An Online Anger Management Class Are you required to take an anger management class? It is quite common for courts, probation officers, juvenile departments, schools and employers to require completion of an anger management class? If you think you have a problem with your anger you should consider several possibilities. The usual first option is to start with an educational anger management class. Anger management education can occurred by reading books, by attending anger management group sessions or by completing an online anger management class. You will know you have an anger management problem if your anger arises too frequently, too intensely or lasts too long. One more indicator that you have an anger management problem is if you are in trouble at home, work, school, with your friends or with the legal system. Our 8 hour class is only $64 |
The anger management class you are about to take is based on the book, The Psychology of Anger
by Steven M. Houseworth, MA. Following is the book outline
The Psychology of Anger
Chapter 1: Introductions
Chapter 2: About Anger
Chapter 3: Anger Myths
Chapter 4: About Anger Emotion
Chapter 5: About Angering Behavior
Chapter 6: Mental Rehearsing Anger
Chapter 7: Anger Strategy
Chapter 8: Anger Techniques
Chapter 9: The Anwer
Final Exam
The Psychology of Anger
Objectives
1) Introduce the purpose of the entire class.
2) To make it clear that there is real hope for angry people
3) To introduce key elements of behavior change
4) To outline the expectations of the class
I've suffered from anger for a lot of years but I just thought that's how I am - I didn't really realize that I had an anger problem. One of the things I came to realize was that it was almost like I don't want to change. Like I don't want to get rid of my anger because I would lose a sense of who I am - it was such a big part of me and how I expressed myself.
~Unknown
Introduction:
Let me start by saying how excited I am to be presenting this class. My name is Steve and I've been working with, researching and studying anger, tempers, explosive, violent and assaultive behavior for just about 25 years. Let me say that I am very well aware that you may not "need" this anger management class. If this is the case, I apologize. I suggest you use your time well, try to gain "something" from it and meet your obligation to the person who referred you. Please be aware that I had to write this anger management class as if you really did need and/or want it.
In all seriousness this class is NOT intended, or adequate, for people who are repeated serious physical offenders; people who enjoy being violent or assaultive; seriously mentally ill, (i.e., psychotic), brain damaged, are unable to grasp or learn new ideas; or have an anti-social personality disorder. Further, if your anger, violence and/or assaultive behaviors are impacted by drug or alcohol use, you will need to address that problem in your life too. This class has much more hope of being meaningful and helpful if those issues are not active in your life.
That said, let me try to get into your head for a moment. I suspect you have little to no interest in taking this stupid anger management class. You likely view it as a waste of your time and expect it to be a "bunch of crap" - you don't need a stupid anger management class anyway. How am I doing? You probably expect to learn nothing and have little to no hope for any helpful or constructive outcome. The only reason you are enrolled in this anger management class is because "someone" is making you take an anger management class. Your goal is to get "this thing" over with as fast as possible. You are hoping you can either skim the pages or jump to the tests and successfully pass without having to do the reading.
Nothing is easy to the unwilling.
~Thomas Fuller
The likelihood is that if you are taking this class, someone in your life (most often a probation officer, judge, school, coach or employer) is either offering a consequence for something you did or declaring that you have to do something about your anger, outbursts and rage. The basic idea is that they are ready for you to change so, now you have to be ready too. We all know that no one can get you ready for change but, they have to at least say they tried.
Ya know what? In spite of all of that skepticism and lack of motivation, . I AM still excited about presenting this class!
The people who hired me have very high expectations of me and this class. They hunted me down trying to hire an "expert" so they could be sure they got the best product possible. They want me to have a serious impact on everyone who takes this class. Well . let me tell you .. these people are being very unrealistic. In fact, they are working under the very false assumptions that one person can impose change on another person. I do not maintain that belief! I can not make you believe anything and I can not make you change your behavior. I can present good (or even great) information, but you choose if it makes sense to you or not. You make the choice to use and apply it or not. Yes, if you are not interested you can still learn and change, but my point is that you are in control of what you get out of this class. I can present the best "stuff", but, even then it will be meaningless unless you give it a shot.
