1. THE ROLE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN SOCIAL WORK

2. Economy, efficiency, effectiveness…… …… emotion

3. ‘The most troubling and intractable situations exist when performance difficulties occur in the context of staff who lack accurate empathy, self- awareness and self-management skills. The lack of emotional competence renders specific performance problems, such as poor recording practice, all but unmanageable’. (Morrison, 2007: 247)

4. What is emotional intelligence? [It] involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s own thinking and actions. (Salovey and Mayer [1990] in Morrison, 2007: 250)

5.  Emotional awareness  Emotional understanding  Emotional management

6. Emotional Intelligence and Supervision  allay anxiety;  reduce guilt;  increase certainty;  relieve dissatisfaction;  fortify flagging faith;  affirm and reinforce the worker’s assets;  replenish depleted self-esteem;  nourish and enhance the capacity for adaptation;  alleviate psychological pain;  restore emotional equilibrium;  comfort;  bolster and refresh.

7. The supervisor’s role is not just to reassure the worker, but, to allow the emotional disturbance to be felt within a safer setting of the supervisory relationship, where it can be survived, reflected and learnt from. Hawkins and Shohet (2000: 3)

8.  Emotional awareness about one’s own feelings and the sources of those feelings.  Empathy – the ability to understand what another person is or might be feeling.  Self-management – the ability to manage one’s emotions to achieve goals.  Interpersonal skills – the ability to relate to others in a purposeful and emotionally appropriate manner.

9. The Professional Accommodation Syndrome Secrecy, where staff do not speak of the emotional impact of the work for fear of being perceived as not coping. Helplessness, when the organisation’s expectations are that staff will look after themselves. These expectations do not encourage workers to express emotions such as helplessness or vulnerability. Entrapment and accommodation, when workers are trapped in a culture in which being truthful about emotions is seen as unprofessional and weak and denial of emotions is seen as being strong and coping. Delayed or unconvincing disclosure of emotions, which may be seen in circumstances where disclosure of a worker’s emotions is triggered by conflict involving volatility, anger, aggression, resignation or immobilisation. Retraction, which occurs when a delayed or unconvincing disclosure by a worker is met with disbelief, scepticism or punishment by the agency, followed by retraction from the worker ‘I’m fine now; it was nothing to do with my work’.

10. Negative messages All or nothing thinking: an unwillingness to accept the existence of a middle ground. Things are measured as a success or a failure. Mental filler: an unwillingness to accept the positive, preferring to focus on negative aspects. Minimisation: minimising emotions. Labelling: disparaging comments that undermine self-worth and confidence. Personalising: accepting responsibility for any situation that did not go according to plan, despite there being other factors. Should statements: ‘Ought to’, ‘Must’, ‘Must not’, ‘Should’, ‘Should not’, ‘Have to’ etc.

11. Demands Such as workload, work patterns and work environment. Control How much say practitioners have in the way they do their work. Support The encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organisation, line management and colleagues. RelationshipsPromoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour. RoleWhether practitioners understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles. ChangeHow organisational change is managed and communicated in the organisation.

12. 1.Which aspects of Emotional Intelligence stand out for you and why? 2. Which Emotional Intelligence skills would you choose to develop further? (Prioritise them if more than one.) 3. What do you need to facilitate the development of these skills?