Emotional Literacy

Emotional literacy can be defined as the ability to recognise, understand, handle and appropriately express emotions.
When any of these abilities are maladjusted, unstable or missing the individual can experience difficulty relating to others.
 
Studies have shown that up to 90 percent of our communication is non-verbal. When we communicate non-verbally our bodies are literally expressing themselves.
 
The purpose for developing emotional literacy is to precisely identify and communicate our feelings. We must know how we feel in order to be able to fill our emotional needs. We must communicate our feelings in order to get the emotional support and acceptance we need from others, as well as to show our emotional understanding of them.
 
Some of the conditions which may benefit from using the programmes to develop emotional literacy and modify behaviour are:
 

Autism: A condition characterised by a communication, socialization and sensory difficulties. Much of the difficulties around communication are a result of inability to “read the signals” of others.

Degrees of Emotion can help therapists working with clients with autism, by initiating dialogue around the context of a sad image eg. “What could this person be feeling”?
 
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): can result frontal lobe damage, which is the centre for emotional stability. When this area of the brain is injured, the ability to rein in or control explosive emotions is compromised; this can lead to angry outbursts and disinhibited behaviour. The programme Degrees of Emotion can assist re-learning appropriate responses to people and situations. The Storyboard module can provide visual prompts and text to reinforce desired behaviour.
 
Intellectual Disability: refers to impairment in both cognitive functioning and adaptive skills. The programme Degrees of Emotion can assist learning appropriate responses. Storyboard can provide visual prompts and text to reinforce desired behaviour, thus helping re-script problematic activities.
 
Cerebral Palsy: is a term used to describe faulty development or injury to the part of the brain which controls muscles and joints. Many people with cerebral palsy use augmentative communication devices, few of these devices have a comprehensive list of emotions, which impedes naming accurately the emotion being felt by the client; this may hinder communicating exact feelings being expressed.

 

"As a social worker who has worked in the areas of mental health, prison service, hospitals and the..."
Alice Giles (Registered)
Read More Testimonials