What do we try to do? Well . . . the easy answer is that, though we don't try to insist that you believe us, we do ask that you take the time to try and "understand" us. We operate with the assumption that it is our job to help you understand anger management and that it is solely your job to decide if you believe what you learned. We ask that you look at the information we present, assess that information and decide - in your own mind - if it is true.
If you understand our points and conclude that this information is hog wash - that is okay with us, you are free to do so.
A more specific answer to this "What do we try to do?" question is that much of what we discuss in the following chapters is intended to focus on your thinking. It is our firm belief that thinking precedes behavior. Thinking guides behavior. (Don't argue with us yet. Read first.) As you will learn in these chapters - be careful what you think . . . it becomes your character.
It might help if you think about the chapters you are about to complete as if you were putting a puzzle together. Each piece builds upon the other. As the pieces are put together, the picture becomes more clear. Trust me, we try hard not to waste your time. Everything we include is a piece of the puzzle.
Okay, so here's the deal. I want to ask you to give me a chance. Frankly, each chapter is full of key points. I am excited because I know the research. I have much more information to give than you likely ever want to hear. Heck, I can tell you about rat studies, ape studies, college student studies, prison inmate studies and on and on.
As a result of my research, I know what works, I know what doesn't. I know the wacky cultural myths about what people believes drive anger. I KNOW people can learn to deal with their anger management issues differently. I KNOW people can put their anger problems behind them. I KNOW your life will be better if you learn ways to prevent anger, learn adaptive solutions to deal with anger, and develop responses which minimize anger.
So, what does "give me a chance" mean? It means that even if you are disinterested in taking this anger management class, try not to waste your time . . . try to learn at least one (1) new and meaningful piece of information from each chapter. One is fine with me. In exchange, I will pack the most powerful, meaningful research based material into each chapter. In other words it should not be too difficult for you to find one meaningful piece of information in each chapter. I cannot force you to believe any of the points being made in this class. I can only hope that you take the time to "understand" them - there is a difference. If you at least understand the key points . . . you did your job!
Beliefs:
Aside from your probable lack of interest, my next barrier has to do with the beliefs you may maintain about anger. Most people maintain at least a few false beliefs (myths) about what causes anger and how to deal with it. These false beliefs pass from person to person and generation to generation. Interestingly it takes about 20 years for better and more accurate information to ooze itself into our culture - into our thinking and beliefs. You too very likely maintain false beliefs about anger.
So, not only do I need to introduce you to new information about anger management , but I also need to try to get you to challenge your present beliefs. It is very likely that your present beliefs are getting in the way of you dealing with anger in a more constructive way. One thing we know for sure is that people act on their beliefs whether they are true, accurate, and valid or not. Are you strong enough to challenge your own beliefs?
Skills:
If you step back for a moment and look at anger from a distance you will see that some people have learned effective and healthy ways to deal with anger and other people have learned less healthy ways to deal with anger. The difference between these people has everything to do with the options they know about and the skills they have developed over time. For example, if one person learns that "rage" gets people to "back off", then that person may use rage over and over again because it seemed to work so quickly. Yet, another person who uses "rage" may learn that people back off and "unfriend" you. This person may have learned that "rage" doesn't work so well because he wants people to like him. Did you know that people who have anger management problems typically only know one way to deal with anger - they don't know options? They simply do not know other ways, or have other skills, to deal with anger! Lack of social problem-solving skills directly relates to people who have anger management problems.
Recently I met with a teenage girl, Haley, who came to me and expressed concern that she is experiencing extreme rage at her younger brother (younger by two years). She told me of stress and tension like she has never experienced before. She described feelings and behaviors that made it very clear she had genuine anger toward her brother. She broke down crying and said, "I went up to him and I started choking him and I couldn't stop." Feeling helpless she said, "I can't stop. I can't help myself!"
Wow! How cool that Haley could talk about it. How strong she was to ask for help. How heartbreaking that she felt so helpless and powerless! Haley and I spent a lot of time talking. I introduced her to options, techniques and the notion that she is in control and that she is making choices. She did good. She did really well! She "got it". I told Haley that she will not be able to change unless and until she "believes" that she is in control. I absolutely loved her response. Haley replied, "Okay . I understand but . I don't know how."
