2014 Power of Social Work ConferenceAlbany, NY

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: An essential mind and skill set for social workers

Every response we give to another person is like music and lyrics. The intellect (lyrics) composes the

message, and the emotions (music) provide animation, meaning, and unspoken energy.

“The skill to combine intellect and emotion in this dramatic and powerful fashion is emotional intelligence, and it possesses the power to elevate even the common exchanges of everyday encounters from the base level of you-and-me to the sublimity of I-and-Thou!” Howard Hopkins, retired teacher, Montreal www.canadone.com/ezine/july04/eq_interview.html

“a multifactorial array of interrelated emotional, personal and social abilities that influence our overall ability to actively and effectively cope with demands andpressures.”

Bar-On, R., & Parker, J.D.A. (2000). The handbook of emotional intelligence. San Francisco: Josey Bass.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Its what you think about what you feel.

EI: the

integration of emotional

and cognitive competencies

“The ability to recognize the meanings

of emotions and their relationships and

problem-solve on the basis of them.

Emotional Intelligence is involved in the

capacity to perceive emotion, assimilate

emotion-related feelings, understand

the information of those emotions and manage

them.” Mayer, J.D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D.

(2000). Models of emotional intelligence. In R.J. Steinberg (Ed.),

Handbookof intelligence. Cambridge, UK:

Cambridge University

Social workers navigate complex systems made up of individuals at different hierarchical levels who must constantly interrelate.

EI is an essential mind and skill set for navigating complex situations and environments

A study exploring communication in the medical field found a profound disconnect among members of the same surgical team. Communication was perceived to be:

**poor by the anesthesiologists**adequate by the nurses**good by the surgeons

“Teamwork and Communication in Surgical Teams: Implications For Patient Safety” Peter Mills PhD et al Journal of the American College of Surgeons Volume 206 Issue 1 2008 107-112

Roles, teams and systems influence

stress levels and perception

“In essence, emotional intelligence is the capacity to respond to stress-inducing events, people and situations in a conscious, creative way.

As such, EI is not about emotions per se but more about the way in which individuals effectively integrate emotions with thoughts and behaviour and so can act to reduce aversive emotional experiences.” Slaski, M & Cartwright, S “Emotional intelligence training and its implications for stress, health, and performance” Stress and Health 19: 233–239 (2003

“Emotions are a signaling system”

“Emotional competence requires being able to pilot through the emotional undercurrents always at play rather than being pulled under by them.”Daniel Goleman, Working With Emotional Intelligence, Bantam Books, 1998

The stress response is a biochemical event activated by the amygdala in the brain, which triggers the fight-flight-freeze response within milliseconds at the perception of a threat.

“…the architecture of the brain gives

the amygdala a privileged

position as the emotional

sentinel, able to hijack the brain.”

Goleman, D. Emotional Intelligence: Why It can Matter More Than IQ.

New York: Bantam Books, 1995

Lieberman, M.D., “Social Cognitive Neuroscience: A Review of Core Processes.” The Annual Review of Psychology, 2007. 58:259–89

Neuroscience has found an inverse

relationship between the

amygdala and the prefrontal cortex,

the brain’s executive

function where rational thought

and judgment sit.

“When the amygdala is active with blood and oxygen, there is less activation in the prefrontal cortex. Our thinking power is disrupted and there are deficits in our problem solving, because the blood and oxygen are in the amygdala versus the prefrontal cortex. It is like losing 10 to 15 IQ points temporarily, which explains “what was I thinking?” So we are thinking but with less capacity and brain power.” Lieberman, M.D., “Social Cognitive Neuroscience: A Review of Core Processes.” The Annual Review of Psychology, 2007. 58:259–89

The amygdala is hard wired to be

able to react quickly to danger signals

and keep us safe. In modern days, its

direct path to behavioral centers of the lower brain

can cause issues with the amygdala

being “hijacked” by emotional or psychological

stimuli.

The ability – or intelligence - to ‘read’ and manage emotions in the self and others is a moderator in the process of dealing with the stress response.Slaski, M & Cartwright, S “Emotional intelligence training and its implications for stress, health, and performance” Stress and Health 19: 233–239 (2003

Emotions are contagious

Emotional intelligence grows through increasing connections between emotions and

higher cognitive functions

Groups with supportive, reliable feedback

mechanisms for enhancing communication and interpersonal skills

Creative experiences in group s, e.g.

improvisation, role-playing, journaling or art

Mindfulness training & practice

Individual coaching to develop self-awareness

Storytelling classes and podcasts

EI is the use of brain and mind to engage with the tensions of a complex situation rather than react to them.

Self-awareness is power

“Through increased self-awareness, individuals are more able to detach themselves from events and regulate their emotions in order to prevent them from becoming ‘immersed in’ and ‘carried away’ by emotional reactiveness.”

Mark Slaski and Susan Cartwright, “Emotional intelligence training and its implications for stress, health and performance” Stress and Health Volume 19 2003

Research shows that emotional

competencies can be improved, with effective benefits on personal and

interpersonal functioning.

