Emotional Intelligence: A Share Collaborative Learning Lab

Learning Lab (1 Hour): Emotional Intelligence for Human Services — Be Responsive, Not Reactive

Human services is full of emotionally loaded moments: resistance, grief, urgency, fear, hope, frustration—often all at once. Emotional Intelligence (EI) helps us stay grounded and effective in those moments.

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to name our own emotions as well as intuit other people’s emotions. Strengthening EI supports us to be responsive vs. reactive, show up aligned with our values, build rapport/connection, and make more balanced, empathic decisions and responses—especially when the work is stressful or triggering.

In this 1-hour Learning Lab (live on Zoom), you’ll learn a simple EI framework built around two core competencies:

• Personal competence (what’s happening in me)
• Interpersonal competence (what’s happening in you, and how we navigate what’s happening between us)

What you’ll walk away with

You’ll leave with two quick, field-tested reflection practices you can use the same day:

• Pause + Reframe (for personal competence): a short method to notice, name, and process emotion so you can choose your response.
• My Experience / Their Experience (for interpersonal competence): a structured way to increase empathic accuracy, relational awareness, and responsiveness after (or between) tough interactions.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this Learning Lab, participants will be able to:

• Define Emotional Intelligence and describe why it matters in human services work.
• Identify the difference between personal and interpersonal competence in EI.
• Apply a brief “Pause + Reframe” practice to reduce reactivity and improve self-regulation.
• Use the “My Experience / Their Experience” reflection tool to strengthen empathy and relational decision-making.

Who Should Attend

This Learning Lab is designed for human service professionals and helpers of all kinds, including (but not limited to): case managers, social workers, clinicians, peer specialists, supervisors, educators, probation/corrections staff, healthcare support staff, and program leaders.

Format

• Live on Zoom (1 hour). Note this is an experiential and interactive training.
• Brief teaching + guided reflection.

About the Facilitators

Shawn Smith is the founder of Share Collaborative and a Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) Certified Trainer. He has trained thousands of professionals in Motivational Interviewing, trauma-informed care, and reflective supervision. In addition to training nationally, he teaches Motivational Interviewing at the graduate level for the Helena Bader School of Social Work.

Adesola Oni, LICSW is a human services leader and clinician with extensive experience in behavioral health, criminal justice, and systems change. She currently serves in County Human Services & Public Health leadership and consults with Share Collaborative to support healing-centered, person-centered practices.