28 September 2022

We recently read Emotion Coaching with Children and Young People in Schools, by Louise Gilbert, Licette Gus and Janet Rose, in the EMCC UK Book Club. Wendy Dick and Hannah Butler write below with their thoughts and responses to the book.

‘The book strengthened my understanding of the importance of emotional literacy both for coaching and in relation to general wellbeing and resilience’
Review by Wendy Dick

Emotion Coaching is a realistic and pragmatic text aimed primarily at coaching practitioners, particularly (but not exclusively) those working with children and young people. Many of the concepts and skills offered are transferable to other genres of coaching. I really appreciated the book’s clear structure, with chapters focused on the why, what and how of ‘emotion coaching’, with examples and scenarios that are helpful in enabling the reader to reflect on their own experience.

The book acknowledges that emotion coaching is not a quick fix, but takes time and commitment, and this resonated for me. The authors made a strong connection between emotional stability and learning, which has refreshed my interest in what contributes to an effective learning environment.

I found it thought provoking to learn about our individual meta-emotion philosophy, which is complex and nuanced, and which shapes how we reason, react and respond to our own and others’ behaviours. The book presents this alongside the concept of individual internal working models, which create a mental representation or script about the self and others. This bi-pronged approach offers an interesting, interconnected base for self-compassionate reflection and reflexivity.

Emotion Coaching is presented well as a credible, evidence-based approach. It is well referenced, and draws on a range of sources, from the historical to up to date research. The book has strengthened my understanding of the importance of emotional literacy both for coaching and in relation to general wellbeing and resilience.

As an easy and enjoyable research-based read, Emotion Coaching offers a pragmatic approach to coaching which has the potential to enhance the tool kit of anyone coaching in an educational setting.

‘The book offers practitioners a realistic and achievable way of working with children and young people’
Review by Hannah Butler

The aim of the book is to introduce the subject of emotion coaching for children and young people. It is primarily aimed at those working with these age groups, although I think coaches interested in this field would gain something from the reading.

The book offers a clear introduction to emotion coaching and provides a simple-to-use framework in how to get started. In the beginning I was a little put off by the brain demo, and then realised that this is a really cool way to describe the workings of the brain to children – encouraging them to engage with their stress response system in a meaningful way. The examples demonstrate how the children were able to understand the system and use their knowledge to great effect with friends.

The book flowed well and each chapter built on the one before, moving from knowledge and skills, through to application and extension.

I feel there could have been more opportunities for reflective practice in the book and how this might be extended to our own practice, even thinking about how this might be used as a relational approach with adult clients. The book feels current in the sense that it speaks to the zeitgeist of wellbeing, compassion and mindfulness.

Emotion Coaching offers practitioners a realistic and achievable way of working with children and young people. I feel that there could have been more emphasis on what the coach gains as a result of the work. For me, the book has a tone of benevolence, and having worked with children and young people for many years, I know that I gained just as much as I gave, and that connecting with young people taught me about myself and how I want to show up in the world.

I will be recommending this book to friends who work with children and young people.

Emotion Coaching with Children and Young People in Schools – click for all our Book Club resources for this book