Haley did all the right things. She talked, she shared her concerns and fears and she was open to learning new anger management information. She learned. But, most of all she knew that she didn't know how . . . she didn't know what to do. It is my hope that if you are even close to feeling what Haley is feeling, that we can give you meaningful tools to "show you how."
Thinking and Behavior
This anger management class is designed around the strong belief that thinking comes before behavior. The obvious idea behind this notion is a belief in any new information leads to new and different behaviors. If, for example, you believe that 2+3 = 6 you will always do math wrong when these numbers come to play. Once you learn of your false belief you will have better math skills.
A dilemma that arises with this anger management class is, should we focus the class on "knowledge" and simply ignore behavior? The answer is "No". Experiences you have can reinforce your beliefs. If you find a behavior of yours is successful you will likely engage in it again. And, therefore, if you are willing to practice "other" behaviors (other than your usual anger behaviors) you can see that those alternative behaviors not only work, but also have less negative side effects and outcomes, and therefore actually work better.
In terms of behaviors, humans and non-human typically make loud sounds, attempt to look physically larger, bare their teeth, and stare when angry. In its rawest form anger results in a behavioral pattern designed to warn aggressors to stop their threatening behavior. Let's face it, not practicing anger management may work for you (in the moment) but it doesn't make your life better or any happier.
Another basic belief of this anger management class is that people are seeking pleasure, happiness, peace comfort and satisfaction. How, when, and where in life you find your happiness is a significant part of your life's journey. Frankly, we know that the primary reason most people fail to fix their anger problem is because they are trying so hard to change how other people behave instead of trying to change their own behavior. Hopefully this class will help your journey along . . . at least a little . . . by getting some of the barriers out of the way!
Frankly, we know that the primary reason most people fail to fix their anger problem is because they are trying so hard to change how other people behave instead of trying to change their own behavior.
Changing our Behaviors
Let's be honest, it is not easy for people to change their behaviors. I know many people who want to change "something" about themselves. Joanne wants to stop biting her fingernails. Brad wants to quit smoking. Larry hates it that he started drinking again. Ann wants to stop spending so much money. Tina wants to start a regular exercise routine. Rick wants to cut sugar and carbohydrates out of his diet and Jennifer simply wants to eat less. Massive research has been done on the subject of behavior change and one thing we know for sure is that it does not come easy.
Why is it so hard to change behavior? Wouldn't it be nice if the answer was simple? We do know several of the pieces that need to be in place in order to change. There are six key ingredients necessary for real change and these are:
1) Motivation,
2) Learning new information,
3) Unlearning myths,
4) Insight which affect our attitudes, values and beliefs,
5) Skills and,
6) Practice.
Each of these are key ingredients necessary for real anger management. If you take a moment and look at each of the ingredients listed in the previous sentence you will see that four of the six occur in your head. This means that the power to change is mostly about what is in your head - the way you think about anger. However, it is clear that the likelihood of real, substantial and meaningful behavior change is increased if the person involved will practice their new skills.
If you take a moment and look at each of the ingredients listed in the previous sentence you will see that four of the six occur in your head.
1) Motivation. If you are smoking cigarettes and are not motivated to stop, then it is pretty clear that the smoking behaviors will continue. The same holds true for dieting, shopping, alcohol consumption, exercising, and, yes, anger too. Frankly, if you:
· feel good about your anger behaviors
· feel you are behaving appropriately
· feel you did "the right thing"
· blame the other person
then you don't have genuine motivation to learn anger management. Believe me, I know people who, with all sincerity, believe their anger is appropriate and necessary, their duty and "right" to hit, beat up and, assault people "who say stupid things." With this kind of righteous thinking, it is unlikely that their anger and violence will stop. These people won't be seriously motivated to change until they believe their actions are wrong. The only reason they would take an anger management class like this is because they are required to.
There are two types of motivation, internally imposed motivation and externally imposed motivation:
1) Internal motivation only comes from within you - and only you. At the risk of sounding religious, genuine motivation comes from within your soul - it comes from your heart and desires. Internal motivation is thought of as genuine motivation. Genuine motivation comes as a result of something you truly want to do and, to be genuine, it cannot be primarily driven or stimulated by any force outside of you. Genuine motivation cannot be court ordered. It cannot be imposed on you by a judge, teacher, boss, coach or family member. Genuine motivation is primarily driven by forces that come from within.
