ORI GIN AL ARTICLE
The Impact of Anger Management Treatmentand Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in a PublicSchool Setting on Social Skills, Anger Management,and Depression
Rosemary Flanagan Æ Korrie Allen Æ Donna J. Henry
Published online: 14 November 2009
� Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009
Abstract Public school students participated in a group to enhance and improve
anger management. The study used a pre-post design with a comparison group.
Students were assigned to either Anger Management Treatment or Anger Man-
agement plus Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Each child served as his
or her own control and received an empirically validated intervention. Pretest–
posttest data were evaluated using the Social Skills Rating System, the Children’s
Depression Inventory and the Children’s Inventory of Anger. Results indicate that
the addition of the REBT component to Anger Management reduced anger as well
as depression, while improving social skills, suggesting the addition of a specialized
cognitive behavioral component increased the effectiveness of the intervention.
Keywords Rational emotive behavior therapy � Children � Anger �Social skills
Introduction
Aggressive behavior of significant concern is manifested in up to 10% of children
(Kazdin 1998; Lochman and Szcepanski 1999). The number of boys exceeds girls
threefold (Meichenbaum 2001), with girls rapidly closing the gap in recent years
R. Flanagan (&)
Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Touro College, 43 West 23rd Street, New York,
NY 10010, USA
e-mail: [email protected]
K. Allen
Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA
D. J. Henry
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA
123
J Rat-Emo Cognitive-Behav Ther (2010) 28:87–99
DOI 10.1007/s10942-009-0102-4
(Garbarino 2006). Expressed anger and aggressive behavior are often co-morbid
with social skills deficits, poor anger management, and depression. Researchers
have found that cognitive and behavioral deficits contribute to angry affect and
aggressive behavior (e.g., Crick and Dodge 1994) and that higher levels of
aggression and behavioral problems are correlated not only with social skills deficits
(e.g., Bullis et al. 2001; Christopher et al. 1993; Deffenbacher et al. 1987; Hansen
et al. 1998), but also with depression (e.g., Blumberg and Izard 1985; Carey et al.
1991; Goodwin 2006; Jacobsen et al. 1983; Kazdin et al. 1983). This suggests that
because anger problems are often related to cognitive and behavioral learning,
treatment strategies should employ learning and thus enable the child to
comprehend and restructure social situations through social skills training, anger
management, and alleviation of depressive symptoms.
There is a paucity of research on anger management, despite the ubiquity of the
emotion. Not surprisingly, the literature is somewhat more developed for adult
populations (e.g., Novaco and Taylor 2006) than for children, yet related research
suggests that tendencies to anger should be addressed earlier rather than later.
Children with anger management problems represent a heterogeneous population
with multiple underlying problems which are often difficult to discern. Without
appropriate emotional outlets or skills training, expression of anger can be exhibited
in unhealthy and destructive ways. Anger management is needed for children who
cannot effectively understand and control their anger. Lochman et al. (1981) found
after completing an anger control program with elementary students designed to
address anger arousal, cognitive processing of the event, and problem response, the
children had decreased ratings of aggressiveness and acting out behavior. Feindler
et al. (1984) studied anger control training among middle school delinquents. The
researchers found ‘‘anecdotal evidence’’ that ‘‘self-instruction and thinking ahead
were instrumental in achieving anger control’’ (p. 310). Similarly, Stern and Fodor
(1989) reported that ‘‘by encouraging the child to talk to himself, or consciously
meditate on his or her behavior, responses are preceded by deliberate thought and
control is enhanced’’ (p. 13). These studies suggest that when children have the
awareness and skills to cognitively process negative emotions such as anger and
aggression, they have the ability to choose a different course of action, thereby
avoiding inappropriate and destructive behavior.
Social Skills
It has been long established that social skills impact on children’s development in
myriad ways and are necessary for successful interactions with others (Gresham and
Elliott 1990). Some examples of social skills include sharing, helping, initiating
relationships, requesting help, giving compliments and saying please and thank you.
