C ommunicate… You need to express yourself in a constructive way.

H arness… your emotions and slow down.

I solate… the source of your anger & initiate a plan of action that will reduce your anger.

L et go… of destructive behaviour patters from your past.

L earn… problem solving techniques and use the new knowledge.

O rganize… a plan of action before you get angry.

U nderstand… the consequence of your anger.

T hink… before you act.

INTRODUCTION

The following program is based on the experience and the result of facilitating Anger Management Groups for Adolescents during the past five years. The techniques and ideas mentioned stem from personal observations, knowledge from learned scholars and wisdom gained from twenty years working in the helping profession. However, the primary source of inspiration comes from the adolescents themselves.

The purpose of this manual is threefold. Firstly, it has to be user friendly, simple to read and adaptable while maintaining the principles that govern group work and the core concepts associated with anger. Secondly, it is important to create a framework that is usable to a wide range of individuals (professionals and others) who have a keen interest in working with this population. Thirdly, it is important to develop a program that is flexible and responsive to the needs of the facilitator. It is a "mix and match" that allows the facilitator(s) to determine how many sessions they require and what types of activities are needed based on client composition. One could lead a two, four or eight (or any other number) sessions program. This is a menu and it becomes your job to choose from the selected items.

This manual is divided into the following major sections: getting started; a sample of an eight-session program; an activity session; parenting group; facilitator's guide; information on anger and a questionnaire section.

This project is a guideline and the intent is to stimulate your own ideas and activities. It is divided into sections allowing you to either read the parts that are relevant to you or read it in its entirety. The key is to give yourself permission to experiment and try new ideas.

I do hope that you find the guide useful. If you have any suggestions or would like to add to the list of activities, please complete the evaluation form found on the last page.

Now let's get busy and do some good work!

OVERVIEW OF MANUAL

As indicate in the introduction, this manual attempts to be "user friendly" by eliminating unnecessary professional jargon. It is divided into sections for easy reference. Each section contains headings and under each heading, a point form method is utilized.

It is my sincere hope that this manual with give you the necessary skills and knowledge based to run a successful anger management group for teens.

To help navigate through this manual a brief explanation of the content of section is provided below. Perhaps this will help you "zero in" on the section that is most relevant to you.

Section One - Getting Started

This is an important section, particularly if you have little experience in group facilitating. This section examines such uses as; rationale of groups, group goals, how to establish a group, selection process, group structure and skills. Additionally, you will have an understanding of some basic group dynamics and group format used in this program.

Section Two - Group Program

This is the "guts" of the manual and it is divided into two parts. The first part follows and example of an eight session program. Each session is highly detailed and includes the necessary lecture notes, handouts and activity sheets.

Part B contains a selection of alternative group activities for your consideration. This allows you further options in group planning. This is what I call a mix and match approach. You are the one that ultimate decides what will work for your group members.

Section Three - Parent Program

It has become very clear from past experience that anger management groups for teens are enhanced when parents are involved in their own support group. This section contains a list of ideas and topics on how to facilitate such a group. A tip sheet for parents is also provided.

It is strongly recommended that parenting groups be given strong consideration. Even if this is not possible this section will help you understand the role parents play in changing their children's behaviours.

Section Four - Helping Suggestions

This section will assist you to becoming more comfortable in your role as a group facilitator. Perhaps the profession that deals with angry children on a daily basis is teaching and, with this in mind, I've provided a specific page for teachers to consider while working with angry children.

Section Five - Information on Anger

This section gives you a basic understanding of anger in general and more specifically on angry adolescents. The premise of this section is this, the more one knows about anger the more one can assist a child who has this problem.

Section Six - Questionnaire

This section contains a number of questionnaires for both parents and adolescents. They can be used for assessment purposes as well as provide a wealth of background information on each group member. These questionnaires could be completed by the participants or they could be used as an initial interview guideline. Some questionnaires could be easily incorporated in a group session.

To help you monitor the effectiveness of your program and evaluation form is enclosed.

Section Seven - Further Reading

A list of books is available for those interested in pursuing the topic.

Lastly, I would like to direct the reader to the last page of the manual. This is an evaluation form regarding the usefulness of this manual.

Ready… Set… Go…