Kotsu I. et al “Emotional plasticity: conditions and effects of improving

emotional competence in adulthood.” Journal of Applied Psychology, 2011 July;

(96) 4: 827-39

The core competencies of

EI combine cognitive and

emotional processes

Accurate self-assessment: Knowingone's strengths and limits

Self-confidence: A strong sense ofone's self-worth and capabilities

Self-AwarenessKnowing one's internal states, preferences,resources, and intuitions

Emotional awareness: Recognizingone's emotions and their effects

Managing ones' internal states, impulses,and resources

Emotional Self-control

Maintaining integrity, acting congruently with one’s values

Adaptability and flexibility

Striving to improve or meeting a standard of excellence Readiness to act on opportunities

Persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks

Self-Management

EmpathyReading a group’s emotional currentsAbility to pick up others’ emotional cuesCommunication skillsConflict managementTeamwork and collaboration

Social Competence

We often tell ourselves a story about others’ real intent. Stress can be triggered by the story we tell and intensified if we are unable to check it out with the other people involved.

Communication and other interpersonal skills are most effectively cultivated in social-emotional group situations

The key to real change lies in

getting people to hold one another

accountable to agreements. This

is best achieved through dialogue

in which we express our

stories about what happened, listen to others’

stories and allow the interactions

to take the story in a new direction

The effects of conversations gone bad can be both devastating and far-reaching. Research shows that strong relationships, careers, organizations and communities all draw from the same source of power-the ability to talk openly about high-stakes, emotional, controversial topics.Patterson, K., Greeny, J., McMillan, R., Switzler, A Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When The Stakes are High, 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill Books, 2012

It is what you say. And how you say it.

Ask for feedback and listen without judgment – others’ perceptions are not without bias but they can be useful in our dealings with them Some ideas about

how to develop the core skills of

EI

One study found that writing that focused on thoughts and emotions about stressful events resulted in a greater awareness of the positive benefits of the stressful event. This effect was apparently mediated by greater cognitive processing during writing.“Journaling about stressful events: Effects of cognitive processing and emotional expression “ Philip M Ullrich & Susan Lutgendorf, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Vol. 24 No. 3 244-250

Write in a journal about emotions at the beginning

and at the end of the day – be alert

to patterns and specific “hot

button” issues that show up

repeatedly.

Structures that support expressive writing that

redirects the stress response

A “holding space” in which we are sufficiently free and sufficiently safe to let go enough to experience bodily, “felt” shifts through the writing process. The “holding space” may be:• The private journal and journaling time;• A supportive group in which some writing might be shared or discussed;• A consistent practice of writing;

“Beyond Expressive Writing: Evolving Models of Developmental Creative Writing” Sophie Nichols, Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 14 No. 2 (March 2009): 174

Key emotional intelligence skill

for social workers:

Situational awareness

Situational awareness is the capacity to rapidly grasp an existing situation, let go of assumptions and become aware of preconceived ideas we impose on it, either unconsciously or consciously.

6 SecondsThat’s how long it takes to shut down the stress response by replacing thoughts about a fight or a problem with thoughts related to positive emotional experiences

Physical activity that enhances

bodily awareness, e.g. yoga or yogic

breathing helps bring the pre-frontal cortex

back in play while keeping emotions

in focus

5-minute stress reduction through

mindfulness practice

The freeze-frame technique is a useful tool that can rapidly de-escalate the stress response. Practice it several times daily and it becomes a new habit of mind.

1. Stop. Find a quiet place to be alone. Disengage from anything external.

2. Shift focus to the area in and around your heart. Feel the breath come in as if directly into your heart and out through your solar plexus.

3. Activate a positive feeling: bring up an image – a place in nature, favorite person or pet or a richly emotional positive memory.

4. Ask yourself what would be an efficient, effective attitude or action that would balance and de-stress you in dealing with the stressful situation.

5. Observe any change in perception or feeling and sustain it as long as you can

Freeze-Frame: One Minute Stress Management by Doc Childre, published by

HeartMath, www.heartmathstore.com

Freeze-Frame: A 5-minute stress-resilience

technique for shifting out of the stress response

There are two kinds of intelligence: one acquired,

as a child in school memorizes facts and concepts

from books and from what the teacher says, collecting information from the traditional sciences as well

as from the new sciences.With such intelligence you rise in the

world. You get ranked behind others

In regard to your competence in retaining information.

You stroll with this intelligencein and out of fields of knowledge,

getting always more Marks on your preserving tablets.

There is another kind of tablet, onealready completed and preserved inside you.A spring overflowing its springbox. A freshness in the center of the chest.This other intelligence does not turn yellow or stagnate.

It’s fluid,And it doesn’t move from outside to inside

Through the conduits of plumbing-learning.

This second knowing is a fountainhead from within you, moving out.

RUMI “Two Kinds of Intelligence Translated by Coleman Barks

Emotional Intelligence: 21st century concept, 13th century wisdom

Lifestage Trainings:Creative

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Contact Jude Treder-Wolff, LCSW, RMT, CGP at 631-366-4265 or lifestage_2000@yahoo.com