Emotion Coaching- an introduction

Summary

This webinar by Emotion Coaching UK, led by co-founders Louise, Lissette, Gus, and Janet Rose, introduces the concept of emotion coaching, a natural approach for emotional regulation. It highlights the importance of understanding, managing, and labeling emotions, both for children and adults. The session explains how emotion coaching supports emotional resilience, improves relationships, and enhances behavior by focusing on empathy and co-regulation. Through research by John Gottman, it emphasizes the positive impact of emotion coaching on children's emotional stability, academic achievement, and problem-solving skills. The webinar offers practical insights, resources, and training opportunities for better emotional support in various settings.

Takeaways

• 😀 Emotion coaching helps individuals manage and regulate their emotions, both in themselves and in others.
• 😀 It supports emotional regulation by teaching children to understand, label, and manage their emotions.
• 😀 Emotion coaching is beneficial for everyone, particularly children, as they rely on adults for emotional co-regulation.
• 😀 Emotions are natural and hardwired, with six primary emotions playing a critical role in survival and decision-making.
• 😀 Learning behaviors and emotional regulation comes from relationships with caregivers, family, and the environment.
• 😀 The social engagement system and stress response system play crucial roles in emotional balance and regulation.
• 😀 Stress can be helpful in moderation but becomes harmful when it is continuous and unresolved, leading to toxic stress.
• 😀 Emotion coaching can improve children's emotional resilience, self-regulation, impulse control, and academic performance.
• 😀 The four steps of emotion coaching involve recognizing, validating, guiding acceptable behaviors, and problem-solving.
• 😀 Research by John Gottman indicates that emotion coaching leads to better relationships, fewer behavioral problems, and greater emotional stability in children.
• 😀 Emotion coaching is not a quick fix, therapy, or substitute for other interventions, but it is a universal approach to support emotional regulation through empathy and co-regulation.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of emotion coaching?

Emotion coaching is a natural approach to help manage reactions, responses, and reasoning related to emotions in both ourselves and others. It focuses on emotional regulation and aims to help individuals understand and cope with their emotions.

Who needs emotion coaching?

Everyone can benefit from emotion coaching, but it is particularly important for children, who need adults to support them in feeling seen, safe, soothed, and secure. Emotion coaching helps children understand their emotions and how to handle them.

What role do behaviors play in emotion coaching?

Behaviors are considered a communication of emotions. Emotion coaching helps individuals understand that behaviors are informed by emotions, and by recognizing these emotions, we can help regulate the behaviors in more constructive ways.

What are the six primary emotions according to the script?

The six primary emotions are anger, fear, sadness, surprise, disgust, and happiness. These emotions are hardwired and contribute to our survival by informing our decision-making and responses.

How do we learn how to behave according to the script?

We learn how to behave through relationships with significant adults, such as parents and caregivers, as well as through experiences and environments. Feeling safe and secure is essential for learning to regulate emotions and behaviors.

What is the difference between the social engagement system and the stress response system?

The social engagement system supports connection with others, helping to engage in problem-solving, play, and maintain relationships. The stress response system is more primitive and focuses on survival, helping to protect the individual from real or perceived threats.

What is toxic stress, and why is it harmful?

Toxic stress refers to continuous, extreme stress that lacks supportive relationships or environments. It is detrimental to physical and mental health because it overwhelms the stress response system and impairs emotional regulation.

What is vagal tone, and why is it important?

Vagal tone refers to how well the social engagement system and stress response system work together to regulate emotional responses. A strong vagal tone contributes to better emotional balance, clearer thinking, improved attention, and greater resilience.

How does emotion coaching benefit children?

Emotion coaching helps children better control their impulses, delay gratification, and self-soothe. It has been shown to improve academic performance, social relationships, and emotional resilience, while also reducing behavioral problems.

How does emotion coaching differ from other approaches to managing emotions?

Emotion coaching differs from approaches like emotion dismissing, disapproving, or laissez-faire by emphasizing the importance of recognizing, validating, and understanding emotions while teaching appropriate behavior and problem-solving skills.