Social Work Education

This article was downloaded by: [Louise Grant] On: 06 March 2014, At: 11:00 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

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What's All this Talk About Emotion? Developing Emotional Intelligence in Social Work Students a

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Louise Grant , Gail Kinman & Kelly Alexander

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Louise Grant, Gail Kman & Kelly Alexer, University of Bedfordshire, UK. Published online: 04 Mar 2014.

To cite this article: Louise Grant, Gail Kinman & Kelly Alexander (2014): What's All this Talk About Emotion? Developing Emotional Intelligence in Social Work Students, Social Work Education: The International Journal, DOI: 10.1080/02615479.2014.891012 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2014.891012

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Social Work Education, 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2014.891012

What’s All this Talk About Emotion? Developing Emotional Intelligence in Social Work Students

Downloaded by [Louise Grant] at 11:00 06 March 2014

Louise Grant, Gail Kinman & Kelly Alexander

The capacity to manage emotional reactions effectively, frequently in complex care settings, is central to the role of a social worker. Nonetheless, there is evidence that social work students frequently find their placements emotionally demanding and stressful. It is proposed that emotional intelligence may help students manage their emotional reactions more effectively during placements and their subsequent career. To date, however, little systematic research has explored whether emotional intelligence and associated competencies can be enhanced during social work training and the implications for wellbeing. This paper presents a mixed-methods two-stage study which aimed to increase emotional competencies in social work students during the first year of training. More specifically, it assesses the impact of a workshop designed to enhance emotional competencies and an emotional writing task on levels of emotional intelligence, reflective ability and empathy which were assessed via questionnaire and reflective logs pre- and post-intervention (Times 1 and 2). Levels of reflective ability and empathy increased significantly between Times 1 and 2 and psychological distress decreased. Content analysis of reflective logs found evidence that reflective ability, empathy and emotional intelligence were enhanced following the interventions. The implications of the findings for the development of the curriculum are considered. Keywords: Reflection; Resilience; Emotional Intelligence; Social Work; Students; Teaching

Introduction Several studies have highlighted higher levels of work-related stress amongst social workers than many other professional groups, and burnout and secondary traumatic stress are also common (Bell, Kulkarni, & Dalton, 2003; Collins, 2008; Kim, Ji, & Kao, 2011). Such symptoms have been directly linked to the emotionally demanding nature Louise Grant, Gail Kinman & Kelly Alexander, University of Bedfordshire, UK. Correspondence to: Louise Grant, Department of Applied Social Studies, University of Bedfordshire, Park Square, Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 3JU, UK. Email: [email protected]

