the basics

If you had a nickel for every time someone asked "what do you need?" and you weren't sure how to answer, would you be rich?! If so, we have the perfect wheel for you! The Needs Wheel is a tool to make identifying what you need a little bit easier  

Your Step by Step Guide

1. Identify the general emotion that you are feeling, locate the petal that correlates with your current emotion.
2. Locate the unmet need, this could be what you feel is missing or what you’re yearning for, read through the options, and pick one that resonates with you.
3. See options of how to meet that need or use our ideas as a starting point to brainstorm your own
4. Go get that need met! Your needs matter!  ​

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The Research that inspired us

As challenging as it is to identify your own needs, researchers have also struggled to identify a widely accepted needs theory. This makes sense, everyone’s needs are different and unique! Regardless of your unique needs, it is clear that getting our needs met matters! Fun fact, it has even been shown to help in manage the impact of our unique attachment styles (Wei et al., 2005). We used categories from Basic Psychological Needs Theory (Van den Broeck et al., 2016 ) and a rendition of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Sosteric & Raktovic, 2020) to inform our wheel. With distinct needs and actionable steps to meet those needs, The Needs Wheel is sure to be a staple in all therapeutic settings.

Sosteric, M., & Raktovic, G. (2020). Eupsychian Theory: Reclaiming Maslow and Rejecting The Pyramid-The Seven Essential Needs.
Van den Broeck, A., Ferris, D. L., Chang, C. H., & Rosen, C. C. (2016). A review of self-determination theory’s basic psychological  needs at work. Journal of Management, 42(5), 1195-1229.
Wei, M., Shaffer, P. A., Young, S. K., & Zakalik, R. A. (2005). Adult attachment, shame, depression, and loneliness: the mediation role of basic psychological needs satisfaction. Journal of
   counseling psychology, 52(4), 591.