EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR PASTORAL COUNSELING AND CARE IN CATHOLIC SPIRITUAL RETREAT

Abstract

This paper explores the implications of emotional intelligence for Pastoral Counselling and care in Catholic Spiritual Retreat. Despite been a relatively new area, emotional intelligence has contributed immensely in the growth of pastoral counselling and care in spiritual retreat. This paper highlights the fact that Pastoral Counsellors who are high on emotional intelligence are more likely to have added efficiency and optimal delivery during counselling in retreats. In other words, the ability to perceive, understand and effectively apply the powers of emotion as a source of human energy, behaviour, information and thought processing, can sway both the Pastoral Counsellor and the Client’s capacity to engage in a more interactive and productive counseling sessions in retreat. In other to examine the motivation for this paper, the author used qualitative method of writing. Previous and related works were also consulted. The aim is to inspire Pastoral Counsellors to build their capacity on emotional intelligence skills. This paper concludes that: (1) The more Pastoral Counsellors are able to identify and regulate their own emotions, the more efficient they will likely become in identifying and regulating the emotions of their Clients in retreats. (2) The more Pastoral Counsellors are able to identify and regulate the emotions of their Clients in retreat, the more likely they will be able to positively significantly enhance their behaviours. (3) Pastoral counselling and care increased love in individuals with strong religious background and spirituality. Hence, Pastoral Counsellors in retreats should have good emotional intelligence.