Emotional Intelligence Training and Conflict Resolution Effectiveness Among School Counsellors in Enugu State, South East Nigeria

School counsellors serve as frontline mediators in student and staff conflict resolution in Nigerian secondary schools, and their effectiveness in this role is significantly influenced by emotional intelligence competencies. In Enugu State, South East Nigeria, the relationship between counsellors' emotional intelligence levels and their conflict resolution effectiveness has not been assessed, limiting evidence-based training programme development. This study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence and conflict resolution effectiveness among secondary school counsellors in Enugu State and evaluates the impact of an eight-session emotional intelligence training intervention on conflict resolution outcomes. A quasi-experimental design is applied to 60 school counsellors from 30 public secondary schools, assigned to training or waitlist control conditions. The Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test and the Conflict Resolution Style Inventory are administered pre- and post-training, with a three-month follow-up. Repeated measures ANOVA and Cohen's d effect size are computed in SPSS. Available school psychology literature from South East Nigeria identifies emotional self-regulation and empathy as the emotional intelligence dimensions most strongly predicting integrative conflict resolution approaches among educational practitioners. Goleman's Emotional Competency Framework and the Transformative Conflict Resolution Model provide the theoretical reference. Findings will inform the Enugu State Ministry of Education on counsellor continuing professional development content. Keywords: emotional intelligence training, conflict resolution, school counsellors, Enugu State, South East Nigeria.