Matt Casper graduated cum laude, from Duke University were he studied Personality Psychology, Comparative Religion (with a focus on Hinduism) and Film.  He spent 6 months in India researching and writing a paper on Hindu art, architecture and ritual as means towards “experiencing the self.”  He then went on to receive Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the California Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology and Psychoanalysis.  He is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in Los Angeles, California.

Matt has spent 3 years working at a non-profit counseling center in Beverly Hills called the Maple Counseling Center. He also worked with children who fall somewhere on the autism spectrum at the Julia-Ann Singer Therapeutic school. In addition, he was a supervisor at TEEN LINE, a teen-to-teen hotline that provides support for teenagers across the country who are struggling with various challenges, from abuse, depression, drug use and sexuality.

He has been working as an actor for the past 10 years, appearing in dozens of national television commercials as well as having roles on television shows such as “Desperate Housewives” and films such as “Pearl Harbor.”

“I was approached by a woman named Helen Lau who came up with the concept of the Emotes.  She is a designer, with a long history of working in the toy industry.  She actually helped to develop and distribute the Smurfs.  As a parent, she found herself needing help talking to her sons about their emotions and so she created the Emotes characters.  She brought me on board to serve as the psychological/emotional consultant and writer of the Emotes books to help develop and spread the emotional message of the Emotes.” said Matt.
Where do you draw inspiration for your products and books?

After having worked with people of all ages as a psychotherapist, I have seen first hand how the denial of emotions can lead to destructive behavioral and thought patterns.  Kids that are raised in an environment where emotional expression is discouraged end up feeling ashamed, guilty and alone regarding their feelings.  These repressed emotions than have the potential for seeping out into hateful behavior (i.e. violence and prejeudice) as well as inward turned aggression leading to depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.  The Emotes are here to help children foster a greater awareness and understanding of their ever-changing emotional states.

Feelings are always changing.  For a developing child this experience can be confusing and overwhelming.  The Emotes are here to help! The Emotes books are filled with engaging illustrations and fun stories that each tackle a different emotional challenge.

The Emotes toys and books help children to recognize their emotions through facial expressions and help them to pick up on non-verbal emotional cues, while also teaching them how to express their feelings through words.  When a child boosts their emotional vocabulary, they are better prepared for the emotional rollercoaster of childhood and beyond!

Describe your best selling items and favorite experience with your profession?

In conjunction with our books, we have developed toys for each of the Emotes characters.  We sell these vinyl toys individually, but they are also sold in a set called “The Emotes Emotions Display Case”.  This case allows kids to choose one of the Emotes characters who they feel represents how they are feeling, and then highlight this character at the center of the display case. The experience allows kids to communicate with caregivers how they are feeling, while also providing a starting point for discussion.

It is amazing to see how children immediately respond to the Emotes and quickly identify with one or more of the characters.  Parents are amazed to see children gravitate towards the particular Emote character that embodies their specific feeling state at that time…

We were at the Miami Book Fair this past November.  A mother and son came to our booth and they both immediately responded to the Emotes…especially to Jumpi (“the scared”) and his book “Jumpi Goes To Camp”.  The boy took the Jumpi plush and hugged him tightly.  I gave him the Jumpi book and he began to read it right away.  The mother and I began a conversation.  She told me that her son (age 7) was about to have a kidney transplant, and that he was VERY scared.  He was having bad dreams, just as Jumpi does in the book.  The mother and I both got tears in our eyes as we watched the boy respond to Jumpi.  He was scared.  And so was his mom.  They left with a book and with a Jumpi plush.  I hope that the Emotes help this boy and his mother to remember that it is okay to be afraid–it’s a very normal feeling.  I also hope that the Emotes will help them both to express how they are feeling and seek comfort in realizing that they do not have to be alone with their feelings.

What are your plans for the future?

My goal is to help kids increase their “EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE” by teaching them to identify, understand and express their emotions in a fun and interactive way.  It is essential that children increase their “EMOTIONAL VOCABULARY” — their ability to put their feelings into words.

We currently have books aimed towards helping younger children (ages 5-8) yet we are also developing simple picture books for kids ages 2-4, and comics for teenagers and young adults to help this population handle the specific challenges of their generation (i.e. drug use, depression, suicide etc.)  In 2009 we will be releasing a book filled with four panel comic strips that will make kids giggle while also modeling ways to handle and express their emotions in a healthy way.

Our toys (plush as well as vinyl figures) are geared towards allowing kids (of all ages) to externalize and interact with their emotions…while also having fun!

We will be traveling with the Emotes a great deal in 2009–exhibiting at both the New York and San Diego ComicCon, Book Expo International, Association of Play Therapists Convention and many more events nationwide.

We are also working with a wonderful group called TEEN LINE through Ceda
rs-Sinai hospital.  This is a hotline as well as an interactive site (www.teenlineonline.org) where teens can speak with other teens about problems that they are facing.

Visit www.emotes.com and www.mattcasper.com.  Los Angeles, California

The Emotes books and toys can be purchased through www.emotes.com.  The
website also features games, comics, short videos, and lesson plans for
educators and parents.  There is also a blog at
www.emotesblog.blogspot.com.

Tags: Authors, books, children, Emotes, emotions, feelings