On April 05, 2024, the Judiciary conducted a professional development (PD) session focusing on promoting the concept of Emotional Quotient (EQ), also referred to as Emotional Intelligence. EQ is a means of understanding, managing, and responding to one's own emotions, and the emotions of others, in a positive, healthy way. In addition, it also addressed the benefits and ways to increase one’s EQ, as well as identifying and correcting unhealthy thoughts known as cognitive distortions.
The Judiciary launched the EQ program in late 2021 as a pilot project with the Pacific Judicial Council. The first EQ session was held during the 2-day Judiciary-wide PD conference in November. Dr. Carmen Ulloa-Kasperbauer led multiple sessions at the PD conference, and returned virtually the following spring for a follow-p series. Since then, the Judiciary has held an EQ session annually, in addition to targeting new employees for an introductory session semi-annually.
This PD session was presented by Edward P. Diaz, Drug Court Manager, and Bryan S. Bocago, Special Projects and Infrastructure Coordinator, and was held at the Guma’ Hustisia Assembly Hall. In attendance were new 15 Judiciary personnel, as well as officers and personnel from the Department of Corrections (DOC), who were invited to the session as partners and stakeholders in the area of criminal justice.
The initial EQ pilot program was developed in collaboration with Public School System, and incorporated a community outreach component. Students at Hopwood Middle School, S. Reyes Elementary School, and Sinapalo Elementary School all participated in the initiative by incorporating the EQ curriculum into classwork. EQ chairmen Diaz and Bocago have led efforts to increase the spread of Judiciary EQ outreach since the program’s inception three years ago.
DOC’s attendance at the April 2024 PD session marks the first time that a stakeholder agency was able to attend training in unison with Judiciary personnel. The Judiciary welcomes future partnership with other community groups and stakeholders at future EQ sessions.
From left, Edward P. Diaz and Bryan S. Bocago pose with the PD session participants from the Judiciary and the Department of Corrections. (April 05, 2024)