Anger, Aggression, and Violence

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.

Skill-based Lessons

Over 50 one-hour lessons (with complete lesson plans, worksheets and participant activities). Included are practice in key assertion skills, conflict resolution, coping with peer pressure, and avoiding violence. A shorter version (MAV 25) is also available. This resource is available in juvenile and adult versions. Scripted lesson plans make this resource especially helpful for implementation by line staff, para-professionals, and others.

1-2	Introduction to anger	30-31	Protecting your boundaries
3-4	Why we need better communication skills	32	Conflict resolution 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

Workbook Options

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.

Impact! (Victim empathy) (CC2)	Victim empathy resource guides participants to consider what victims feel, and various consequences for victims.	1
Retaliation (CC8/GG13)	The purpose of this resource is to show participants how retaliating, even over something small, can easily escalate into a very serious situation. Participants will describe situations of retaliation they have witnessed in the past and then analyze the possible costs and consequences of retaliating.	1
The Motivational Interviewing Anger, Aggression, and Violence Resource (4 elements) (MAV-MI-1,2,3,4)	The Motivational Interviewing Anger, Aggression, and Violence Resource. This is a series of four (4) resources which are designed to address motivation and change talk issues in a sequential fashion. Includes tools for addressing angry feelings, symptoms, triggers, and self-efficacy in handling anger, aggression and violence. Suggested for 1:1 use. Also recommended to build and enhance motivation in programs using the MAV Anger Skills lessons.	$250
Understanding Yourself #1 (GG7)	This is the "risk factors" approach to aggression and violence. It provides an alternative approach to violence issues and bahavior, addressing community and family risk factors for violence. For clients, the objective is to begin by increasing awareness. Then, clients can admit that they have these 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."	9
Understanding Yourself #2 (GG8)	This is the "risk factors" approach to passive-aggressive behavior, which can often lead to violence and other problems. It provides an alternative approach to violence, addressing community and family risk factors for this passive-aggressive behavior. For clients, the objective is to begin by increasing awareness. Then, clients can admit that they have these 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."	5
Living a non-violent life #1 (GG4)	This workbook provides the opportunity for clients to identify their triggers and highest personal risk factors for violence and to develop strategies to avoid these issues or to cope more effectively in the future.	10
Living a non-violent life # 2 (GG5)	This workbook provides a more focused opportunity for clients to identify their highest risk factors for violence (the people, places, things, times, and situations where they are at highest risk). It guides the development of “environmental control” strategies to avoid these issues and situations - and helps clients explore their options.	8
Anger (F2)	Identifies client anger symptoms, issues, and triggers, links anger to dependencies. Topics include repressed anger and passive-aggressive behavior.	6
“What’s wrong with holding in my anger?” (Di5)	Addresses passive-aggressive thinking and behavior.	6
“What’s wrong with being tough-minded?” (Di12)	Identifies and addresses issues underlying aggressive behavior. Topics include overly-”macho” approach and controlling others by anger.	5
Avoiding problems with authority (RH9)	This workbook 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. It offers specific suggestions for dealing with potential conflicts with authority figures, and a template for evaluating responses to typical situations. Situation cards provide opportunities for modeling appropriate responses.	4
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.	3
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
Starting to make changes: learning, practicing, and applying new skills (CS-IN)	Clients identify past harmful or addictive behaviors used to “cope” with emotional discomfort and complete checklist of currently-mastered coping skills. Motivation for clients to learn and master new coping skills.	2
Coping skills for emergencies (CS1/DP2/RI16)	Clients learn to identify their own highest risk situations, the cues that they are becoming at higher risk, what they will do to cope effectively, and then practice these new coping skills until they are confident they will work. Included in these skills are thought stopping, conflict avoidance and “escape” skills, and a comprehensive set of “refusal skills.”	6
