The Neighborhood
Meet the Creator
About Me
Hi, I’m Galina Tyukhtina
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I am a family therapist, author, and the creator of Feelings Neighborhood—a warm and imaginative world where children and families can explore emotions, recognize their strengths, and grow closer together.
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Throughout my work with children and families, I have seen that meaningful conversations do not always begin with direct questions. Sometimes they begin with a character, a story, a drawing, a game, or a single moment when a child feels understood and safe.
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Feelings Neighborhood grew from those moments.
The story, experience, and heart behind Feelings Neighborhood.
My Professional Perspective
My professional background is in marriage and family therapy, with experience supporting children and families navigating autism, ADHD, anxiety, emotional regulation, communication challenges, sibling relationships, trauma, and significant life transitions.
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My approach is family-centered, creative, and practical. I draw from systemic family therapy, cognitive-behavioral strategies, trauma-informed care, narrative work, play-based activities, art, visual supports, and everyday family experiences.
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This professional perspective shapes Feelings Neighborhood, but the project is not a substitute for therapy. It is a collection of stories, characters, books, and shared experiences created to encourage reflection, communication, emotional awareness, and connection.
What I Believe
Every feeling belongs.
Every person has a story worth hearing.
Courage does not always have to be loud.
Mistakes can become opportunities for growth.
Children grow best when they feel understood rather than judged.
Families do not need perfect words—they need opportunities to connect.
Feelings Neighborhood is my invitation to children and families to slow down, listen with curiosity, and keep growing together—one story, one conversation, and one small step at a time.
How the Neighborhood Began
Feelings Neighborhood began with a simple belief: every feeling deserves understanding, every story matters, and every person needs a place to belong.
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In my work, I often use stories, creative activities, visual supports, play, and reflection to help children and families express experiences that may be difficult to explain directly. I began imagining characters who could make those conversations feel safer, gentler, and more natural.
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Each resident of Feelings Neighborhood carries a different story and a different strength. Shy reminds us that courage can be quiet. Patch shows that mistakes can become opportunities to learn and repair. Boomer helps children understand big feelings and choose what happens next. Leo preserves the memories and moments that shape who we are.
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Together, these residents help families find new ways to feel, express, and connect.
Created for Children and Those Who Grow Beside Them
Feelings Neighborhood is created not only for children, but for the families, caregivers, educators, counselors, therapists, librarians, and community members who support them.
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The books and resources are designed to be shared. A child may begin by noticing a character or coloring a page, while an adult may use the same moment to listen, ask a thoughtful question, or better understand what the child is trying to communicate.
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The goal is not to tell children what they should feel. It is to give children and adults a language, a story, and a safe place from which meaningful connections can begin.
Zip
The Strength Reminder Who Brings Confidence
Zip notices when a neighbor may be running low on confidence, energy, or access to their own strengths.
Through Keeper, he helps bring back the right reminder at the right time - especially the reminder of what that neighbor already knows how to do well.
