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Applying Emotional Intelligence to Support a Struggling Adolescent

An adolescent struggling with self-destructive behavior, and his family, find hope through a treatment program that combined emotional intelligence assessments and an intensive therapeutic wilderness program.

Overview

Situation: Sam, a struggling 11-year-old, had slid down a dangerous path of isolation and self-destruction in spite of his parents’ and teachers’ best efforts.

Solution: Sam’s parents and counselors developed a treatment plan centered around a therapeutic wilderness treatment program, using the SEI Youth Version to contextualize Sam’s struggles and measure his progress.

Results: By the end of the program, Sam had undergone a remarkable transformation – a change reflected by a massive growth in his emotional intelligence.

“These assessments made the invisible visible – validating both Sam’s despair and his growth. Having the data in a graph gave us a way to contextualize Sam’s experiences… and to celebrate the results of his hard work.”

– Sam’s Mother

Situation

From an early age, Sam’s parents noticed troubling signs of isolation and detachment, but they only became clear “red flags” in hindsight. By the time he was 11, however, Sam’s behavior had escalated, highlighted by major meltdowns, total disconnection from others, and explosive and depressive behavior. He refused to listen to adults and became obsessed with weapons – the situation becoming increasingly frightening and untenable. The entire family suffered in pain, even despair, and couldn’t see a way out.

Solution

Working with a counselor and a specialized consultant, Sam’s family formed a plan. First, the counselor, Michele Royan, administered the SEI Emotional Intelligence Assessment for Youth with Sam. The results made visible Sam’s struggle, and the family now had the information needed to be able to positively confront the seriousness of the situation. Sam went to an intense wilderness treatment facility in Idaho that specializes in working with troubled adolescents. He spent 87 days in the wilderness with coaches who supported his growth and development. At the end of the program, Sam retook the SEI to measure his progress.

Results

Sam underwent a remarkable transformation of hope, healing and growth – as evidenced by his pre- and -post SEI reults.

INCREASED LITERACY

Sam’s ability to express his pain and emotions increased exponentially, as evidenced by a more than doubling of his score on Emotional Literacy.

NEW OPTIMISM

Sam’s ability to access optimism also increased exponentially, as measured by his scores on Exercise Optimism.

BETTER RELATIONSHIPS

The SEI-YV also measures outcomes, including Relationship Quality. Sam’s relationship scores more than doubled.

Products & Services Delivered

EQ Skills

SEI – Six Seconds’ Emotional Intelligence Assessment is a validated psychometric tool for measuring emotional intelligence, used with over 250k people worldwide.