Author : Bawm Nu Mangshang
Counselling Corner started organizing weekly Emotional Wellbeing workshops (or EWB workshops) during the height of COVID-19 in 2020. EWB workshops are an amalgamation of different theories and methods such as Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), Humanistic theory and Experiential Learning Group Theory. Its main objectives are to help people deal with the prolonged crisis by
mitigating the impacts of stress, facilitating normal recovery processes and restoration of adaptive psychological functions. The workshop also functions as a screening opportunity to identify individual who might benefit from further mental healthcare. Since its implementation, the workshop has been attended by thousands of people, seeking emotional support. It has also received favorable reviews consistently.
While Counselling Corner is confident to say the workshops have been beneficial for participants, the exact nature of its therapeutic effects were unclear. Counselling Corner hypothesized that by means of providing a safe space for emotional expression and empathetic interaction, it improved participants’
ability to perceive, regulate and utilize emotions, and that the presence of empathetic others, who also were facing similar situations, would reduce the feeling of loneliness in participants. Consequently, participants’ overall emotional wellbeing would improve.
Fontys University of Applied Sciences, together with Counselling Corner, conducted a study on the possible positive impacts of the EWB workshop in 2023. The research team surveyed an experimental group that received the EWB workshop, and a control group that did not receive the EWB workshop.
The questionnaires measured emotional intelligence (encompassing emotional appraisal and expression, regulation and utilization), which is fundamental for emotional wellbeing, and loneliness of each participant before the workshop, immediately after the workshop and three weeks after the workshop.
The research indicated that the experimental group reported a significantly higher level of emotional perception, which is an emotional intelligence ability, compared to the control group. Recognizing other’s emotions is essential in order to respond appropriately, while perceiving one’s own emotions is necessary in order to regulate and utilize one’s own emotions. Furthermore, the ability to perceive emotions is related to the ability to express emotions - the Salovey and Mayer’s model of Emotional Intelligence describes those two abilities as one dimension. Both abilities are necessary aspects of emotional wellbeing and have been shown to be positively related to emotional wellbeing in previous
research.
Other dimensions of emotional intelligence such as emotional regulation and utilization were not improved, according to the responses collected three weeks after the workshop. Loneliness was not reduced in the experimental group. The responses were contrary to the immediate responses of participants after workshops. Participants have consistently shared with fellow participants and
workshop facilitators that they felt better, emotionally lighter and that they felt a togetherness with other participants. Such immediate impacts have always been the appeal of EWB workshops.
In conclusion, the EWB workshop has demonstrable immediate benefits, particularly in enhancing participants’ emotional perception and expression, which are essential for emotional wellbeing. This aligns with the workshop goal to provide a supportive and safe space for emotional expression and
empathetic interaction. However, the workshop did not produce lasting improvements in emotional regulation and utilization and reduction in loneliness. This suggest that while the EWB workshop addresses short-term emotional needs and foster a sense of connections amongst participants, it is not a sufficient intervention for long-term and sustained emotional wellbeing. Moving forward, perhaps it is best to integrate the EWB workshop with other supportive measures or follow-up resources to maximize its benefits and provide ongoing support for its participants. Future research could explore complementary strategies that would help sustain its benefits and thus, ensure participants gain enduring emotional skills and connections, in addition to immediate relief.
Hein Htet Lwin Oo has always been genuine in trying to understand people and listen to them. He has been always interested in Psychology and when he went through hard times during Covid, he noticed other people around him were going through tough times of their own and he wanted to find out how best to help them. Thus, he signed up for the Basic Counselling Training and completed up till the Advanced Counselling Training at Counselling Corner, through scholarships provided by Counselling Corner. Once completed he decided that he will use all his knowledge and skills to support other people and he has been pursuing his passion in counselling since then.