Common sense suggests that such behaviors are incompatible with aggressive
behavior, and perhaps the likely underlying emotion of anger. Lack of fundamental
and appropriate social skills can be seen as an additive component to anger
management skills deficiency. Aggressive children are often socially inept or exhibit
social skills deficits and require anger management and social skills training to
enhance social competence (Elliot and Gresham 1993; Hansen et al. 1998; Kellner and
88 R. Flanagan et al.
123
Bry 1999). Individuals who more effectively manage social situations may be more
likely to manage anger more effectively than those with weak social skills and/or weak
social problem solving. A review of research indicates that there are a number of
effective treatments for anger and aggression using social skills development (Bullis
et al. 2001; Christopher et al. 1993; Deffenbacher et al. 1987; Elliot and Gresham
1993; Gresham 1985; Maddern et al. 2004; Stern and Fodor 1989). Improving social
skills involves developing pro-social expression of thoughts and feelings, as well as
cooperation and interaction with others, making it ideal for group conditions. Children
should benefit ostensibly from small group training sessions involving peer
interaction, modeling, practice, and feedback (Christopher et al. 1993; Elliot and
Gresham 1993; Stern and Fodor 1989). For these reasons, social skills were assessed.
Depression
Depression is often associated with aggressive behavior, with irritability being a
classic characteristic of mood and depressive disorders. Individuals exhibiting
aggression may have a propensity toward depression. Research shows that
aggression is a feature observed in depressed adolescents (Carey et al. 1991;
Goodwin 2006; Van Hasselt and Hersen 1987). Jacobsen et al. (1983) reported that
children are developmentally unable to exhibit depression in the same manner as
adults and that depression often presents as aggression, among other symptoms.
They proposed that it is plausible the consequences of depression are anxiety and
conduct disorders and that instead of solely addressing depression, the appropriate
treatment should target coinciding problem behavior and affect. This same research
reported that in a study of normal children aged 7 through 12 years, depression was
linked to unpopularity among peers and conduct problems. Children who may have
experienced unsatisfactory social interactions are often predisposed toward feelings
of frustration and anger that they may internalize. Such frustration and anger can
potentially result in depressive features such as anxiety and social withdrawal. In
contrast, children who externalize aggression may alienate themselves from peers,
likely resulting in loneliness, dejection, and anxiety (Eisenberg et al. 2001). The
traits described are all symptoms of depression. Given that it is plausible if one has
tendencies to experience depressive affect or become depressed, one may be less
skilled in problem solving, which in turn could be consistent with greater tendency
to angry affect. This latter notion bears some connection to learned helplessness
(Miller and Seligman 1975), which was first investigated as an experimental analog
for depression. Corroborating this analysis is research reviewed by Zeman et al.
(2002) which reported that children suffering from depression are less likely to
exhibit effective coping strategies than non-depressed children. Moreover, acting
out behavior was more common in children with ineffective or inappropriate coping
mechanisms. For these reasons, depression was also assessed.
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
It has been established that problem solving training, involving the generation of
alternatives and their subsequent review prior to action, is an effective intervention
Children’s Anger Management 89
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for improving children’s anger (Larson and Lochman 2001). There are occasions
when the alternatives generated remain impractical or unacceptable to the intended
user. At such times, incorporation of problem solving within the Rational Emotive
Behavior Therapy (REBT; Ellis 1994) framework could be a better choice. The
literature does not contain studies examining the additive effects of rational emotive
behavior therapy to anger management programs focusing on the development of
problem-solving skills. REBT posits that one’s beliefs about an event determine the
emotional reaction, whether it is functional or dysfunctional. Thus, REBT might be
especially helpful for coping with situations for which acceptance is the alternative
that is probably in the child’s best interest (meaning that emotional upset is
minimized, if not eliminated). This latter notion is more in keeping with Crick and
Dodge’s (1994) review of the literature.
Data indicate that REBT can be effective for improving anger management in
children (Bernard and Cronan 1999; Wilde 2002). Studies have begun to clarify the
cognitive components of the anger experience, and these components can be used to
develop strategies for children to manage anger. It seems reasonable that a broad set
of strategies, such as those that are part of REBT could be an effective addition to a
program that teaches problem solving skills. Meriting consideration are the
technical accommodations needed to conduct REBT with children, as children’s
cognitive development does not generally permit the same manner and depth of
intervention as with adults (Di Giuseppe 1989, 2007). Given that REBT is a system
that can be used to help individuals become more accepting of their flaws,
behavioral errors, and environmental constraints through cognitive coping strate-
gies, the benefits accrued from exposure to REBT seem important in anger
management. Recent literature on at-risk youth has addressed children’s erroneous
thinking and the resulting behavioral dysfunction, along with the importance of
targeting specific weaknesses in ‘‘cognitive and behavioral processes’’ and the
implementation of an intervention strategy that will effectively alter illogical
choices (Bullis et al. 2001, p. 73). Once a child begins to cognitively discriminate
between potentially problematic situations and the misinterpretation of situations
that do not involve a direct threat, the child is able to interpret the environment and
messages being sent as less ominous, thereby allowing the child to create and
execute an alternative response that is functional, or effective. Learning a strategy
that could enable one to move beyond errors and prior difficulties seems a logical
choice for improved anger management.
