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

1-4	Basic skills for better communication	24	When you need to express a complaint
5-8	Becoming a better listener	25	Handling peer pressure
9-11	Learning to be assertive	26	Expressing support and appreciation
12-13	Where does your anger come from?	27	Offering specific help
14-15	Where does your anger go?	28	When you have made a mistake
16-17	Keeping out of fights	29	Assertion skills practice
18-19	When you are accused of something	30,31	Protecting your boundaries
20-21	Handling provocations	32	Conflict resolution Practice
22	When someone else is angry at you	33-35	Refusal Skills
23	Preparing yourself for a stressful conversation	36	Using your "escape" skills

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.

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
Understanding yourself #1 (GG7) Understanding yourself #2 (GG8)	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. This is the "risk factors" approach to gang activity. It provides an alternative approach to violence, addressing community and family risk factors for violence 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.	9 5
Living a non-violent life #1 (GG4) Living a non-violent life #2 (GG5)	These two workbooks guide clients in: identifying their triggers and highest risk factors for violence developing specific strategies to avoid these issues and to cope more effectively in the future.	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