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of the job (Brotheridge & Grandey, 2002). Social workers frequently encounter situations that can evoke strong emotional reactions, such as working with abused and vulnerable children and adults, witnessing service users’ accounts of trauma, and experiencing catastrophic events such as client suicide. Working under such conditions can challenge the emotional resources of experienced social workers, but are likely to be more taxing for students who may not have developed effective coping strategies (Litvack, Mishna, & Bogo, 2010). The Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Workers in the UK has recently formalised the expectation for social workers to be ‘emotionally literate’ (College of Social Work, 2012). Indeed, from the start of their training, students are expected to demonstrate an ‘understanding of the importance of emotional resilience in social work’ and,‘ upon qualification, they should be able to ‘recognise the impact of self in interaction with others, making appropriate use of personal experience’ and ‘take steps to manage and promote their own safety, health, wellbeing and emotional resilience’ (College of Social Work, 2012). These are worthy aims, but little is yet known about the strategies that could be incorporated into the social work curriculum that can help students develop emotion management skills, protect their wellbeing and, ultimately, enhance their practice. Historically, the social work curriculum has placed little emphasis on the emotional nature of the work, or the need for students to develop their emotion management skills. O’Connor, Cecil, and Boudioni (2009), amongst others, have argued that social work educators typically assume that students already possess the self-knowledge and maturity to cope with the emotional demands of the job. Nonetheless, the findings of a recent study of leaders of qualifying social work courses in England (Grant, Kinman, & Baker, 2013) highlighted widespread concern about the extent to which students are prepared for the emotional demands of practice. Although some examples of innovative techniques to help students develop emotional resilience were identified, many respondents expressed a lack of confidence about their knowledge of this area, and would clearly welcome guidance on how to introduce an ‘emotional’” curriculum to safeguard their students’ wellbeing, their subsequent practice and their longevity in the profession. The concerns of social work educators are compounded by the findings of several studies suggesting that levels of psychological distress are high in social work students (Barlow & Hall, 2007; Collins, Coffey, & Morris, 2010; Harr & Moore, 2011) and newly qualified staff (Jack & Donellan, 2010). The extent of distress experienced by social work students is highlighted in a study conducted by Grant and Kinman (2012) who found that 43% of their sample achieved scores on a widely-used measure of psychological health that required some degree of intervention. There may also be longer-term implications of failing to promote effective emotion management strategies in social work students; it has been argued that if students are not adequately prepared for the emotional realities of practice at an early stage, ‘defensive manoeuvres’ can develop which can have a negative impact on wellbeing, job performance and retention (Dwyer, 2007). It has been argued that emotional intelligence is at the heart of reflective social work practice (Ingram, 2013; Morrison, 2007). A study conducted by Grant and Kinman (2012) provided empirical evidence for the benefits of emotional competencies in social work students, whereby strong relationships were found between emotional

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intelligence, reflective ability and empathy, and psychological health and resilience. Nonetheless, little is known about the strategies that might inform the development of an emotional curriculum to enhance emotional literacy in this context. This paper initially reviews the literature that has explored emotional reactions and competencies in social work practice. The potential contribution of emotional intelligence in helping students manage their emotional reactions to practice is highlighted. A mixedmethods study of social work students that tested the effectiveness of an intervention in enhancing emotional intelligence and associated competencies as well as psychological wellbeing is then presented. The implications for the recruitment and training of social workers are subsequently discussed.


The Role of Emotions in Social Work Practice Emotions are fundamental to human experience; they have numerous purposes and functions, from alerting people to danger to helping them build social relationships. The relevance and importance of emotions to organisational life has only recently been acknowledged, as they were generally considered to be incompatible with logical and rational thought. Although social work has a long tradition of recognising the emotional demands inherent in the job role (Aldridge, 1994; Studsrød, 2013), the importance of controlling emotional reactions so as not to impair professional judgement and decision making has also been emphasised (Biestek, 1961; Butrym, 1976). As Myers (2008) has observed, this ambiguity surrounding the need to acknowledge personal emotional reactions whilst also seeking to minimise their influence has informed the approach taken by social work educators. He argues, however, that the expectation for students to ‘step outside’ of their emotional responses to practice and develop a more ‘rational’ and ‘nonjudgmental’ approach is unrealistic and counter-productive. This approach will encourage students to perceive such emotional experiences to be unprofessional and even stigmatised, with negative consequences for their wellbeing and their relationships with service users. Rather than attempting to minimise the ‘contaminating’ effects of emotions, it is important to recognise that ‘well-deployed’ emotion will enhance rather than impair decision-making processes (Damasio, 1999; Schwarz, 2000). It is therefore vital for social workers and those that educate them to understand that their emotional responses to practice situations will inevitably influence their professional judgement, and develop the reflective skills required to interrogate and, if necessary, regulate their emotional reactions. The importance of emotional regulation skills in underpinning professional judgement and optimum psychological functioning in social workers has previously been emphasised (Morrison, 2007; Munro, 2011). Failing to develop these skills is, in the words of Thompson (2009, p. 26) ‘potentially a recipe for disaster’. The risks are well illustrated by Rustin (2005) who argues that the failure of social workers involved in the Victoria Climbie case to acknowledge emotional reactions such as fear and anxiety engendered confusion and indecision, which ultimately resulted in a faulty assessment. Being an emotionally literate social worker is therefore essential for effective practice as well as personal wellbeing. In order to enhance these skills through

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the curriculum, several key issues should be considered: To what extent can emotional intelligence be enhanced? What type of intervention is likely to be effective? How can these interventions be integrated into the social work curriculum?


