Mindful Emotion Coaching and Prison Settings
Andy Leafe, Lucy Beney, Rachel Brydon and Dr Sarah Temple worked together with Prison Service Educators from across Wales at a Continuing Professional Development event in Cardiff on 26th February 2020. EHCAP is looking to devise an innovative approach to emotion intelligence and wellness appropriate for Prison Services. This includes specifically:
- a trauma-informed approach to prison staff wellness
- innovation in reducing offending and reoffending by young people (CAPRICORN Public Health England August 2019)
Mindful Emotion Coaching is based on the extensive evidence base and practical learning materials created by Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University. Sign Up to join EHCAP's Learning Community and find out more about the work Sarah is leading, the thinking behind it and how you could do something similar in your community.
EHCAP looks for evidence based metaphors that enable change - the model of positive, tolerable, toxic stress where toxic stress disrupts the developing brain and other biological systems with lifelong consequences for learning, behaviour and health (more likely to have heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, addiction) is an example of this. We know from the science that the laying down of brain architecture is particularly affected by toxic stress in pregnancy and the first couple of years of life and that this brain architectural difference leads to difficulties with emotion regulation and executive function.
The psycho education tool Mindful Emotion Coaching builds core life skills in insight, empathy and emotion intelligence. In the first phase of working in Prison Settings we are building these core skills in staff and volunteers.. The approach includes a six step wellness plan.