generate unexpected responses

in ourselves and others.

At Innovative Resources considerable care is

taken to avoid causing any distress or

inadvertent offence via the content of products.

The card sets are not intended to create any

particular emotional reaction, unlike fi lm

and other visual art forms, for example.

But as neurological research demonstrates,

visual art and metaphor can trigger brain

reactions that are different from those

generated by words alone—either written

or spoken. Sometimes an image can trigger

27

BEING MINDFUL

28

responses in emotional centres of the brain

before any cognitive processing occurs.

So for all Innovative Resources’ illustrated card

sets we caution people to expect the unexpected.

Even a very cute, apparently innocuous-looking

mob of koalas might trigger hidden feelings.

An unexpected or strong response from a

participant, like anger or tears, should not be

taken as failure on the part of the product or the

facilitator. Nor do these responses suggest

damage has been done.

While it is always an option to put the cards

away and try something else, there remains

the option of focusing on the emotion or

behaviour that is evoked provided there is a

safe, supportive and respectful environment,

and an appropriately skilled facilitator.

Some useful questions to consider might include:

• Why did the person react to the card in the

way they did?

• What can we learn from this?

• How might this experience be used to help

build the person’s insight or strengths?

29

30

DID YOU KNOW?Did you know that…

• Although it looks like a small bear, the koala is a marsupial mammal.

• In Aboriginal languages, the word koala is thought to mean ‘does not drink’. Koalas receive over 90% of their fl uid intake from eucalyptus leaves. They only drink water when they are ill or when there is not enough moisture in the leaves.

• A koala’s front and rear paws each have fi ve digits with sharp claws. Their hands have two opposable thumbs and three fi ngers. Two toes on their rear feet are joined together to form a ‘grooming claw’, useful for combing their fur.

• Koalas are mostly nocturnal and spend up to 20 hours a day resting in trees.

• Koalas have a life span of between 12 and 15 years.

• There are over 600 species of eucalyptus trees, but koalas only eat the leaves and bark from 12 of these. The koala’s digestive system detoxifi es the poisonous leaves. Each koala eats approximately 12–21 ounces (350 to 600 grams) of leaves a day.

• Koalas are very territorial and each animal has its own home trees. Koalas do not normally visit each other’s home trees, except for breeding.

• Koalas breed once a year between December and March (the Southern Hemisphere’s summer) and give birth to only one baby at a time. Gestation is 35 days. At birth, the joey is very small, about the size of a jelly bean.

• Koalas reach a maximum length of about 24–34 inches (60–85cm). An adult male koala can weigh between 17–30 pounds (8–14 kilograms) and a female between 13–25 pounds (6–11 kilograms).

31

32

As the publishing arm of St Luke’s, Innovative

Resources is a busy, bustling organism that

generally functions at a much more frenetic pace

than koalas are known to do.

St Luke’s is based in Bendigo, Central Victoria,

Australia, and runs numerous programs for

children, youth, adults and families living with

disabilities, mental health issues or fi nancial

concerns.

Some 20 years ago St Luke’s stumbled into the

world of publishing with a set of cards called

Strength Cards…and as they say in the classics,

‘all the rest is history’. We continue to be

fascinated by the power of visual metaphors to

ABOUT ST LUKE’S INNOVATIVE RESOURCES

33

open up different conversational pathways and

transform lives.

Innovative Resources has published over 60

original ‘tools’ that are used by countless human

service workers in many countries.

Innovative Resources is a not-for-profi t enterprise

that has managed to generate a surplus every year.

These funds are returned to St Luke’s to support its

direct service programs.

To learn more about St Luke’s, please go to:

www.stlukes.org.au

To learn more about Innovative Resources or to

order a catalogue, please go to:

www.innovativeresources.org

34

Russell Deal: authorRussell is Innovative Resources’ founder and creative director. He also happens to be the one on the team who most resembles a marsupial—by looks and temperament. Russell’s diet these days consists mainly of lettuce, rather than eucalyptus leaves or other marsupial delicacies, as he tries to shed a few kilos. But he certainly can portray all 20 emotions portrayed in these cards in less than half an hour!

After 20 years of designing and publishing Innovative Resources’ card sets and running his ‘seriously optimistic’ workshops, Russell remains obsessed (his wife Annie’s word) with the power of visual metaphors to change people’s lives.

THE ZOO KEEPERS

Mat Jones: illustrator

Mat is Innovative Resources’ in-house graphic

designer and has his paw prints on a number

of Innovative Resources’ projects including

Strength Cards for Kids, Mates Traits, Koala

Company, Cars ’R’ Us and Strengths to the Max.

35

St Luke’s Innovative Resources137 McCrae Street BENDIGOVictoria 3550 AustraliaPh: (03) 5442 0500 Fax: (03) 5442 0555Email: info@innovativeresources.orgWebsite: www.innovativeresources.org

The 20 characters in this card set can help anyone name their feelings. Recognising

feelings is often at the heart of life-changing conversations for counsellors, teachers, social workers, parents and facilitators.

Innovative Resources is a not-for-profi t publisher and bookseller; all sales support the children,

youth, family, and community services provided by St Luke’s Anglicare.