REBT asserts that self-defeating and irrational thinking, emoting and behaving
are associated with emotional difficulties such as low frustration tolerance and
depression. With proper training and oversight, children would seemingly benefit
from REBT intervention in the identification and replacement of irrational thought
processes with self-helping ones. Through the REBT philosophy of choice, and
deliberating before acting, children could make pro-social gains through the
development of socially acceptable behavior (i.e., social skills) and reduction of
aggressive acts, thereby potentially reducing violence and depression. The research
findings reported here suggest that REBT would be an effective treatment modality.
There are multiple delivery methods for such a treatment program. One approach
that stands out in recent literature is intervention in the school environment (Catalano
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et al. 1999; George et al. 2007; Handler et al. 2007). A longitudinal study (Soloman
et al. 1993) focused on children’s social development, utilized small group learning
settings that addressed cooperative learning, developmental discipline, self-control
skills, social understanding, and pro-social values. Data indicate that the program
maintained its effects on children’s social development for 2–4 years, with moral
reasoning having a smaller influence over the years, but conflict resolution maintained
integrity and showed a strong and lasting effect (Soloman et al. 1993). Programs such
as these typically use individual, classroom, and/or group intervention strategies to
effect change. Common threads among all programs are the need for re-structuring and
the utilization of a treatment method that will address both cognitive and behavioral
changes. While traditional individual psychotherapy is often not a practical or viable
option working in an environment with multiple aggressive children, group training is
more advantageous. Group training is more time and cost effective, and allows ample
practice and feedback opportunities for group members. The REBT approach meets
this treatment requisite.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a combined REBT/
Anger Management treatment, as compared to an Anger Management treatment alone
on anger management, social skills, and depression. It was hypothesized that the
Anger Management and REBT treatments together will lead to greater improvement
in anger management and social skills, and a reduction in depressive symptoms than
would the Anger Management treatment without the REBT component. Thus, the
study posed the question: would the addition of a REBT component increase the
effectiveness of a program already known to be effective?
The relationships among anger, social skills and depression (as assessed by the
Children’s Inventory of Anger, Social Skills Rating System, and Children’s
Depression Inventory) were also examined.
Methods
Participants and Procedure
The participants were 24 regular-education children (13 male, 11 female) ranging in
ages from 9 to 11 years (M = 10.7). The students attended a public school in
southeastern Virginia and participated in a 10-week lunchtime anger management
program. The racial-ethnic composition of the sample was diverse, being composed
of African-Americans (56%) and Caucasians (44%). A letter was sent home with the
children offering the program. To increase the likelihood of a strong therapeutic
alliance (Di Giuseppe et al. 1996), child and parent permission was required for
participation (‘‘Appendix 2’’). Children who participated were given a pizza party
during the first session and a popcorn party at the end of the 10-week intervention.
Participants were assigned to one of two conditions: Anger Management (AM) or
Anger Management plus Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (AM/REBT) based on
scheduling and convenience; there were two groups in each treatment condition.
Scheduling was arranged to minimize conflict and promote good attendance. A pre-
post design with a comparison group was used that included the Social Skills Rating
Children’s Anger Management 91
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System (SSRS; Gresham and Elliott 1990), the Children’s Depression Inventory
(CDI; Kovacs 1992), and the Children’s Inventory of Anger (ChIA; Nelson and
Finch 2000) as outcome measures. The groups met for 30–45 minutes at lunchtime.
Lunch time was selected for a number of practical reasons. The children often
misbehaved during lunch, thus, the group removed them from problematic
situations. Moreover, instruction would not be missed. Lastly, teachers were
generally more supportive of the intervention (thereby promoting good attendance)
because they received fewer complaints after lunch and instruction was uninter-
rupted. The group leader was the school psychologist who is trained in delivering
such interventions. The principal investigator provided additional supervision and
support as needed. There were four groups of students, with two groups in each
condition. The children varied in cognitive ability and represented a range of school
placement options. The children were encouraged to raise issues of current concern,
although a common set of scenarios (Flanagan et al. 1998; ‘‘Appendix 1’’) was also
covered over the duration of the intervention.
