Program options include individual lessons, games and other interactive resources, and a range of helpful client workbooks. These materials guide clients to identify symptoms of anger - as they build up, and then deal with their feelings more appropriately. Initial activities relate to development of areas of emotional intelligence and then address critical interpersonal communication skills, conflict resolution, and anti-violence skills. Skills-based lessons include detailed lesson plans, worksheets, activity cards, behaviorally-stated objectives and skills mastery checklists.
| 1-2 | Introduction to anger | 30-31 | Protecting your boundaries |
| 3-4 | Why we need better communication skills | 32 | Conflict resoulution practice |
| 5-8 | Becoming a better listener | 33-35 | Refusal skills 1,2,3 |
| 9-11 | Learning to be assertive | 36 | Using your escape skills |
| 12-13 | Where does your anger come from? | 37 | When you have set yourself up or embarrassed yourself by saying something |
| 14 | Before you get angry | 38 | When you have set yourself up or embarrassed yourself by doing something |
| 15 | Where does your anger go? | 39 | When you have not done well |
| 16-17 | How to keep out of fights | 40 | Adding balance to your life with new activities |
| 18-19 | When you are accused of something | 41 | Introduction to stress management |
| 20-21 | Handling provocations | 42 | What is stress doing to you? |
| 22 | When someone else is angry at you | 43 | How have you "coped" in the past? |
| 23 | Preparing yourself for a stressful conversation | 44-45 | Coping skills #1 |
| 24 | When you need to express a complaint | 46 | Breathing skills for relaxation |
| 25 | Handling peer pressure | 47 | Muscle relaxation |
| 26 | Offering specific help | 48-49 | Coping skills #2 |
| 27 | When you have made a mistake/When others have made a mistake | 50 | Having a backup plan |
| 28-29 | Assertion skills practice | 51-54 | Disrespect 1,2,3, Dealing with frustration |
| What Do YOU Think? (discussion starter and cognitive restructuring resource) | |
| Each lesson is supported by a session opener from the "What Do YOU Think?" series. They are designed as a subtle approach to cognitive restructuring (CBT) and include issues relating to aggression, violence, risk and protective factors, substance abuse, victim empathy, and moral dilemmas. |
Workbooks are written at a grade 4-6 reading level. Materials are taken from different program areas, including Understanding Your Feelings, Developing Insight, Returning Home, and Coping Skills.
| Anger (F2) | Identifies client anger symptoms, issues, and triggers, links anger to dependencies. Topics include repressed anger and passive-aggressive behavior. | 6 hours |
| The Anger Game | Helps clients identify anger triggers and anger cues (in self and others), as well as inappropriate and appropriate expressions of anger. Supported by: (1) "Faces and feelings" activity (2) Perspective activity | 2-3 |
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Understanding yourself #1 (GG7)
Understanding yourself #2 (GG8)
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These workbooks help clients increase awareness; then clients are guided to identify individual risk factors, and acknowledge that these risks and
temptations will be out there, waiting, upon release. If you plan for them,
and develop options for how you will handle them better, you stand a good chance.
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9 5
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Living a non-violent life #1 (GG4)
Living a non-violent life #2 (GG5)
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These two workbooks guide clients in:
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18 16 |
| "What’s wrong with holding in my anger?" (DI5) | Addresses symptoms and consequences of passive-aggressive behavior, issues underlying passive-aggressive thinking and behavior, and uses cognitive restructuring approach to initiate the process of change. | 6 |
| "What’s wrong with being tough-minded?" (DI12) | Uses cognitive restructuring approach to identify and address issues underlying aggressive behavior. Topics include overly-"macho" approach and controlling others by anger. | 5 |
| Avoiding problems with authority (RH9) | Addresses issues involved in dealing with authority figures and helps participants understand the nature of their anger, hurt, and resentment - and the ways in which they may create more problems for themselves. Supports dealing with potential conflicts with authority figures, provides template for evaluating responses to typical situations and situation cards provide practice in appropriate responses. | 4 |
| Problem Solving (PS) | Includes 44+ anger/conflict resolution problem situations for discussion and skill modeling. ("What do you really want to happen here?" "What made you think that choice was a good idea?"). Goal for clients is to begin to take responsibility for their own decisions. | 8 |
| Coping skills: techniques for use when you are at greatest risk (CS2) | Provides guidance and practice in mastery of seven emergency skills - to address areas of temptation to relapse (or to act out anger, etc.). Guides the development of personal action plan for use of immediate measures at highest risk situations. | 10 |
| Coping skills: techniques for handling uncomfortable feelings and thoughts (CS4) | Provides guidance in mastery of thirteen coping skills important for relapse prevention. | 10 |
| Thought stopping, etc. (CS1b) | Critical coping skills lessons (thought stopping, thought switching, etc.), including lesson plans, skills practice activities and scripts. | 2 |
| Breathing/Relaxation skills (CS4b) | Critical coping skills lessons (breathing/relaxation skills), including lesson plans, skills practice activities and scripts. | 4 |
| Creative visualization and relaxation (CS4c) | Critical coping skills lessons (creative visualization and relaxation), including lesson plans, skills practice activities and scripts. | 2 |
| Safety Nets (RH12) | This workbook guides clients to identify and address early warning signs that they are at increasing risk to fall back into old (negative) behavior patterns. | 2 |
| Red flags (RH13) | Short workbook helps participants identify and plan to address the symptoms and cues that they are moving closer to their highest risk situations. This is a key step toward self-efficacy. | 5 |