Developing emotional intelligence and situational awareness through simulation coaching

Objective: To examine how simulation coaching affects emotional intelligence (EI) skills and situational awareness in social and healthcare staff of small and medium-sized enterprises. Methods: This qualitative study involved 36 mental health and child protection professionals in five enterprises. Following simulation-based coaching interventions centered around the development of EI and situational awareness, the participants wrote essays on their development. Inductive content analysis was used to analyze the body of material. Results: The participants found simulation coaching an effective method for learning EI, situational awareness and teamwork skills. They also considered the scenarios and shared reflections to be a form of work supervision. Conclusions: Simulation coaching offers potential for the development of EI and situational awareness in mental health and child protection professionals.