Manual

Purpose of the Curriculum

This is an educational resource which may be used to bolster the current curriculum of occupational therapy programs in order to further promote and facilitate the development of emotional intelligence in occupational therapy students. Contrary to traditional teaching methods in which students passively absorb and learn information from the lecturer, this curriculum is designed to enable students to actively participate and engage in the learning process through the use of small group discussions and role-play (Grant, Kinman, and Alexander, 2014). The curriculum may be used as a whole or in components during emotional intelligence training.

Contents of the Curriculum

Emotional intelligence/soft skills is one of the most important factors that has been determined to provide successful therapy to clients. Soft skills are a set of attitudes and behaviors which augment interpersonal interactions and promote relationship building vital to be a competent occupational therapist. Such soft skills that are highlighted in the curriculum include:   

• Courtesy – cordial and polite ways to behave
• Flexibility – willingness to change, ability to adapt, and ability to work as a team
• Non-verbal Communication – use of body language or gestures to convey thoughts or emotions
• Personability – the ability to be empathetic and to establish rapport
• Positive Attitude – an orientation characterized by optimism, enthusiasm, and encouragement
• Professionalism – behaviors that are aligned with the standard and mission of the profession
• Responsibility – accountability and reliability in dealing with others
• Verbal Communication – use of words to convey thoughts or emotions

The video vignettes have supplemental practical tip videos that focus on making the concepts in the core videos more concrete and applicable to real life scenarios. Including multiple mock scenarios and providing practical tips has been demonstrated to help students better understand EI skills and how to apply them in real-life situations.

• "The Inappropriate Hug" highlights the importance of professionalism and communication in client-therapist-supervisor interactions.
• "Emotional Management" highlights the need for positive attitude, professionalism, and communication in interactions with clients and co-workers.
  Practical Tips highlight how to manage stress, regulate and understand yours and others emotions and appropriately express emotions. 
• "Lost in Translation" highlights the importance of cultural competence, professionalism, and communication in client-therapist interactions.
• “Mindfulness of Emotions” highlights the importance of the need of emotional regulation, sensitivity to client’s needs, professional conduct and verbal communication skills.
• “Friendly but not Friends” highlights the importance of integrity, responsibility, professional conduct and verbal communication skills.
  Practical Tips highlights the ability to develop professional and successful relationships with clients and supervisors.
• “Confidence in the Clinic” highlights the importance of flexibility, open mindedness, and responsiveness to feedback and verbal communication.

Each vignette is accompanied by a brief list of questions to promote group discussion on interactions portrayed in the short film.

Methods for Implementation

Discussion Questions - Discussion questions promote organic dialogue, while allowing students to actively participate in the learning process. It is recommended that each list of discussion questions be presented immediately following its associated vignette. The questions were designed to act as a frame of reference that elicit thought provoking responses. Questions may be asked in any order or individually omitted at the facilitator's discretion.

Small Group Discussions - It is recommended that a class larger than five students be organized into smaller groups, each facilitated by a student leader. These smaller groups will provide a more intimate environment where each group member will have the opportunity to reflect on his/her own thoughts regarding soft skill use in each of the vignettes as well as the impact of soft skills on client-therapist-supervisor interactions. Additionally, these small groups will enable students to develop the skills necessary to be an effective group leader.

Practical Tips - It is recommended that Practical Tips videos be used to bridge the gap between understanding EI concepts and effectively applying them to real-world scenarios. Research has demonstrated that practical tips scenarios that promote self-reflection, self-awareness, and problem-solving, strengthen EI skills and allow for better transferability of these skills into the workplace. Providing practical tips within the EI curriculum allows students to better apply the learned coping mechanisms in a variety of challenging situations, increase self- awareness and self-confidence.

Role-Play - It is recommended that students be provided the opportunity to role-play alternate outcomes to the interactions portrayed in each of the vignettes while incorporating various soft skills. It is believed that through this form of active engagement, students will further reinforce their knowledge and understanding of soft skills and be better equipped to implement such skills in the workplace.

The curriculum may be used as a whole or in components during emotional intelligence training at the facilitator’s discretion.

*The Emotional Intelligence Curriculum is a free resource to be used with approval. Please reach out to Dr. Jasmin Thomas at jasmin.thomas@downstate for written permission.