Emotional Intelligence: Implications for Social Work Education Emotional intelligence is defined as ‘the ability to perceive emotions; to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought; to understand emotions and emotional knowledge; and to effectively regulate emotion so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth’ (Salovey & Sluyter, 1997, p. 6). In essence, it encompasses four abilities: to perceive feelings in oneself and others; to use emotions mindfully to facilitate problem solving and creative thinking; to appreciate the causes and effects of specific emotions and appreciate their complexity; and finally, to manage emotions effectively through reflection and self/other awareness (Salovey, Mayer, Caruso, & Seung Hee, 2008). Emotional intelligence, therefore, comprises intra-personal and inter-personal factors. It should be recognised, however, that these are not independent but interconnected, as insight into one’s own emotional state facilitates awareness of the emotional states of others and generates an appropriate empathic response (Davys & Beddoe, 2010; Grant, 2014). Emotional intelligence has been associated with many positive outcomes of considerable relevance to social work, such as enhanced professional judgement and decision-making abilities, more flexible negotiation skills, and greater confidence, optimism, cooperation and trust (George, 2000). Moreover, emotionally intelligent people tend to utilise more effective stress management strategies (Slaski & Cartwright, 2003), engage in more positive health behaviours (Hart & Kinman, 2008), be more physically and psychologically healthy (Schutte et al., 1998) and experience better quality of life (Karim & Shah, 2013). It has been suggested that helping professionals may be more emotionally intelligent and empathic than members of other professional groups (Rasoal, Danielsson, & Jungert, 2012; Smith, 2006). Nonetheless, research findings suggest that levels of these key competencies vary considerably (Grant & Kinman, 2012; Matto, Berry-Edwards, Hutchison, Bryant, & Waldbillig, 2006). The risks of assuming that all helping professionals possess welldeveloped emotion management skills were discussed previously, and their implications are clear. The Role of Reflection in Developing Emotional Intelligence The concept of emotional intelligence has clear links with reflexivity and reflective abilities (D’Cruz, Gillingham, & Melendez, 2007). Insight into personal emotional reactions, their potential impact on the self and others, as well as how they might impact on decision-making processes and personal wellbeing are key elements of reflective practice (Ruch, 2009; Wilson, Ruch, Lymberry, & Cooper, 2008). Reflective writing is frequently used in social work education as an assessment tool. This technique has many benefits: it can help students make connections between the


course content and professional practice, develop their critical thinking abilities and facilitate insight into personal motivations, assumptions and beliefs (Knott & Scragg, 2008). Research with clinical and community samples has concluded that emotional writing interventions can help people gain awareness of complex emotional experiences and how best to manage them, as well as enhance psychological and physical health (e.g. Pennebaker & Seagal, 1999; Smyth, Nazarian, & Arigo, 2008).


Summary and Aims of the Study This paper has argued that social work students need to be sufficiently emotionally intelligent to manage the emotional demands of practice and safeguard their wellbeing. Evidence-based strategies are clearly required to enhance emotional competencies in social work education. To date, however, little research focus has been placed on this issue. The present study utilised a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the impact of a two-stage intervention on students’ emotional intelligence, reflective abilities and empathy, as well as their psychological wellbeing. Method Design This study utilised a mixed- methods approach to evaluate the outcomes of an intervention that aimed to enhance students’ emotional competencies. The intervention had two components. (1) Students attended a workshop prior to their initial placement which comprised a series of activities designed to address the four themes of emotional intelligence identified by Salovey et al. (2008) (see Table 1 for information on the workshop content). (2) Students were asked to keep reflective diaries during their three-month placement which identified emotional reactions to practice situations preferably on a daily basis where emotions were used to facilitate judgements and decision making. They were also required to provide examples where they demonstrated insight into their own emotional experiences and those of others in the practice situation. Students were then asked to write reflective logs using a structured reflective writing template which is part of their placement portfolio. They were then asked to submit the log which they felt was the most reflective. A series of questionnaires were completed and a reflective log submitted at Time 1 (before the intervention and the reflective diaries and log had been started) and Time 2 (two months after the intervention, towards the end of their practice placement). These questionnaires and logs were subsequently analysed. The study was approved by the University Ethics Committee. Participants The participants were first-year undergraduate social work students engaged in an introductory teaching unit designed to prepare them for practice. The cohort comprised 28 students, of which 17 students fully completed all measures at both time