Critical coping skills (individual lessons) (CS1b)	Critical coping skills lessons (thought stopping, thought switching, etc.), including lesson plans, skills practice activities and instructor’s scripts.	2
Coping skills for relapse prevention, set 1: 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.	8
Coping skills set 2: establishing a safer environment (CS3)	Clients are guided to identify their most dangerous temptations, high risk people, places, things, feelings, and situations. They will identify areas of continued vulnerability to old temptations. Clients will complete action plans to avoid high risk people, places, things, and situations.	6
Coping skills, set 3: techniques for handling uncomfortable feelings and thoughts (CS4)	Provides guidance in mastery of thirteen coping skills important for relapse prevention.	8
Breathing/Relaxation skills (individual lessons) (CS4b)	Critical coping skills lessons (breathing/relaxation skills), including lesson plans, skills practice activities and instructor’s scripts.	4
Creative visualization and relaxation (individual lessons) (CS4c)	Critical coping skills lessons (creative visualization and relaxation), including lesson plans, skills practice activities and instructor’s scripts.	2
The STOP Model (CS5j)	This workbook addresses impulse control and develops two key models: - the STOP model - the THINK model Once participants are familiar with how the STOP and THINK models work, a series of scenarios are presented and analyzed. Includes skills practice activities.	2
Coping skills for emergencies (CS1/DP2/RI16)	Clients learn to identify their own highest risk situations, the cues that they are becoming at higher risk, what they will do to cope effectively, and then practice these new coping skills until they are confident they will work. Included in these skills are thought stopping, conflict avoidance and “escape” skills, and a comprehensive set of “refusal skills.”	6
Coping skills, set 5: using effective interpersonal and lifestyle skills (CS6)	Clients will complete: (1) self-assessment of coping skills for healthy interpersonal relationships and a balanced lifestyle; (2) self-assessment of anger and assertion skills.	4
Coping skills, set 6: techniques for making long-term changes (CS7/RH22)	Practical and comprehensive post-release and relapse prevention plan. This workbook is designed to identify and address issues and responsibilities facing individual participants, addressing self-efficacy and reduction of recidivism issues. This workbook is available in correctional and non-correctional versions.	6
Making it personal: your own plan to maintain your recovery by identifying and addressing your highest risks (CS8/RH23)	Identification of personal highest risk factors with specific coping skills to be used and demonstration of competence (self-efficacy) in addressing risks for relapse. Special emphasis is placed on the transition to the community, self-efficacy, and reduction of recidivism issues. Critical workbook. This workbook is available in correctional and non-correctional versions.	8
Managing your stress (CS9)	Basic stress management workbook, including self-examination, symptoms awareness, identification of triggers, underlying stressors and lifestyle issues, evaluation of past coping, and introduction to several key coping skills.	5
Reducing your risk (CS10/RH26)	Basic risk reduction workbook, addresses highest risk situations, warning signs, high risk feelings leading to relapse, and provides coping skills guidelines.	2
Domestic violence #1: increasing personal awareness (DV1)	A primary objective is to address denial of the issue - or its seriousness - by its victims. This workbook uses comprehensive worksheets and checklists to help participants identify and understand the physical, sexual, verbal and emotional violence they have experienced with male and/or female partners. It also helps them understand why they remained in abusive relationships.	3
Domestic violence #2: becoming less vulnerable to domestic violence (DV2)	This workbook helps identify and address some of the most common underlying vulnerabilities in women who are in abusive or dysfunctional relationships. It addresses the costs and consequences of being in an unhealthy relationship, healthy and unhealthy relationships, and some of the characteristics of the abuser. This workbook provides suggestions for healing personal areas of vulnerability and initiates the action planning process.	4
Domestic violence #3: your safety is your business (DV3)	This workbook develops a comprehensive individual-specific action plan for preventing future relationship difficulties. It helps identify the progressive nature of these behaviors, the reasons why she may need to get away from an abusive or threatening situation, and helps identify issues in her own thinking relating to the abusive relationship with a male or female partner. Templates identify specific areas of personal strength which may help her in difficult times.	3