Emotion Coaching
At Arthur Terry we believe good behaviour at school is rooted in positive relationships between adults and young people. We continue to develop a culture of emotion coaching and brain awareness as part of the Trauma Informed Attachment Aware Schools programme. Since 2014 we have been celebrating Brain Awareness Week, giving students additional opportunities to understand how their brain works in relation to learning, emotions and wellbeing. We have devoted several days of staff training which has been supported by the Birmingham team of Educational Psychologists, as well as regular CPD sessions on emotion coaching, behaviour management and restorative conversations.
Emotion coaching is a strategy whereby the adult helps the child manage their emotions and teaches them how to problem solve through empathy, validation and setting limits. These steps work for children of all ages right up to adulthood and beyond. There will be times when we all need someone to validate how we are feeling, empathise with us, set limits on our behaviour, and help us problem solve. The steps work equally well in the home, and parents can also emotion coach their children when they are struggling to contain their feelings.
By addressing the emotional development of our students, in particular our most vulnerable, we are helping them to build resilience so they can engage with their learning and improve their mental health. This in turn gives them life skills to help them manage challenging situations as they arise now and in the future.
Useful links to emotion coaching information:
https://www.birminghameducationsupportservices.co.uk/Page/16281
https://link.walsall.gov.uk/Portals/18/Emotion%20Coaching%20for%20Parents.pdf