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Table 1

Content of Workshop

EI Component

Workshop Teaching Strategy

Perceiving emotions

After a general introduction about the emotional nature of social work practice, students were asked to reflect upon their most recent work experience in social care and share any emotions that this had engendered After sharing their emotions, students were asked to consider the implications of them on their practice: for example, ‘negative’ emotions such as fear, anxiety and sadness, and ‘positive’ emotions such as satisfaction, joy and happiness. It should be noted, that some students were initially reluctant to disclose that they felt upset, angry or fearful as they felt this was unprofessional and unsafe Three social workers from a range of cultural backgrounds, levels of experience and social work specialisms spoke to students about practice situations which had provoked strong emotional reactions in them. They were asked to reflect upon the emotions that the service users might have experienced and the emotions that this evoked in them. The implications for professional practice were also discussed. The scenarios included working with a man with serious mental health problems with a history of violence, a case of serious child neglect and a situation where parents were accused of injuring their child. A subsequent group discussion explored these emotional reactions and discussed why insight into personal emotional reactions and those of others was important. The ways in which unacknowledged emotions can adversely affect professional practice were also explored The three social workers discussed the ways in which they managed their emotions in practice. They highlighted the effectiveness of supervision and reflective discussions with peers and managers, as well as maintaining a healthy work–life balance. Reflective writing and journaling were introduced as key mechanisms to help foster emotional intelligence, empathy, reflective ability and psychological wellbeing

Using emotions to facilitate thought


Understanding emotion in self and others

Managing emotion

points and the reflective writing tasks. Although all students were required to attend the teaching session, participation in the study itself was voluntary. Four students opted not to participate, whereas others had incomplete data for a variety of reasons, including discontinuation, delayed placement and other personal circumstances. Evaluation Questionnaires Students were asked to complete an online survey at Times 1 and 2 (i.e. before and after the intervention). A 33-item scale developed by Schutte et al. (1998) was utilised to measure emotional intelligence. This draws on a process-oriented model that emphasises the potential for growth in emotional competency and, as such, was considered appropriate for the present study. The measure assesses the appraisal and expression of emotion and the utilisation and regulation of emotion. An example of an item is ‘I am aware of my emotions as I experience them’. A five-point scale is utilised ranging from ‘strongly



disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’. High scores denote higher levels of emotional intelligence (Cronbach Alpha ¼ 0.88). A scale developed by Aukes, Geerstsma, Cohen-Schotanus, Zwierstra, and Slaets (2007) measured reflective ability. This assesses self-reflection (e.g. ‘I want to know why I do what I do’); empathic reflection (e.g. ‘I am able to understand people from different cultural and religious backgrounds’); and reflective communication (e.g. ‘“I am open to discussion and challenge about my opinions’). Items are rated on a five-point scale ranging from ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’. For the purposes of the present study, the three subscales were summed with higher scores representing stronger reflective ability across all three domains (Cronbach Alpha ¼ 0.79). Davis’ (1983) scale was utilised to measure empathy. This has three dimensions, but an aggregate measure of perspective taking and empathetic concern only was utilised for the purpose of the present study. Items include ‘I sometimes find it hard to see things from another person’s point of view’. These are assessed on a five-point scale, ranging from ‘Does not describe me well’ to ‘Describes me very well’. Higher scores represent higher levels of empathy (Cronbach Alpha ¼ 0.84). The -item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12: Goldberg & Williams, 1988) was used to measure psychological distress. Responses are made on a four-point semantically anchored scale. An example of an item is ‘Have you recently been feeling unhappy and depressed’, with potential responses ranging from ‘Not at all’ to ’Much more than usual’. Higher scores denote higher levels of psychological distress (Cronbach Alpha ¼ 0.89). Qualitative measures Students were asked to submit a structured reflective log based on their reflective diaries that explored situations encountered during previous mandatory work experience and/or an initial in-class exercises that had generated strong emotional reactions (time 1). As part of the intervention, the purpose and benefits of reflective writing were discussed during lectures and techniques used to write effective structured and reflective diaries were explored using the writings of Gibbs (1988) and Kolb (1984). Students were then required to keep reflective diaries following the intervention (Time 2) during their initial three-month placement which identified emotional reactions to their training experiences and practice, situations where emotions were used to facilitate judgements and decision making, as well as examples where they demonstrated understanding of the emotional experiences of themselves and others in the practice situation. They were then asked to select one structured reflective log, based on Gibbs’ (1988) reflective cycle, extracted from their diaries that explored situations that they found emotionally challenging (Time 2). Analysis Mean scores on the questionnaires at Times 1 and 2 were compared using repeated measures t-tests. The reflective accounts obtained at Times 1 and 2 were subsequently subjected to thematic content analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Initially the data were read by two of the authors independently and potential themes identified for coding. Initial themes were then identified using a method described by Newman and Kreuger (2003). Firstly, the data were coded semantically (e.g. the extent to which


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participants referred to experiencing positive and negative emotions such as frustration or joy). Secondly, the intensity of emotional expression was explored, e.g. the degree of emphasis participants placed on a particular characteristic (e.g. I felt upset/very upset/extremely upset). Thirdly, the terms used to identify emotional reactions were examined (such as I reflected upon or I thought about) and the frequency of these assessed, how this differed from time 1 to time 2. Themes emerging from the initial analysis were then subjected to template analysis (King, 2004) which facilitated the development of a coding ‘template’ through which the differences and similarities in themes could be considered. The resulting themes were then included under the three broader categories of emotional literacy, reflective ability and empathy. The category emotional literacy comprised themes such as the ability to name emotions, moving from intellectual to emotional response, and enhanced ability to manage emotions. The category reflective ability comprised the recognition of reflection as a process, reflection on the experience of others, and taking action following reflection. The empathy category included the ability to identify emotions in others, recognise the impact of the emotions on others and take action in response to empathic reactions. Changes over time were assessed by comparing logs 1 and 2 for each student and identifying evidence of increased empathic response, reflective ability and emotional literacy. The researchers worked on transcripts independently in order to develop themes and establish change, and subsequently compared their findings. An acceptable degree of concordance was achieved. Results Levels of emotional intelligence, reflective ability, empathy and psychological distress were compared at Time 1 (pre-intervention) and Time 2 (post-intervention). As can be seen from Table 2, levels of reflective ability and empathy increased significantly over time and psychological distress decreased. Although the mean score for emotional literacy did not change significantly, this was close to the acceptable significance level and may indicate a trend. Analysis of the qualitative data also found evidence for enhanced reflective ability and empathy in the majority of student logs. Some improvements were also generally found in emotional literacy skills. The themes emerging from content analysis of the logs at Times 1 and 2 will be discussed below under the general headings of emotional intelligence, reflective ability and empathy, and examples provided of change. Table 2

Results

Emotional literacy Reflective ability Empathy Psychological distress

Time 1 Mean (SD)

Time 2 mean (SD)

112.02 (12.5) 83.57 (7.89) 56.03 (6.09) 14.01 (5.33)

121.06 (14.7) 98.34 (9.21) 68.79 (7.07) 18.05 (6.10)

