Drug-Free Emotional Regulation Pilot Launches in California as U.S. Mental Health System Faces Mounting Strain
At a time when the U.S. mental health system is grappling with persistent funding instability, workforce burnout, and a sharp rise in demand for accessible emotional support, a new nonpharmaceutical emotional regulation initiative is moving into pilot implementation. JOYELY, LLC has announced the February launch of a California-based pilot program centered on structured emotional regulation training designed to help individuals manage stress, communication breakdown, and psychological overload without reliance on medication.
The program enters the field amid growing disruption across the mental health landscape. Federal and state systems have faced staffing shortages, clinician attrition, and uncertainty surrounding public grants and long-term funding allocations. At the same time, employers, healthcare providers, and community organizations report escalating levels of emotional fatigue, anxiety, and burnout among both professionals and the populations they serve. These converging pressures have intensified interest in scalable, skills-based approaches that can complement traditional therapy and psychiatric care.
JOYELY’s pilot introduces the JOY Intelligence™ framework, a structured model of emotional recognition and regulation formalized for clinical settings as Emotional Recognition Baseline Therapy (ERBT). The methodology was developed by Sheryl Lynn and Bailey Romatoski and is designed to address a gap often observed in conventional systems: while many treatment models focus on diagnosing and responding to emotional crises, fewer emphasize teaching individuals how to recognize and regulate emotional responses in real time—particularly in high-pressure professional environments.
According to program leaders, ERBT emphasizes foundational emotional skills that can reduce escalation cycles, prevent communication breakdown, and support mental endurance among leaders, clinicians, and frontline professionals. Rather than positioning itself as a replacement for psychotherapy or medical treatment, the framework is intended to function as a structured, preventative layer—helping individuals build emotional literacy and regulation capacity before stress responses become overwhelming.
Responding to Systemic Pressure
The launch timing reflects broader systemic strain. Healthcare workers, educators, first responders, and corporate leaders have reported sustained psychological load in the aftermath of pandemic-era demands, economic uncertainty, and rising caseload complexity. Mental health professionals themselves are experiencing high levels of secondary trauma and burnout, contributing to workforce shortages that further limit patient access.
In this environment, structured self-regulation tools are increasingly viewed as a necessary complement to traditional care. Proponents argue that equipping individuals with practical methods to process emotional stimuli—rather than solely reacting to distress—can reduce crisis frequency and improve resilience across sectors.
The California pilot will operate under the clinical direction of Ehsan Gharadjedaghi, Psy.D., Founder and Clinical Director of Norooz Clinic Foundation, a nonprofit community mental health center that provides affordable behavioral healthcare services and training for emerging therapists. The clinic’s involvement positions the pilot within a community-based clinical setting, where methods can be observed across diverse populations.
“When individuals learn to identify and process emotions in a structured, safe way, therapy shifts from reactive problem-solving to proactive navigation,” said Dr. Gharadjedaghi. “ERBT introduces a science-informed framework that helps people reframe emotional experiences, which may contribute to more sustainable change.”
Framework and Methodology
At the core of the model is Integrated Valence Theory, a patent-pending conceptual framework that organizes emotional experiences along structured recognition pathways. The approach begins with a brief, guided grounding exercise known as the Chair of JOY®, a 60-second practice that encourages participants to sit, breathe, think, and feel without judgment. This short intervention serves as an entry point for emotional awareness before participants engage in deeper recognition and processing steps.
Developers describe the practice as intentionally simple and repeatable, designed to be used in clinical sessions, leadership training, crisis communication preparation, and everyday professional contexts. By emphasizing immediate emotional awareness rather than suppression, the method seeks to interrupt stress escalation at its earliest stages.
The pilot will also employ the JQ System, a structured assessment and training process intended to measure and strengthen emotional regulation capacity over time. Together with Integrated Valence Theory, the system provides a consistent framework that clinicians can use to guide participants through recognition, interpretation, and regulation phases.
Early User Experience Data
Internal data collected from prior user experiences has shown promising early indicators, according to JOYELY representatives. Across thousands of participants in earlier sessions, 94% reportedly described experiencing immediate emotional relief following guided exercises. In a smaller healthcare worker pilot involving approximately 80 participants, average self-regulation scores improved by 68%.
Program leaders emphasize that these findings are preliminary and based on internal assessments. The new pilot is designed to provide more formal evaluation within a clinical environment, allowing for structured observation and outcome tracking. Organizers state that results will help determine how the framework may be adapted for broader implementation.
Expanding Beyond Crisis Intervention
While many emotional support initiatives focus narrowly on crisis intervention or suicide prevention, this pilot aims to explore broader applications. Areas of evaluation include:
- Workplace leadership and high-stakes decision environments
- Crisis communication and conflict de-escalation
- Therapist and caregiver burnout prevention
- Everyday emotional regulation required for sustained professional performance
By framing emotional regulation as a core functional skill—similar to physical endurance or cognitive focus—the initiative aligns with growing research emphasizing preventive mental health strategies rather than exclusively reactive treatment.
Public Demonstration
Ahead of the clinical pilot, a large-scale public demonstration is scheduled for January 28 in Las Vegas, where 60 speakers will participate in a live presentation of the JOY Intelligence™ approach. Organizers describe the event as an educational forum intended to introduce the framework to mental health professionals, organizational leaders, and community stakeholders.
As mental health systems worldwide confront resource constraints and rising need, hybrid models that integrate structured emotional skills training with traditional care may become increasingly common. The JOYELY pilot represents one such effort to test whether standardized emotional recognition and regulation frameworks can help individuals maintain stability under pressure.
The outcomes of the California program may offer insight into how nonpharmaceutical, skills-based interventions can function alongside established therapeutic and medical pathways. If effective, such models could contribute to reducing clinician burnout, improving communication resilience, and strengthening emotional capacity in high-demand environments.
With February’s launch approaching, stakeholders across healthcare, nonprofit, and organizational sectors will be watching closely to see whether structured emotional regulation training can help address some of the growing pressures facing the modern mental health ecosystem.
About
Chair of JOY, Inc. is a nonprofit organization operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes.
Chair of JOY provides global support services that help individuals and families build emotional regulation skills that strengthen mental health, resilience, and connection. Its programs serve family-owned businesses, veterans, and seniors, focused on creating emotional safety, steady presence, and sustainable well-being across all stages of life.
