Chair of JOY® · Emotional Regulation Program
Chair of JOY® is a self-guided emotional regulation program and social emotional learning program that helps children, families, schools, and communities build resilience, strengthen relationships, and support emotional wellness in everyday moments.
Featured Story
Samantha was running around excitedly, grabbing toys and saying, “Mine! That’s mine!” I invited her to sit with me in a Chair of JOY®. Looking into her eyes, I asked her to take five slow breaths, counting each one on her fingers. Then I reminded her of earlier that morning, when everyone was coloring together, and asked,“Do you remember how much fun you were having with your friends? Can you feel how much you love them and how happy you are they’re here?”
In less than 60 seconds, everything changed.
Samantha stood up calmer, smiling, and ready to play again. She began sharing, laughing, and reconnecting with her friends. What started as a simple pause became a powerful reminder that sometimes all we need is a moment to sit, breathe, think, and feel in a Chair of JOY®.
Chair of JOY® believes emotional well-being should be as visible, accessible, and practiced as physical health.
A Chair of JOY® is a visible, welcoming pause point placed wherever people move through their day. Beside it sits a simple brochure with four steps anyone can follow on their own, at their own pace, in their own time.
No appointment. No class. No wellness training required. Just a chair, a brochure, and an open invitation to anyone who needs a moment to breathe, remember something warm, and feel a little less alone.
Rather than a "time-out chair," the Chair of JOY® becomes a relationship chair — a place where people can feel seen, heard, supported, and valued.
Chair of JOY is an emotional wellness experience made visible in your community — a grassroots emotional wellness movement and prevention focused wellness program built on practical emotional literacy. A signal that says: it is okay to pause here.
"Most people moving through their day are carrying something. Chair of JOY gives them a place to put it down."
A yellow chair on private or organizational property, softly anchored, with a brochure holder right beside it.
Chair of JOY is a positive emotional wellness experience, not a clinical service. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, please reach out to a qualified professional or contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Additional resources are listed inside the brochure.
A few real places a Chair of JOY® has already shown up.
Watch how a Chair of JOY comes to life in a real neighborhood and organization.
The movement grows through three connected efforts working together.
Placing visible pause points in schools, hospitals, workplaces, libraries, faith communities, nonprofits, and neighborhoods.
Equipping local leaders to maintain each chair, restock brochures, and keep the experience alive.
Creating events, trainings, storytelling, JQVOICES, Chair of JOY Day, and impact collection that help people practice safety, presence, and joy.
However you want to be part of it, there's a simple next step.
Prefer we help place one for you? Request a Chair instead.
One chair. One moment. One person at a time. Together, those moments can change families, organizations, and communities.