Significance level p ¼ 0.07 (ns) p ¼ , 0.01 p ¼ , 0.01 p ¼ , 0.01



Emotional intelligence Analysis of the data identified some gains in emotional intelligence over time. In general, greater improvement was found for intra-personal than inter-personal emotional intelligence. Students demonstrated greater insight into their emotional reactions in general; they were also better able to name the emotional states they experienced, and more likely to use emotion words when reflecting on their judgements and decision making. For example, one student demonstrated an increased ability to articulate her emotional states: this was exemplified by her describing a service user’s situation as ‘heartbreaking’ at Time 1, whereas at Time 2 she was able to identify distinct emotional responses such as shock, strain and worry. This also suggests that students may become more willing to disclose their specific emotional reactions to practice. The majority of students also provided more explicit examples of the use of emotions to facilitate thought at Time 2 than at Time 1. This reflects a move from using intellectualisation to distance themselves from the emotional reactions of themselves and others, to acknowledging the use of emotions to inform judgements and decisions. Some students also demonstrated an increase in inter-personal emotional intelligence. One student demonstrated some awareness of service users’ experiences at Time 1 and this had clearly become more sophisticated over time: for example, at time 2 the student stated, ‘I recognised that everyone had been though a difficult period and I needed to empathise with my colleagues’. A few students demonstrated enhanced emotion management skills at Time 2, for example: ‘I was in constant touch with trying to control my personal emotions’ and ‘I felt that I demonstrated and applied bracketing and put my own feelings to one side’. Reflective ability Strong evidence was found for gains in self-reflection between Times 1 and 2. For example, one student at Time 2 indicated that a specific emotional experience in her placement ‘made me reflect deeper and look at the dynamics of the situation; it made me think more deeply before acting’. This suggests that reflecting on emotional responses to practice situations progressed from ‘just thinking’ to explicitly informing decision making and action. Another student demonstrated enhanced reflective abilities from Time 1, where she recognised that she ‘should be aware of differences to avoid judging people’, to Time 2, where she stated that ‘reflecting on the way I operate shows that I recognise the need to change’,. This highlights gains in the student’s ownership of the reflective process and a growing self-awareness of the importance of action. Likewise, another student who commented at Time 1 that she ‘ . . . struggled to contain the feeling– I was aware of how inappropriate the feeling was, but I was also surprised at how easy it was for it to come to the surface.’, At Time 2, she started developing new perspectives and became more outcome focused: I began to process our interaction: I became aware of my own prejudices because in judging the service user, I restricted my ability to be congruent and honest. In doing so I have recognised and challenged my prejudices and the subtle ways in which I can be oppressive when I refer to stereotypes.

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It should be noted, however, that students whose reflective abilities appeared to be under-developed at Time 1, tended to show little improvement after the intervention. For example, these students tended to describe their reflection in concrete terms (e.g. ‘I reflected on the situation’) providing no elaboration or evidence of gains over time.


Empathy Several examples of attempts to make empathic connections with service users were found in the logs provided at Time 1, with some evidence for improvement at Time 2. For example, one student commented on a specific service user’s situation at Time 1: ‘No-one can imagine how much this must have affected her life emotionally’ whereas, at Time 2, the same student demonstrated greater insight into the empathic process which requires reflection and action: ‘I was able to put myself in her shoes and I became more aware of the challenges she faced’. Another student wrote about displaying warmth and empathy at Time 1 in rather concrete, text-book terms: ‘I was able to convey empathy at appropriate times and demonstrate a commitment to what the client was actually saying’, whereas at time 2 she commented: I realised that though I find working with somebody who has physically and emotionally abused a child disturbing, I was able to see the person beyond that. It made me recognise that even people who have abused are individuals with many qualities.

This student demonstrated an increased understanding of the complex nature of empathy which is not about condoning unacceptable behaviour but providing understanding of the situation and compassion.

