Successful Careers are Linked to Emotional Intelligence
Work is a very important part of life that can have a significant impact on mental health and overall happiness. Emotional intelligence improves work relationships, your ability to resolve conflict, your leadership style, your communication skills, and your career strategies.
Psychological coaching improves your emotional intelligence, which helps you get in touch with what motivates you, while enhancing your relationship skills and your focus. At Eliana Cohen Psychology in Toronto, we can give you tools you need to succeed in this important aspect of your life.
Some of the typical work-related issues we can help you with include:
- Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your conflict resolution style
- Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your communication/relationship style
- Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your leadership style
- Resolving unhealthy work relationships
- Getting ‘unstuck’ in your career
- Managing extremely challenging work demands
- Coping with underemployment
- Coping with job insecurity
- Facing and resolving “Return to Work” stress following a disability
- Facing and resolving “Return to Work” stress following a maternity leave
- Strategic career planning for executive advancement
- Work/life balance issues
Job Stress and Burnout
There are a number of causes that can result in work stress. Excessive work stress can lead to physical illness, feeling immobilized, depression, and anxiety. It is also linked to anger management difficulties and marital distress. If you are experiencing work stress, it needs to be addressed as it can be very damaging to the individual and the individual’s family. Furthermore, a person who is excessively stressed can become ineffective in dealing with work demands in such a way that his/her career also suffers. Excessive stress leads to diminished effectiveness at work, diminished creativity in problem-solving, rigid approaches to work, and difficulties finding joy in your work.
“Burnout” is defined as emotional exhaustion and a much-diminished sense of personal achievement. Research indicates that burnout has a multiplicity of causes. Therapy usually targets: stress management, increasing sense of personal agency, building assertiveness and conflict resolution skills, and increasing a sense of mastery.
Psychological treatment and/or coaching can help you understand, face, and then grow beyond the burnout to successfully redefine your goals and what motivates you.
Increasing Job Satisfaction
A few variables are consistently linked to work satisfaction in the scientific literature. We know that some of the characteristics of work that lead to increased job satisfaction and happiness are:
- Autonomy (you run your schedule and feel in control)
- Meaningfulness
- Mastery (work is challenging but you feel you can do it)
- Work is a good match to your “signature strengths” (makes use of your best set of skills)
- Work leads to growth and development
Psychological coaching can help you better identify what jobs feel like a good fit and which jobs will lead to increased satisfaction. Often, in addition to the coaching, vocational assessments can be performed to further identify areas of work that might be a good match for the individual.
Removing Barriers to Success
Identifying and resolving barriers to success can be an important step in the pursuit of one’s career. Your psychological coach can help you:
- Identify and get in touch with your “dream”
- Identify the areas that are strong and weak
- Identify the strategies to make the best use of your strengths and remedy weaknesses
- Build emotional strength to persist and implement your plan
At Eliana Cohen Psychology, we can support you so that you can achieve the level of career success to which you aspire. If you are interested in learning more, or you would like to schedule an appointment, contact our practice in Toronto to get started today.