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: rosemary.flanagan@touro.edu

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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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