Discussion The findings of this study provide evidence that carefully planned interventions involving experiential learning and emotional writing have the potential to enhance emotional literacy and associated competencies such as reflective ability and empathy in social work students. Evidence was also found that such interventions may also improve levels of psychological wellbeing. Levels of reflective ability and empathy measured by questionnaire increased significantly between Times 1 and 2: pre- and post-intervention. On average, social work students reported an enhanced capacity for self-reflection, empathic reflection and reflective communication. In other words, they were more likely to question their thinking habits, adopt different perspectives and embrace new ways of thinking. Students also demonstrated greater awareness of the possible emotional impact of information on other people (a key skill for social workers) and evidence was also found that they were more prepared to disclose their specific emotional reactions. These gains were also demonstrated in their reflective logs, particularly in relation to describing and reflecting upon emotional experiences in practice.



Gains were also found in levels of empathic concern and perspective taking, with students indicating that they were concerned about their wellbeing and were better able to appreciate their point of view at Time 1. Empathy is a key quality in helping professions and underpins compassionate person-centred care. A certain degree of empathic concern and perspective taking is vital to build productive relationships between social workers and service users. It should be emphasised, however, that empathic concern has the potential to ‘spill over’ into empathic distress, which can impair social workers’ psychological wellbeing more generally (Grant, 2014; Grant et al., 2013). Future research should explore how the different components of empathy unfold over time during social work training, and the interventions that are most likely to protect staff against empathic distress. Levels of self-reported psychological distress were significantly lower at Time 2. It is not possible to determine which aspect of the intervention might have helped students manage their feelings of anxiety, depression and lack of self-worth, if any. Nonetheless, the findings are consistent with those of Hen and Goroshit (2011) who found a significant decrease in distress among first-year students following an intervention that aimed to improve emotional competencies. The findings also concur with a body of research that has found wide-ranging health benefits from emotional writing interventions (e.g. Pennebaker & Seagal, 1999). The use of this technique is discussed further below. Although the overall level of emotional intelligence measured at Time 2 was higher than Time 1, this difference did not reach acceptable statistical significance. Nonetheless, analysis of the logs provided evidence that students had developed some of the competencies that underpin emotional intelligence, such as appraising and expressing their emotions, regulating their emotional reactions and utilising their emotions to solve problems (Schutte et al., 1998). As Howe (2008) argues, social workers who are emotionally intelligent recognise the emotional impact of their work on self and others and are able to regulate their affect which is at the heart of successful interventions and decision making. These skills were evident in the reflective learning logs. The strong gains found in reflective ability may also lead to enhanced emotional intelligence more generally over time. A minority of students who participated in the study seemed to possess few reflective skills, and were not generally able to express and process their emotions in writing at Time 1. In spite of the intervention, these students showed little improvement at Time 2. It has previously been acknowledged that some students may take longer to develop their emotional competencies than others (Hen & Goroshit, 2011). Further research is needed to establish whether students who demonstrate a limited capacity for reflection at the start of their training are able to develop these skills and, if so, the most effective type of intervention to accomplish this. The findings of such research might inform the development of selection exercises to be used in the recruitment and training of social work students. The findings of this study have highlighted the potential for interventions based on experiential learning and reflective, emotional writing to enhance emotional intelligence and wellbeing and inform the development of an ‘emotional curriculum’

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for social work students. The following sections will explore the key features of these interventions.