Instruments
Social Skills Rating System (SSRS)
The SSRS (Gresham and Elliott 1990) is an objective measure normed on over four
thousand children. The Student (self-report) Form is available in separate forms for
elementary (grades 3–6) and secondary (grades 7–12) school age youngsters.
Companion Parent and Teacher Rating Forms are available, as well as question-
naires for rating preschool children. The forms may be used in any combination.
Social skills are defined as having up to five components: Cooperation, Assertion,
Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control. The dimensions rated vary according to
the rater and the age of the child. Parents and teachers also rate problem behaviors.
Ratings are made on a 3-point Likert scale (0 = Never; 2 = Very Often). Scores are
reported as Standard Scores (M = 100; SD = 15). The forms take approximately
5–10 minutes to complete. The Elementary Student Form is comprised of 34 items
from the domains of Cooperation, Assertion, Empathy and Self-Control. Psycho-
metric properties of the scale are adequate, as internal consistency reliability
(coefficient alpha) is .38 for the Total Scale, and test–retest reliability over a 4 week
interval is .68. Construct validity was investigated through gender differences,
developmental changes, correlations with other tests, internal consistency, factor
analysis, convergent and discriminant validity and group separation.
Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI)
The CDI (Kovacs 1992) is a 27-item questionnaire developed to assess five classes
of cognitions and behaviors often observed with depressive symptomatology for
youngsters aged 7–17: Negative Mood, Interpersonal Problems, Ineffectiveness,
Anhedonia, and Negative Self-Esteem. The CDI bears some relation to the Beck
Depression Inventory (Beck 1967). Kovacs and Beck (1978) found considerable
overlap between adult and child manifestations of depression, so the decision to use
92 R. Flanagan et al.
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a scale developed for adults as a starting point seemed appropriate. Some items
specifically refer to the school setting. One item refers to suicide. Items are rated on
a 3-point scale (0 = absence of symptom, 1 = mild symptom, 2 = definite
symptom), with higher scores indicating greater depressive concerns.
Psychometric properties are acceptable. Internal consistency reliability (coefficient
alpha) was found to be .86 for the Total CDI; for the subscales, these values range from
.59 to .68. Test–retest reliability is problematic for a variable that is assessing a self-
reported state. Data from a number of studies are reported in the manual; Kovacs
concluded that the measure appears to have an acceptable level of stability.
The CDI has been the subject of numerous research investigations prior to
publication of the manual. Kovacs has suggested that these studies provide evidence
of construct and concurrent validity. Special attention was given to discriminant
validity by comparing the mean scores for three samples: ‘‘normal’’, a sample
diagnosed with major depressive disorder, and a sample of dysthymic children.
Discriminant function analysis correctly classified 100% of the clinical cases as
having a disorder and none of the ‘‘normals’’ as having a disorder.
Children’s Inventory of Anger (ChIA)
The ChIA is a 39-item scale with four response options that lie on a continuum. In
order to make the measure more child-friendly, pictures of faces depicting various
degrees of emotionality accompany each response option. The questions are printed
on carbonized paper, which when separated after completion, reveals the scoring
procedures, normative data, and graphic presentations. The test may be used for
youngsters aged 8–16. The theoretical underpinning of the scale is Rational Emotive
Behavior Therapy (Ellis 1994). A Total Score is yielded, as well as subscale scores
for four aspects of anger: Frustration, Physical Aggression, Peer Relationships, and
Authority Relations.
Psychometric properties are adequate: internal consistency reliability (coefficient
alpha) is .95 for the total scale, and .85 to .86 for each of the four subscales, which
are impressive values. Test–retest reliability is .75 for the total scale, and ranges
from .65 to .75 for the subscales at a 1-week interval. Construct validity was
investigated through gender differences, developmental trends, correlations with
other tests, factor analysis, and convergent and discriminant validity.
Treatments
Anger Management (AM; Larson and Lochman 2001) involves instruction in the
application of problem solving techniques to the management of angry affect and
behavior. This is comprised of learning to generate alternatives and review their
strengths and weaknesses and in so doing, arrive at the best possible solution. Anger
Management plus Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (AM/REBT) entailed the
same AM treatment plus the fundamentals of REBT. The focus in REBT is on
self-help forms depicting the A to E model of emotional disturbance (Ellis 1994). In
this model, A is the activating event, B are beliefs (rational meaning functional or
irrational meaning dysfunctional), C is the consequence (emotion), D is disputation
Children’s Anger Management 93
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of irrational beliefs and E is the effect, or coping statement generated. In both
conditions, youngsters were encouraged to raise situations of current concern. The
group leader was provided with a list of scenarios (‘‘Appendix 1’’) addressing topics
that might elicit anger such as following school rules, peer difficulties, and teacher
and parental expectations to cover during the course of the 10 weeks.
