About the Network

Strong Emotions are Natural

Emotions give meaning to life and govern many of the positive choices that we all make. They act as a warning against distressing situations, motivate us towards daily goals and longer-term achievements, and give meaning to life.

Emotional Regulation vs Emotional Suppression

We believe there is a clear-cut difference between emotional regulation and emotional suppression.

For a service to truly support an individual, its aim should not be to simply control or eliminate expressions of distress. This will only lead to a build-up of distress for a person, with greater dysregulation at a later point.

Emotional regulation is about supporting a person to cope with feelings that may be distressing and overwhelming, and supporting them to express and use their emotions to achieve positive outcomes for themselves.

Emotional Dysregulation can lead to Negative Outcomes

We have probably all “let off steam” at times and this can be healthy.

At the same time, we probably all regret times when we caused ourselves difficulty.

• We may have damaged relationships with people we are close to, through saying things we later regret or losing our temper
• We may have rejected advice about making a major decision when we are upset, and lived with the consequences
• We may have caused ourselves an injury as a result of rushing when we are very stressed

When we think about the people who we support, dysregulated episodes are frequently at the forefront of the information we receive about them, which can lead to the self-fulfilling prophecy of negative expectations. All too often, it leads to restrictive practices and placement breakdown.

Reducing dysregulated episodes is therefore a desirable outcome for the individuals who we support.

Regulation is both Individual and Relational

Knowing what helps a person to channel their emotions positively, and what works for them as an individual, is vital for directly supporting staff.

We also believe that regulation is frequently promoted through a person’s relationship with others, and we therefore also need skills for guided regulation and co-regulation.   

Positive Staff Interactions

We believe that the most important expertise within any service lies with those who provide direct care and support, who get to know people at a deep level.

Relational dysregulation depends on supporting staff being able to remain calm themselves, and also the need for staff to avoid negative assumptions about behaviour.  

We recognise that this is not always easy, but can be achieved through:

• Staff feeling confident to deal with any eventuality
• Staff having empathy for the difficulties that a person may be experiencing  
• Staff being able to reflect and receive affirmation through empathic leadership and supervision

THINKING TOGETHER

We believe that no single professional, or even one single workplace, can possess all of the knowledge and skills to support people who may become emotionally dysregulated. This includes the moderators of the network.  

We are not seeking to be the fount of all knowledge, but for our members to tap into each other’s expertise, and build a community of practice along the way. We offer members an opportunity to “think together.”

Our function as moderators and website builders will be to organise this knowledge into an ever-growing, searchable information resource.   

A Complementary Resource

We are not seeking to replace any model or approach to emotional dysregulation. The network will focus chiefly on the positive expression of emotions and de-escalation, which fully fits established models such as Positive Behaviour Support.

We hope that what is shared on the network will generate ideas and offer guidance for all health and social care professionals who work with people who may become dysregulated.