Some people change when they see the light, others when they feel the heat.
~Caroline Schoeder
2) External motivation often comes as the result of some kind of threat. A wife threatening to leave you, a boss threatening to fire you, a coach throwing you off the team or a police officer threatening to lock you up, are typical examples. Yes, a judge can tell you that you will get locked up next time an incident "like this" happens. And, yes, this kind of external force will provide a form of motivation, but it typically only lasts as long as the judge has power over you. The good news is that internal motivation is often inspired by external motivators like judges, PO's, spouses, bosses, teachers, etc.
What we know is that if someone is internally motivated to learn anger management then a little bit of external motivation can actually help increase the likelihood of successful behavior change. It is quite possible that your motivation to take this anger management class is primarily externally driven. If you have no internal motivation then this anger management class will likely be a total waste of time except that it can get the external motivator (judge, probation officer, boss or wife) off your back. On the other hand, if you have a mix of external motivation and internal motivation then I sincerely hope you search your soul and start taking this anger management class mostly for you and less because of an external source forcing you to.
Don't get me wrong, motivation alone, even if it is genuine will not likely be enough to create change - but it is a key element. Joanne (fingernails), Brad (smoking), Larry (drinking), Ann (spending), Tina (exercise), Rick (sugar) and Jennifer (eating) are all genuinely internally motivated to change their behavior but that alone has not been enough for them.
How about you? Do you see anger as a problem in your life? Do you think you genuinely need to change how you deal with anger? When angry, are your behaviors appropriate and justified or are they truly wrong and inappropriate? If you are motivated, is your motivation primarily externally driven or is it primarily internally driven - is it genuine motivation?
2) Knowledge:
A second key piece to creating behavior change is for people to have information. People need enough information to understand why they should change, they need to know what needs to change and they need to know how to change. Most people I know who are smokers are motivated to stop smoking and yet they continue to smoke. These same people do have the knowledge about why they should change and they even know what needs to change; the difficulty is that they don't know how to change their smoking behaviors. Knowledge is a critical ingredient to successful behavior change.
People who have had problems with anger management need a healthy and accurate understanding about anger emotions and anger behaviors. They need to know that the word "anger" is best understood if broken into two groups: anger emotions and anger behaviors. There is an entire chapter dedicated to anger emotions and another chapter dedicated to anger behaviors. Did you realize that anger can be broken into two pieces - anger emotions and anger behaviors?
Also, in terms of knowledge, people need to know that they may not be filtering their anger in and out properly. You will read more about filtering anger; this important step will be referred to as your "anger filter." You will be shown that your "anger filter" may not be working correctly.
Most everything you read in this anger management class will be directed at knowledge to help you rethink your anger emotions and your choices about your anger behaviors.
3) Unlearning:
Closely related to anger management education and knowledge is the notion that people need to unlearn the misinformation (the inaccurate beliefs or thinking errors) they may have. If you believe the world is flat, you will behave as if the world is flat and be fearful of falling over the edge. If you believe that 2 + 3 = 6 you will always do math wrong when adding those numbers. If you believe smoking is not harmful to your health then you will have no motivation to stop smoking. If you believe you don't need an anger management class you will not be motivated to take an anger management class.
It does not take a psychologist to realize that people engage in behaviors which are consistent with their beliefs. If a person believes that stealing is not that big of a deal, then he will steal when the right opportunity arises. Likewise, if a person believes it is okay to punch people or walls or break things when angry, then he will hit people or walls or break things when he experience the anger emotion. If a person believes he is "out of control" then he will behave as if he is out of control - well, at least until completing this anger management class.
If you still believe the myth that you can't help but "lose control" when angry, then you will not only have "license" to be angry but also have no motivation to change. If you believe the only way to resolve conflict is to win, then you are going to act in a way that is pushing for a win/lose outcome. But if you are looking for something that creates a fair/fair outcome or a win/win outcome then your behavior will be different. If you believe you must "take on" each confrontation that comes your way then you will "take it on." This kind of thinking leads to the need for an anger management class. However, if you believe that conflict is too stressful and negative then you will make choices to avoid it. If inaccurate information, or thinking errors, are not corrected then we cannot expect the behavior to be corrected either - hence the need for an anger management class.
