Emotional Literacy (EQ) is one of the most hopeful concepts of recent years. In a nutshell, EQ is the ‘ability to perceive what others feel’. It includes a greater facility to communicate, to listen actively, to ‘speak the same language’ and to make strangers feel understood. Among other things it suggests that humans might achieve greater bonding, that politics could become more personally relevant, that schools might contain fewer bullies and marriages be rendered more harmonious. A tall order.

You may have noticed that these wonderful qualities are already fairly familiar to us in the therapy world. What else are practitioners of counselling and psychotherapy doing by the hour except exercising their skills in emotional literacy? In one sense then, the idea of EQ is a smart re-defining of the values of counselling and psychotherapy. Should we complain? No.

Here is a new bridge to reach the public. If a hardened minority of people are resistant to the notion of counselling they are perhaps open to improving their levels of emotional literacy. Let us explore this opportunity. According to research, high IQ will only carry you so far in life; it accounts for about 30 per cent of success. It is EQ that will make you both happier and more successful because more people will connect with you! Those who only consider the bottom line, or remain consumed by their own self-importance, have fewer friends and, in business, fewer customers.

So how can the idea of emotional intelligence be applied in practice across a range of modern-day activities and organisations? This Annual Conference in Stratford-upon-Avon offers a unique top-to-toe insight into the new EQ thinking. In talks and workshops we will explore the idea of EQ from the perspectives of education, business, journalism, counselling, psychotherapy and the media. Star speakers include Editor Rosie Boycott, Columnist (and counsellor) Deidre Sanders, Political Consultant and Author Andrew Samuels, former Chief Constable Pauline Clare, Author Phillip Hodson, Psychologist Peter Sharp, Recruiter Anne Munro, Educator Olive Harrison and Psychologist Noreen Tehrani.

We do hope you will join us for what promises to be a mind-expanding event.