Harmony House Collective Health & Wellness Fair
by Ciara Sophia
On May 17, 2025, Harmony House Collective had their first annual Health and Wellness Fair in downtown Overland Park. The energy that filled the space was nothing short of inspiring. The fair consisted of 26 vendors/resource tables, mini-spa services, a pop-up coffee shop, children’s activities and a silent auction. Healthy Kansas City was proud to be one of the key sponsors donating a full-page AD to the silent auction and to have attended the event as well.
Harmony House is a collective of therapists (play, art, somatic, CBT, ACT and EMDR) who work with children and families. Amy Hyken-Lande, who has been in private practice (KIDS INC KC) for 20 years, founded Harmony House in October, she explains how it all came about.
“I had just dropped off one of my foster kittens at a local vet, and I drove past this beautiful blue house across from the park with a sign in front of it. That was my “sign” to contact the owner and make my dream come true. Besides offering therapy services, I really wanted to collaborate with other providers and healers in the community, as well as give back. The event wasn’t just about promoting awareness about physical and mental health, it was about building connections, supporting one another and giving back in a meaningful way.”
Half of the proceeds raised at the event went to Melissa’s Second Chance Rescue. More importantly, two of the dogs were adopted to their FURever home. Amy proudly said that hosting the fair was a reminder to her that wellness doesn’t exist in isolation. It thrives when we all come together with a shared mission.
As briefly mentioned earlier, Harmony House works with therapists that specialize in various forms of therapy. One of these forms is called “Play Therapy”: the art of understanding, engaging, and enjoying play with children in a therapeutic setting. Play therapists are trained specifically to understand the free associations that children make while moving from toy to toy, and the symbolism behind each toy the child chooses.
This goes beyond just having fun and relieving stress for the child, it encompasses the child’s growing understanding of his/her innermost thoughts and feelings. Through this form of therapy, the therapist helps children and families fully address and resolve painful life situations.
While each therapist with Harmony House specializes in their own form of therapy, each and every one is trained to build and nurture emotional intelligence in children.
These therapists, while doing great work during their appointments, would encourage that this work is continued at home.
Some tips they would provide a child’s guardian are:
Validating the child’s feelings, teaching problem solving skills rather than rushing in to help.
Use a wide variety of emotional words in order to teach the child how to label their emotions at a young age.
In regards to nurturing emotional intelligence, the key factor is not to be afraid to discuss feelings and emotions, rather seeing emotions as an opportunity to teach, connect, and model.
For more information on KIDS INC KC and Harmony House Collective, contact Amy Hyken-Lande at Amyhl@everestkc.net or visit kidsinckctherapy.com
