Social workers deal with complex situations that require a high degree of of self-awareness, situational awareness, creative thinking and collaboration with others. Emotional Intelligence is a model for personal and professional development that cultivates these skills that empower social workers to manage a high degree of stress effectively. Emotional Intelligence is also a way to sustain creative energy for the challenges of the work and prevent burn-out. This power point was created for the Power of Social Work Conference, presented on March 21, 2014 in Albany, NY.

1. 2014 Power of Social Work Conference
Albany, NY
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE:
An essential mind and skill set for social workers

2. 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

3. “a multifactorial array of
interrelated emotional, personal
and social abilities that influence
our overall ability to actively and
effectively cope with demands and
pressures.”
Bar-On, R., & Parker, J.D.A. (2000). The handbook
of emotional intelligence. San Francisco: Josey
Bass.
Emotional
Intelligence (EI)

4. Its what
you think
about
what you
feel.
EI:
the
integration of
emotional
and cognitive
competencies

5. “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.), Handbook
of intelligence. Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University

6. 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

7. 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

8. “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

9. “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

10. 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.

11. “…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

12. 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.

13. “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

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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

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

18. Self-awareness is
power

19. “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

20. The core
competencies of
EI combine
cognitive and
emotional
processes
Accurate self-assessment:
Knowing
one's strengths and limits
Self-confidence:
A strong sense of
one's self-worth and capabilities
Self-Awareness
Knowing one's internal states,
preferences,
resources, and intuitions
Emotional awareness:
Recognizing
one's emotions and their effects

21. 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

22. Empathy
Reading a group’s emotional currents
Ability to pick up others’ emotional
cues
Communication skills
Conflict management
Teamwork and collaboration
Social
Competence

23. 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.

24. 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

25. 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.

26. 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

27. 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.

28. 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

29. 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.

30. 6 Seconds
That’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

31. 5-minute stress
reduction through
mindfulness
practice

32. 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

33. 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 intelligence
in and out of fields of knowledge,
getting always more
Marks on your preserving tablets.
There is another kind of tablet, one
already 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

34. Lifestage Trainings:
Creative
Experiential
Evidence-Based
496 Smithtown Bypass
Suite 202
Smithtown, NY 11787
www.lifestage.org
Contact Jude Treder-Wolff, LCSW, RMT,
CGP at 631-366-4265 or
lifestage_2000@yahoo.com