Results
Inspection of the data indicates that the mean pretest scores on the SSRS, CDI, and
ChIA are similar for both groups in each treatment condition. This was substantiated
by independent samples t-tests, thus, the two groups in each condition were
combined for data analysis.
At post-treatment, both conditions yielded noticeable improvement on the SSRS,
CDI and ChIA (see Table 1). Paired samples t-tests were used to compare students
in the AM/REBT group at time 1 to students in the AM/REBT group at time 2;
similarly, the scores of students in the AM group were compared at time 1 to their
scores at time 2. The Bonferroni correction was applied to manage the error due to
multiple comparisons and effect sizes were computed. These data analysis
procedures were chosen because some assignments to groups were made based
on convenience; moreover, a no-treatment control group was not used, which
increased the appeal of the interventions in a school-setting. No significant
differences were observed on any scale for the AM (only) group, once the
Bonferroni correction was applied. Significant differences were observed on the
SSRS (t = -4.42; p \ .008) and the ChIA (t = 10.02; p \ .008) for the combined
AM/REBT intervention. Effect sizes (Cohen 1990; Schmidt 1996), however, were
medium, for the CDI (n2 = .40) and SSRS (n2 = .68), and large for the ChIA
(n2 = .80).
An independent samples t-test was conducted to evaluate the hypothesis that
students in the AM/REBT group would show greater improvement in social skills,
Table 1 Group differences on psychosocial measure pre and post group intervention
Measure Pre training Post training t n2
M SD M SD
Children’s depression inventory (CDI)
AM (n = 11) 60.1 4.8 59.2 4.9 1.49 .18
AM/REBT (n = 13) 62.2 5.0 57.8 7.2 2.89 .40
Social skills rating system (SSRS)
AM 99.3 13.7 105.0 10.6 -2.27 .29
AM/REBT 101.4 11.4 111.6 11.5 -5.19* .68
Children’s inventory of anger (ChIA)
AM 61.5 6.2 60.7 5.6 1.24 .13
AM/REBT 63.6 7.1 53.8 5.9 12.08* .80
* p \ .008
94 R. Flanagan et al.
123
anger management, and a reduction in depressive symptoms than the AM group
alone. The test was significant for scores on the ChIA, t (22) = 2.97, p \ .007,
n2 = .27, but the results were not significant for social skills or depressive
symptoms. Relationships among the CDI, SSRS, and ChIA were explored; these
were not significant.
Discussion
Data as presented indicate that anger is an emotion that can be changed through the
use of behavioral techniques. While not a new notion, the addition of the basics of
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) to an empirically validated interven-
tion for anger is novel. Such a combination of techniques is consistent with Ellis’
more recent formulation (e.g., 1994), which asserts that behavioral exercises should
be incorporated into treatment packages that also utilize Rational Emotive Behavior
Therapy. What is important is that positive changes in affect and behavior
co-morbid with anger occurred.
Anger is an emotion expressed by actions or overt behaviors, but which also has a
notable cognitive component. The role of cognitions in the experience of anger
should not be underestimated because cognitions could play a role at any number of
points in the development of anger and its overt expression as well as anger control.
When anger is expressed as opposed to managed, cognitive processes are occurring.
Openly expressed anger is likely due to perseveration of negative thoughts such as
the demand that situation x is unfair or it must not happen in the first place.
Thoughts such as these are erroneous and will likely lead to an exacerbation of the
emotion of anger and its concomitant negative consequences. By incorporating
REBT into a program that teaches effective behavioral strategies, it has been shown
that children can more effectively manage their anger and ultimately demonstrate
better social skills because they have been taught to generate coping statements that
target the erroneous ideas that exacerbated the experience of anger in the first place.
Moreover, the addition of REBT to a problem solving intervention necessarily
provides additional opportunities to review alternatives prior to acting. Adding a
second effective strategy to an already effective coping strategy would be expected
to yield improved outcomes.
