Session 1 - Goals of Anger control training

Why control Anger?

• To give ourselves greater control over our lives• To have a better relationship with others in our

lives• To ensure that our anger and aggression does not

lead to trouble with authorities (school, the law, etc.)

• To be more successful in our own lives, as have such people as Jackie Chan and Evander Hollifield

The A B C’s of Anger

• A= The trigger (What led up to it?)

• B=What did you do when angry?

• C= Consequences for you and others

Activity 1

• Think of 1 time when you were angry recently.• Fill out the picture sheet for this occasion to show:• 1.When, where what, who it concerned• 2. Write/draw what you did.• 3. Say how you felt afterwards• 4. Rate how you handled it.

Session 2 - Triggers

Triggers may be:

External - things done by one person to make another person angry

• May be verbal or non-verbal

• Almost always an external trigger is not enough to cause anger to occur

• Internal - what you say to yourself to make you angry

• The main cause of an angry outburst

• Follows an external trigger to get your action

The Hastle Log - Activity 2

• Diary of incidents where you have felt hastled.

• Records whether you handled it well, or whether you did not.

• To be filled in shortly after an incident.

Session 3

Cues tell you that you are getting angry

• Tense muscles

• Grinding teeth

• Heart pounding

• Sweating

• Clenched fists

• Face sets in a frown

Anger reducers bring down our anger levels

• 1. Deep breathing (brings down tension, more controlled response)

• 2. Count backwards (shows you have the personal power to control your reaction, lowers anger level, gives thinking time)

• Think of a pleasant thought and build on it.

Session summary

• Know your triggers

• Know your cues

• Know your anger reducers

Session 4

Reminders help us to remember

• All successful people have been coached.

• They also learn to coach themselves when the need arises.

• Reminders only work if you want them go.

Sample reminders

• Stay calm, it’s OK…• I can handle this…• It’s not worth it, stay calm..• Stay cool, think it through…• I’m in control, not my anger…• OK, develop a plan, what do I do…• I need to go to my calm down place• Good, I’m handling this - hang in there…

Session 5

(I can do it!)

The keys to good preparation:

Prepare to get upset before it happensHave a plan for confrontationLearn how to cope with getting angryThink how you went:Went well - congratulations!Not so well - how can I do better?