COUNSELLORS’ PERCEPTION ON ENHANCING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING IN THE THERAPEUTIC COUNSELLING RELATIONSHIP

Abstract

The study investigated counsellors’ perception on enhancing emotional intelligence training in the therapeutic counselling relationship. The study adopted the mixed - method approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of counsellors' perceptions of emotional intelligence (EI) training in therapeutic counselling. The quantitative component involved a structured questionnaire, while the qualitative component involved semi-structured interviews with practicing counsellors. The target population for this study comprised practicing counsellors across various counselling settings (e.g., clinical, educational, organizational) in the federal capital territory Abuja. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 150 participants based on their willingness to be part of the study. A researcher developed instrument titled “Counsellors Perception on Enhancing Emotional Intelligence Training in Therapeutic Counselling Relationship Questionnaire ” (EEITTCRQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts. The instrument was tested for internal consistency using Cronbach Alpha Statistics and reliability coefficient of 0.70 considered high enough was gotten. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while t–test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.5 level of significance. Findings revealed that emotional intelligence training enhance such skills as self-awareness, empathy among others. It was recommended that emotional intelligence training is essential in counselling and should be incorporated into counselling education.