This study demonstrates that such interventions are relevant for youth who
demonstrate difficulty in the school setting, but may be scoring at sub-clinical (i.e.,
T = 60) rather than clinical levels (i.e., T = 70) on measures of functioning. This
study also provides direction for school-based practitioners as to how they might
readily set up a program and evaluate it. This is of considerable importance, as youth
demonstrating sub-clinical problems are common in the school setting and may
receive intervention in the school setting only. Replication of this study might also
occur in smaller clinical settings, such as community-based clinics and independent
practices. Moreover, this is an effectiveness study, as opposed to an efficacy study
(Seligman 1995), in that the intervention was delivered, as it would be in practice, as
opposed to a randomized clinical trial. There has been a continued call to study the
therapeutic process as it is carried out (e.g., Levant 2003). Given the increased
Children’s Anger Management 95
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accountability in health care, documentation on the effectiveness of interventions is
critical. Professional psychology needs ways to demonstrate to the insurers (i.e.,
payors) that interventions, as carried out in the practice setting, are effective.
There are a number of limitations of this study. The sample size is small, and the
pre-intervention status of these youngsters on a broad array of other affect and
behavior not assessed may have impacted on the results to an unknown degree. It is
also not known which elements of the problem-solving intervention for anger
management and the Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy were most effective, nor
is it known exactly how much each intervention contributed to the overall picture.
Knowledge at present is limited to knowing that the effects of the interventions
appear additive.
Some might argue that the addition of a REBT component to the intervention was
tantamount to teaching to the test in that the ChIA is based on REBT. While there is
merit in that argument, the items in the ChIA, nevertheless, are examples of
common scenarios that are likely to be accompanied by some negative emotion. It is
the response scaling of the ChIA, rather than the test items, that makes the
instrument so obviously aligned with REBT.
Future researchers might continue this line of inquiry by designing studies which
will permit examination of the data to determine the extent to which the various
components of the interventions each account for the explained variance associated
with improved behavior and affect. Extant data on this question are preliminary (see
Deffenbacher 2006, for a discussion). Other design improvements should include
random assignment to treatment groups. Given that the data from present study
suggest that the both interventions are effective, fewer barriers to cooperation from
school personnel, parents and children are anticipated.
Appendix 1
Situations for Anger Management Skills Groups
1. My teacher expects me to do 6 h of homework.
2. My parents expect me to do a lot of chores. Put out the garbage, clean up my room,
clear off the table, pick up the leaves, do my laundry. They are real slave drivers.
3. Everyone else was invited to the party. It’s unfair that I wasn’t invited; they
should have invited me.
4. My friends don’t understand anything. Why can’t they see things the way I do?
I know I’m right.
5. School has too many rules. Especially in the lunchroom. It’s unfair that we
can’t talk loudly.
6. That kid makes me angry. He’s a moron. He bothers me.
7. I really get mad when the TV breaks—it’s boring—and I have to wait 3 days
for the repair man to come.
8. My sister/brother thinks that she/he is so good. My mother lets her/him stay up
until midnight. My mother only makes me go to bed early. My mother must
love her/him more.
96 R. Flanagan et al.
123
Appendix 2
Consent/Assent Form
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Your child has been invited to take part in a small counseling group. The group is
called Anger Coping. Your child’s teacher and I believe this will be helpful to your child
to be able to improve control of his/her anger or temper, improve his/her behavior in
school, and help him/her improve social problem solving skills, set positive school
goals, and learn different ways to think so that he/she is less likely to become upset in
the first place. Participation has been opened to the entire class and is voluntary.
Groups will be run by —————, the school psychologist. These groups will
meet once or twice a week for approximately 12 sessions. Groups will meet at
lunchtime. Before the groups begin the youngsters will be asked to fill in some forms.
The same forms will be filled in after the program in order to evaluate it. These forms
will be kept confidential. In the group, role-playing will be used to learn to control
anger, learn to solve problems with others and to develop positive school goals.
Please call …—————.. at ..................... should you have questions.
Additional explanation of each activity is available upon request. Should you not
want your child to participate, this is acceptable and this will not effect the
availability of other school psychological services. You are also free to withdraw
your child’s participation after the program begins.
Your written permission as well as the written permission of your child is
required for participation. Please note there are several places below that require
your signature and that of your child. Thank you for your attention.
Dear……………………………………..
I give my permission for my child (fill in name)
____________________________________ to / not to (please circle) participate in the
lunchtime anger coping group.
Print name:_________________________________________________________
Signature:___________________________________________________________
Date:____________________________
I agree / do not agree (please circle) to participate in the lunchtime anger coping group.
Child signature__________________________________________________
Date_______________________
Children’s Anger Management 97
123
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