Love letters to the self: building heart skills through positive autoethnography

This article is an enquiry between two educators, one from social science and the other from counselling psychology, exploring how Positive Autoethnography can be applied in both teaching and therapeutic contexts. An exploration by co-founders of #Love@ECU, a research initiative at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia, the piece investigates the intersection of emotional learning and educational practice through the emerging framework of Heart Skills, an original format currently used in teaching interpersonal skills at ECU. It integrates personal narrative, embodied experience and emotional insight to consider how student growth and resilience can be cultivated. Central to this exploration is the concept of the heart as a bridge between body and mind, offering a holistic perspective that connects cognitive and somatic awareness. As part of ongoing work, we present here a series of reflective writing exercises, such as composing 'love letters to the dear heart', designed to foster self-love, emotional insight and healing through narrative. These exercises are intended to be shaped into autoethnographic artefacts that trace the development of the 10 core Heart Skills, that include empathy, assertiveness, compassion and leadership. Our aim is to create practical applications of Positive Autoethnography (PosAE) that support both pedagogical and therapeutic outcomes. This exploration lays the groundwork for future empirical research using Positive Autoethnography. By expanding the Heart Skills model through experiential, creative and reflective practices into a Heart Skills PosAE Toolkit, we hope to offer a transformative framework for heartful learning and emotional development across disciplines.