Experiential learning This study has highlighted the important role of experiential learning in helping social work students cultivate emotional literacy. Listening to experienced social workers talking about their emotional responses to complex cases involving, for example, child abuse and neglect, and how they had managed these reactions productively, appeared to be particularly beneficial. Students fed back that listening to practising social workers and the subsequent discussions helped them appreciate that acknowledging emotional reactions is essential for reflective practice. The experiential focus of the workshop ‘normalised’ the students’ personal experiences giving them permission to talk about their own emotional responses to practice. This is an important gain, as some students were initially reluctant to disclose what might be considered ‘negative’ emotional responses to practice situations (such as fear, anger, upset, distrust and dislike) as they considered this to be counter to social work values. Such feelings are not uncommon; indeed, many qualified and student social workers are reluctant to disclose and discuss their emotional reactions to practice for fear of appearing unprofessional (Rajan-Rankin, 2013; Thompson, 2009). As well as listening to the emotional experiences of practising social workers, the workshop conveners (two of whom were former social workers) also used ‘selfdisclosure’ techniques to provide examples of how they had successfully managed their emotional reactions in their own practice. The conveners also modelled self-reflective abilities by exploring practice situations that might have been handled more effectively. This appeared to be useful in helping students explore the complexity of their own subsequent placement experiences and helped improve their reflective writing skills. Reflections on practice experiences stimulated debate, reduced the stigma of emotional disclosure, and gave legitimacy to the emotional reactions of students to their placement experiences. The freedom to express emotional reactions to practice experiences is likely to have been of particular benefit. Indeed, previous research has linked this capacity with job satisfaction and feelings of personal accomplishment in mental health social workers (Stalker, Mandell, Frensch, Harvey, & Wright, 2007). Reflective writing Emotional writing has been found to help people process complex emotional experiences more effectively and also improve physical and psychological health (Lepore, Greenberg, Bruno, & Smyth, 2003; Pennebaker & Seagal, 1999). Research findings indicate that writing reflective logs can also enhance self-awareness and emotional regulation, improve the ability to forge emotional connections with others, and enhance empathic relationships with service users (Olson, 2002; Smith, 2009;



Webster, 2010). The use of reflective writing in social work education can also improve students’ critical thinking abilities and help them gain insight into beliefs and assumptions which may adversely affect their practice assessments and decision making (Constable, 2008). Nonetheless, students frequently see reflective writing as a chore rather than a transformatory learning experience with strong benefits for their personal development and wellbeing. The many benefits of emotional writing techniques for wellbeing and practice highlighted in this paper and elsewhere should be emphasised more explicitly by social work educators. Making links between reflective writing and improvements in emotional literacy, wellbeing and practice may help students to appreciate the role this technique has beyond the assessment of learning outcomes. As well as enhancing emotional literacy, emotional writing techniques can also be used as a therapeutic tool to manage traumatic experiences and enhance resilience (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005; Pennebaker & Keough, 1999). Accordingly, they may help alleviate the compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma that is commonly experienced by social workers (Adams, Boscarino, & Figley, 2006). More research is needed, however, into the potential of emotional writing for enhancing social workers’ emotional competencies and wellbeing over time.

Limitations and future research This study has yielded interesting and useful findings, but some limitations should be acknowledged. The sample was small and there was no control group to establish the extent to which the interventions helped foster emotional competencies and psychological wellbeing beyond the impact of placement experiences. Also, although participation was voluntary, the reflective writing was not formally assessed and all data provided were anonymised, students may have felt that the quality of their reflective writing would be scrutinised and judged. Such feelings might have been exacerbated, as one of the facilitators of the intervention was part of the core teaching team. It should also be acknowledged that the observed gains may have resulted from students being exposed to ‘real world’ social work environments during placements. This might have increased students’ ability to process their emotional reactions, as well as enhanced their reflective abilities and their empathic perspective taking and concern. In the light of findings that social work students report generally high levels of psychological distress in response to their placement experiences (Wilks & Spivey, 2010) rather than increased wellbeing and emotion management skills, however, the improvements in wellbeing found in this study following the interventions suggest that they were beneficial. More research is required to investigate the impact of experiential learning and emotional writing techniques over time. Whether any improvements in emotional competencies and psychological wellbeing are maintained during training and into subsequent professional practice should also be examined. Future studies could also utilise daily diary methodology to explore social work students’ emotional reactions to specific events experienced in placement and how their emotional competencies

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unfold over time to help them manage these experiences. The impact of different types of intervention should also be examined further in order to inform an emotional curriculum that allows for individual differences in learning styles.


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