Another important element of unlearning has to do with habit. It is quite possible that the way you get angry, the way you respond to anger -your present level of anger management - is predictable. People develop habits; they repeat the same behaviors over and over again. If that is what they know, then that is what they do. If your anger behaviors are pretty much the same each time you get angry then you will be inclined to return to that behavior. If you are motivated to stop that kind of angering behavior, you must unlearn that habit.
Much of unlearning has to do with inaccurate beliefs and undoing habits, but it also involves examining and redirecting any misplaced attitudes, values and beliefs you may be harboring about life, people, yourself, power and control. This entire class will regularly make reference to the power behind, and effect of, your attitudes, values and beliefs.
4) Insight:
Think back to when you were in school (or if you are still in school) and how you would study hard and cram for the exam. Then, after that exam is over, you would no longer need that information; you forget it and therefore don't apply it in your life. To fully absorb information is to know it. To fully understand and believe information provides insight. Insight is about putting enough pieces of a puzzle together that you can begin to see the picture - you start to "get it."
Just because you have knowledge - just because you have learned something new - does not mean you know it. Very often we hear new information but we don't necessarily believe it or fully absorb, process, assess or understand it. People can learn to repeat words to questions; however, "insight" (verses "knowledge") suggests the anger management information is not only understood but also internalized and real to that person.
Anger management education, accurate information and heartfelt knowledge that changes our reality and the way we perceive the world and those around us is the goal of any meaningful anger management education program and this leads to insight. Insight about anger provides the power necessary for us to change our anger behaviors.
Insight is more than a combination of absorbing knowledge and unlearning. Insight also involves developing an understanding of why you do the things you do. It is looking past the self serving chatter that goes on in your head which helps justify your actions. Insight occurs when you are able to unite (put the puzzle pieces together) your thinking, your words and your behaviors with your personal beliefs and values. Your personal beliefs and values define your personality, your identity - who you are as a person.
Insight is critical. Insight helps you write your own rules about who you are; what you believe to be good, bad, right and wrong; insight provides you with your values. Insight provides you with the boundaries you choose to live within. A fundamental purpose of this class is to provide knowledge and insight and ultimately to have you examine your own attitudes, values and beliefs. Insight leads to change.
5) Skills: As previously stated, there is a significantly increased likelihood of real, substantial and meaningful behavior change if the person will learn and practice new anger management skills. Again, lack of social problem-solving skills directly relates to people who have anger management problems.
It is one thing to gain new insights into your anger but it is something else entirely when it comes to knowing what to replace it with. What are the best strategies to reduce anger? How does someone stop themselves from getting angry? What are other ways to respond when you are angry? Is it possible to develop an anger plan? Having answers to questions like these results in strategy and skills which help you better respond to anger. In the world of counseling, psychology and corrections, it is critical to help clients develop new skills which guide them to new and alternative anger management behaviors. Skills will be addressed in chapters 7 and 8 on, a) strategy and b) techniques.
6) Practice: As you will learn, the anger management behaviors you already engage in are the result of lots of practice. If you are going to be changing your behavior, (Once again, I realize this decision is yours and yours alone.) then you will need to be willing to practice your new set of skills and gain new experiences.
With motivation, knowledge, insight and skills the pieces to the puzzle should be coming together. At some point you will need to decide if you are willing and motivated to engage in anger management. If so, then you will need to practice your new set of skills. If there is anything missing in this class it is "practice." Frankly I absolutely hate taking classes that ask you to stop and practice along the way. For this reason you will not be burdened with practice during this class. This piece is entirely up to you! A summary sheet of strategy and techniques will be available to you at the end of this course - should you be "motivated" to practice new skills.
Repetition is the mother of all skill
Knowledge, Insight and motivation are worthless unless it is applied.
If you don't build it into your lifestyle then it won't work
Goals
What is the high level goal for this anger management class? The goal is for you to successfully leave this anger management class having a whole new way of thinking about anger. Secondly, for you to have several useful tools to use and practice as ways to prevent anger, avoid anger and respond to anger. You might notice that it is not a goal to try and change your behavior; that is entirely up to you.
