SUDS

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Welcome to SUDS—The Subjective Units of Distress Scale!

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This simple but powerful tool helps kids and teens rate how big a feeling is in the moment—especially tough ones like stress, worry, fear, or sadness.

To begin, click the plus sign to start a new scale. You’ll be asked to choose between two scale styles: the Number Scale, which is best for older kids or teens, and the Emoji Scale, a more visual and kid-friendly option that works well for younger clients.

With the Number Scale, clients can slide to pick a number between 0 and 100 to show how distressed they feel. As they move the slider, the corresponding result will highlight in real time. This gives you a natural opportunity to explore their choice.  You can ask process questions such as, what made the number feel that high or that low, and what might help bring it down?

When they're ready, they can hit Save. Back on the main screen, you’ll see their score saved along with a timestamp. This makes it easy to track emotional patterns over time and notice progress.

The Emoji Scale works the same way, but instead of numbers, kids click through expressive emoji faces to pick the one that matches how they feel. The scale ranges from 0 to 10, with faces that reflect increasing levels of distress. This option is especially helpful for young kids or older kids and teens that are visual learners.

Once they’ve picked a face that fits, you can talk with them about why they chose it and what tools or supports might help. When they hit Save, their score and timestamp are recorded, just like the number scale.

Back on the menu, you’ll see a record of the client's past scores from both scales. Clicking on a past score will give you an option to delete or download a PDF version of the assessment.  This is perfect for printing, emailing, or adding to the client’s file.

SUDS is a great way to check in, track emotional intensity, and open up space for reflection and skill-building.

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