Inside Out: Friendly Center’s Emotional Intelligence Support Group

An important part of Friendly Center’s whole-family approach in providing resources to the community is insuring that children are supported both academically and personally. For this reason, Friendly Center staff has developed a support group, for children of clients, specifically designed to build emotional intelligence and conflict management skills.

For the first iteration of the support group, Friendly Center staff will select students from the tutoring program who’ve shown that they could benefit from the subject matter. The class will cover subjects ranging from what it takes to be a good friend to regulating emotions. Friendly Center Staff plans to implement activities meant to start discussion among the students, one example being a viewing of Pixar’s “Inside Out” followed by an in-depth lesson on emotional expression.

The first week of the class lays a groundwork of trust, so the children can build rapport and communication skills with their fellow group members. The program also allows Friendly Center staff to pinpoint which students would benefit from further individual counseling. The goal of the support group is to allow a safe space for children, K-8, to understand their emotions, and build healthy cooping habits that will follow them for the rest of their lives.