This class will discuss:
· anger emotions,
· anger behaviors,
· anger myths,
· anger strategy and
· anger techniques.
Each chapter has objectives and concludes with an exam which measures if the objectives were met. The exam must be successfully completed in order to proceed to the following chapter. Typically the standard for successful completion is 80%.
Goals are important, but the steps used to get there (objectives) are important too. One major hope is that you spend little time memorizing and lots of time "understanding" the information you are reading. Each chapter starts with a summary of the objectives for that chapter. Hint: Pay close attention to the objectives, they will most certainly be part of the quiz that follows.
Our anger management class quizzes are never written with trick questions! Our quizzes are primarily written to assure you "understand" key points (objectives) in the chapter. Reading should not be a problem, the anger management class is written at the fifth grade level. Secondly, a word of warning: if you try skimming through the chapters to get to the quiz, you will become quite frustrated - maybe even angry. Our quizzes are also designed to assure the chapter was read. As a matter of fact, you just finished Chapter 1. It is time for your first quiz. Let's see if you learned anything.
The Offender Solutions® Inc. Anger Management Classes
Offender Solutions® Inc. provides anger management classes as an 8 hour anger management class, a 10 hour anger management class or a 12 hour anger management class. The anger management curriculum is based on, "The Psychology of Anger" by Steven Michael Houseworth, MA. Our anger management classes teach behavior change methods, explore anger and anger management, confront myths about anger management and totally separate the anger emotion from anger behaviors. A key component of an effective anger management class is to educate the student about the dangers of mental rehearsing anger reactions. No anger management class would be complete if it did not include anger management strategy and anger management techniques. All three anger management classes work under the assumption that the way a person thinks guides the way a person behaves. The Offender Solutions® anger management classes use a cognitive restructuring approach which basically follows the tenant of Norman Vincent Peale (1898 – 1993): “Change your thoughts and you will change your world.” Our anger management classes ask the client to explore their attitudes, values and beliefs. Each of our anger management classes end asking the client to figure out what they believe, who they are and to identify their value system. To this end, our anger management classes have a victim focus and work toward understanding and developing empathy.
The Offender Solutions® anger management classes outline communication skills which include active listening. In addition active listening is an important part of anger management, as is developing and understanding of assertiveness and assertiveness skills. Our anger management classes work with the premise that a genuine apology is the only meaningful apology. Those in our anger management classes are not instructed to make an apology but are told of the potency of an apology.
Simply stated our anger management classes are designed to help people, young and old, learn healthy anger management. The consequences of unhealthy anger management include: anger management related health problems, anger management related family problems, anger management related financial problems, anger management related legal problems, and anger management related relationship problems. Anger management class referrals come from courts, employers, schools and of course people make their own anger management class referral. We do not recommend juveniles take our ten or 12 hour anger management classes.
The Offender Solutions® anger management classes began in 1994. As practitioners in the criminal justice field it was very clear that most crime is driven by one for of theft or another (shoplifting, car theft, burglary, robbery etc.) and by anger management problems (assault, menacing, domestic violence, harassment, road rage, etc.). As a result, it only made sense to focus on a specialty of theft and anger management. Our first anger management class was called Temper Talk and we quickly learned that conducting anger management classes is a formidable task. Initially we spent most of our time on techniques and, through trial and error, our anger management class evolved into the anger management class it is today. Our education, the volumes or research and practice has proven that an anger management class has little likelihood of being effective unless a key component is included – the attitudes, values and beliefs of the person with the anger management problem. Anger management clients need to change their thinking if they want to overcome their anger management issues.
As more and more famous people (movie stars, professional athletes and politicians) have experienced anger management problems and been required to complete anger management classes, communities have become more and more aware of the problems associated with anger management. If you put in a “Google Alert” for the words “anger management” you will be flooded on a daily set of anger management emails resulting from anger management problems across the country. Unfortunately, stress is directly correlated to anger and as our culture becomes more stressed we should anticipate more incidences of anger management problems. The good news is that with increased public exposure to famous people with anger management issues people like you and I are more open to seeking anger management classes. These days, most of the anger management clients I meet are not feeling stigmatized by being referred to an anger management class. In fact many of them see anger management classes as an opportunity for personal growth.
