The network is for any professional in a role where they work with people who may become emotionally dysregulated.
This is likely to mean social care and educational settings, but we would also welcome contributions from other sectors such as police, probationary services or travel providers.
We are all capable of becoming dysregulated, and while we would not wish to label individuals, we recognise that dysregulation may happen for different reasons depending on person’s stage of life or their health status.
As professionals, we are also likely to work in a specialist field of care or education, and we develop knowledge and skills in this area which we can use to support people to regulate.
In order to help users of the website navigate to information and ideas that are the most helpful for them, the content of this website, and the greater depth provided in our members area, will therefore be grouped into different care and educational categories.
We hope, however, that there will be exchanges of ideas across all settings and we will foster this whenever possible.
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Emotional dysregulation is a common feature across many types of mental health difficulty. It may emerge as heightened distress, impulsivity, withdrawal, self-protective behaviours, or difficulties managing intense emotions.
When a person is experiencing a severe episode of mood disorder or psychosis, a number of factors can combine to create a heightened sense of fear and distrust, which can make dysregulated episodes more likely.
Professionals working in mental health settings are often required to balance safety with supporting a person to regulate.
The ERN aims to provide a resource and a forum for staff to help reduce periods of emotional dysregulation in terms of both intensity and frequency.
NEURODIVERSITY
Recent years have seen great strides in support for people who live with neurodiversity. Thankfully, it is no longer seen as an illness or disability which needs to be corrected, but simply as a form of difference for which adjustments need to be made.
When a person lives with a neurodiverse condition such as Autism or ADHD, emotional dysregulation can occur for a number of reasons, such as an environment or an activity not making sense, or from receiving an overload of sensory input.
The ERN aims to provide a forum for professionals to share ideas and practical strategies for reducing distress for neurodiverse individuals
OLDER ADULTS
Entering the later stages of life can be a very positive time, when we are hopefully able to look back on our achievements and enjoy a period with less pressure and greater financial security.
At the same time, there may be sadness about losing some of the roles that we had in earlier adulthood, and frustration at a reduction in some of our physical and cognitive capacities.
For some of us there may sadly be the onset of dementia, which can cause fear and agitation, leading to periods of emotional dysregulation.
The ERN aims to develop a useful forum for discussing practical strategies to help the people who we support have positive experiences of being an older adult
SCHOOL SETTINGS
For those of us who work in education, one of our main goals is to prepare young people for the next stages of their lives. This could be moving from a small primary school to a larger educational setting, or leaving education and entering adulthood.
As well as providing knowledge and skills for future work roles, schooling is a key part of young people learning about emotions and how they can be managed and expressed appropriately.
A natural part of this development is a child going through times of emotional dysregulation, which can impact themselves and other children in the classroom.
The Emotional Regulation Network will therefore develop a forum for teachers and associated professionals for supporting young people through the stages of emotional development.
LEARNING DISABILITIES
The past few decades have seen a highly positive transformation in attitudes and values around people who live with a learning disability.
Approaches such as Active Support and Positive Behaviour Support are firmly based around building on each individual’s strengths. This includes supporting people at times when strong emotions may arise, and may be communicated through behaviour.
The ERN will produce an expanding forum for professionals to share experiences and practical suggestions for supporting people in this important area.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND TRAUMA RECOVERY
Many of us work in settings for young people where, all too often, we observe the effects of adverse childhood experiences.
This can lead to emotional dysregulation resulting from anger over what has happened, flashbacks to abuse, and little or no guidance having previously been offered in dealing with strong emotions.
A core element of our role is helping young people to overcome these difficulties, and ultimately supporting them to leave care and be prepared for adult life. The ability to regulate their own emotions will be key to this.
The ERN will develop a forum for all professionals working in the field of trauma recovery for young people
