15 Printable Feelings Wheels That Help Clients Finally Say “That’s What I’m Feeling”

"Some Days, They Just Don’t Have the Words"

You know the look. A client stares down, shifts in their seat, shrugs. "I don’t know... just bad, I guess." And you can feel it, there’s so much going on under the surface, but the words just won’t come.

Sometimes, no matter how gently you ask or how safe the space feels, naming emotions is hard.

Especially when those emotions are tangled up in trauma, anxiety, overwhelm, or just years of not being allowed to feel.

Maybe you’ve tried prompts. You’ve asked, "Where do you feel it in your body?" or offered examples like sadness, fear, anger. But still, they pause, unsure. And that pause? It matters. It tells us there’s a missing bridge between feeling and language.

That’s where a simple, humble tool comes in: the Feelings Wheels.

You’ve likely seen one before. A rainbow of emotions circling outward from the basics. But have you ever thought about just how powerful it can be? Or how many versions exist that go far beyond that classic wheel?

In this blog, we’ll take a deeper look at how Feelings Wheels work, why they help, and how to actually use them in session in a way that’s meaningful, not just another handout.

There is also this blog post: 15 Powerful Feelings Wheels to Transform Emotional Regulation for You and Your Clients. That you may also find helpful

Because helping clients find their words? That’s where healing often begins.

What Is a Feelings Wheel, Really?

Let’s start with the basics, but not stay there.

A Feelings Wheel is more than just a colorful graphic. At its heart, it’s a map, a visual language for what so many clients struggle to say out loud. Most traditional wheels start with a core of basic emotions (like mad, sad, glad, scared) and expand outward into more nuanced states (irritated, hopeless, content, proud).

But here’s the thing: not all emotion wheels are created equal.

Some go deeper. Some include behavioral cues, bodily sensations, even trauma responses. And that’s where they become more than a tool, they become a lifeline.

If you’ve ever worked with clients who’ve shut down emotionally or who intellectualize their feelings, then you know that just asking “How do you feel?” can fall flat. But showing them a visual—letting them scan through language they may not have thought to use, opens doors.

There’s something disarming about a visual. It says, "You don’t have to know, just point. Just start here."

The Feelings Wheels we’ll explore in this post don’t just stay surface-level. They meet clients where they are, whether that’s in a place of high anxiety, trauma reactivity, sensory overwhelm, or emotional disconnect.

And maybe that’s what makes them so powerful: they turn what feels like an impossible ask into a tangible step forward.

How Feelings Wheels Help Clients Make Sense of Their Inner World

Naming a feeling sounds simple until you’re the one caught in it.

Many clients come in using only a few words for their emotional experience, sad, angry, fine, stressed. But beneath those vague catch-alls is a far more layered landscape. And that’s exactly what a Feelings Wheel can help uncover.

With the right wheel in front of them, clients begin to see emotional nuance. Stressed might reveal itself as pressured, trapped, or frustrated. Sad might crack open into lonely, ashamed, or grief-stricken. The moment they can point to a word that fits, there’s relief. Recognition. Maybe even a shift in posture.

It’s more than vocabulary. It’s emotional accuracy. And that clarity can change the direction of a session.

Take Lina, for example. She’s 16, recently diagnosed with generalized anxiety, and insists she’s “just always stressed.” After introducing her to a Feelings Wheel, she pauses. Points to overwhelmed. Then worried. Then, with a whisper, not good enough.

That’s the moment therapy deepens. And you didn’t have to dig, it was there, waiting for the right tool to surface it.

Emotion wheels support:

• Emotional literacy and insight

• Linking emotions with behaviors or symptoms

• Reducing shame by normalizing complexity

• Identifying unmet needs or inner parts (in IFS work, for instance)

  
  

They’re also especially helpful for clients with trauma, ADHD, or neurodivergence, where verbal processing can be limited.

From Visual to Verbal – How to Use a Feelings Wheel in Session

This isn’t just a handout you toss onto the table. When used intentionally, Feelings Wheels can become a central part of your therapeutic process.

Here are some ways to integrate them:

• As a check-in tool: Invite the client to circle words that resonate with their current state. Start each session here if emotional identification is a goal.

• To process triggers: Use the wheel to backtrack after a reactive moment—What were you feeling right before that?

• In somatic work: Link bodily sensations to emotions by having the client track where they feel a word they choose.

• During journaling/homework: Assign wheel-based reflection prompts like “Which emotion felt strongest today?”

  
  

You can also match the wheel to the moment. Is it an anxious day? Use the Anxiety Wheel. A client struggling with boundaries? Try the Communication or Trauma Response Wheel.

Another way to approach this is to keep a few different wheels available, perhaps printed or laminated. When a client feels stuck, offering a few options to look through can help them find the one that resonates. It’s a way to meet them where they are without needing them to name it first. The right visual often gets the conversation flowing again.

And that’s the point, these wheels aren’t about labeling for labeling’s sake. They’re about creating language, awareness, and safety where words might otherwise fail.

Let’s Talk About The Feelings Wheel Posters That Go Deeper

If you’ve ever wished you had more than just a single generic feelings chart, this is for you.

The Feelings Wheel Posters set was created to bring depth, variety, and real-world usefulness into your work. It includes 15 different wheels—each designed to help clients explore emotions in a way that feels accessible and validating.

Here’s what’s inside:

• Trauma Triggers Wheel

• Anxiety Wheel

• DBT Feelings/Skills Wheel

• ADHD Emotions Wheel

• Emotion-Sensation Wheel

• Communication Wheel

• Needs Wheel

• Self-Care Wheel

• Places We Go When Wheel (inspired by Atlas of the Heart)

• Power and Control Wheel

• Equality Wheel

• Trauma Response Behavior Wheel

• Triggers Wheel

• The Trauma Wheel

• The Sensory Wheel

Whether you’re supporting someone through regulation, identity development, or deeper trauma work, these wheels help bridge the emotional gap.

These aren’t just pretty visuals, they’re practical tools you can use in session, assign for homework, or keep within reach for when your client simply can’t find the words.

What You’ll Get

When you purchase the Feelings Wheel Posters, here’s what’s included:

• 1x A4 Color PDF (15 pages)

• 1x US Letter Color PDF (15 pages)

• 15 Transparent PNGs (individual wheels)

They’re designed for:

• Therapists and counselors

• Educators and school support staff

• Coaches or mentors

• Anyone guiding others through emotional discovery

Print them out, keep them in a binder, share a few with clients, or use them in digital sessions. They’re flexible enough to meet your practice where it is.

Ready to Use Them in Session?

If you’re ready to turn that moment of “I don’t know how I feel” into something meaningful and supported, this set is for you.

✔️ Grab your copy of the Feelings Wheel Posters  ✔️ Print the ones you need  ✔️ Start using them in your next session

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just have the right ones on hand.

Gentle Observation: You hold so much space for your clients every day.

Sometimes, it’s the smallest tools that create the biggest shifts. Not because they’re groundbreaking, but because they help someone feel seen, understood, and safe enough to say, “Yes. That’s it. That’s what I’m feeling.”

Here’s to helping them find those words.

Jemma (Gentle Observations Team)

P.S. If you're a Therapy Resource Library member, the Feelings Wheel Posters are already waiting for you inside! You can download them individually right here: Feelings Wheel Posters

Not a member yet? Learn more about everything included in the Therapy Resource Library and how it can support your work right here.

P.S.S If you found this post interesting, you may also want to check out this one: 15 Powerful Feelings Wheels to Transform Emotional Regulation for You and Your Clients