What types of people go to Anger Management Classes?
Let's face it, most people don't seek out anger management classes without a precipitating anger management event. The anger management event is typically a set of behaviors that got the person in trouble. “Trouble” with anger management comes in many forms but most commonly those who complete our anger management classes have an anger management problem that got them in trouble with the legal system. There is no law called “anger management problem” but it is common knowledge that assaults, domestic violence, harassment and even murder is often anger related. The next most common group of people who take our anger management classes come as the result of an anger management conflict at work, school or even in their home. What types of people go to anger management classes? Typically the person who goes to an anger management class has been required to attend an anger management class by a judge, probation officer, employer, school official, or even a spouse or parent. Though most people who attend our anger management classes are required to attend, there are people who are tired of the problems their anger have caused and as a result seek anger management classes on their own.
Our anger management classes separate anger into two categories, anger emotions and anger behaviors. Though there are many consequences for extreme, frequent or prolonged anger emotions, most anger management classes serve clients who have displayed inappropriate anger behaviors. Anger management problem behaviors problems are most commonly verbal or physical. Verbal abuse, threatening, loud tirades, verbal threats and verbal assaults are quite common ways people display an anger management problem. As you can well imagine, this kind of verbal reaction to anger is not acceptable in the workplace, at school or in the home and results in consequences. Physical anger management displays often come as an explosion or “blow out” when there is assault, pushing or fighting, a road rage incident or throwing and breaking items, even punching walls and doors.
What are you going to try to do to me in your Anger Management Class?
Strangely enough this anger management question is quite important! It is of high importance to Offender Solutions® that we don't try to do anything to you. Our anger management classes do not try to fix you. Our anger management classes do not judge you. Our anger management classes do not try to force anything on you and have no intent of imposing change on you. Critical to the success of an anger management class is the need to: a) be respectful of the anger management client, b) not be judgmental of the anger management client, c) not try to impose “the truth” on the anger management client and d) not try to impose change on the anger management client. Our anger management class is education oriented and works under the assumption that if you learn you will change your thoughts. If you change your thoughts you will change your behavior, your life and your world. Yes, with great confidence we are strong believers in education, we attribute education to have converted the human animal to the human being. Any change that comes as a result of taking our anger management classes is change that the client makes. We can take credit for providing meaningful information; the client needs to take credit for changing his/her anger management behavior. Life gets much better, much happier and becomes more fulfilling once anger management problems are in the past. Overcoming anger management problems becomes a self-reinforcing new behavior.
Okay, it is education based, so what can I expect to learn in this Anger Management Classes?
Our anger management classes are based on the book by Steven Michael Houseworth, MA, “The Psychology of Anger.” The anger management class curriculum finds a balance between providing new information and providing anger management “stuff” you can try, work on, use to deal with an anger management problem. The education component explains anger in a way you have likely never heard before and then moves right on to asking you to rethink anger management beliefs you may have that are not true – anger management myths. The anger management class provides a formula, (much like a math formula, i.e., 2+3=5) for understanding emotional anger management and another formula for understanding behavior anger management. These two formulas together become the anger management formula. If you take the time to understand the anger management formula you will likely change the way you think about anger. The second element of our anger management classes is the “stuff” you can do to work on, if interested, when not working your anger management class. The “stuff” we are talking about is called developing an anger management strategy (anger management activities you can engage in now, not waiting for another anger incident to occur) and developing anger management technique (anger management activities you can engage in when angry.) In each chapter the anger management student will learn either a new piece of information and/or a new anger management skill.
When should someone know to take one of your Anger Management Classes?
Our anger management class discusses anger in terms of frequency (how often), intensity (how extremes) and duration (how long). If a person has high frequency, high intensity or long durations they likely need an anger management class. We find this simple measures provides a good barometer for people to self asses if they need an anger management class.
Another way to determine if someone needs an anger management class is to simply ask if there are problems in their life as a result of anger management issues. If the person is having anger management related legal problems, school problems, employment problems or family problems, etc. they likely would benefit from taking an anger management class.
What is the best way to take an Anger Management Class?
Anger management classes come in many forms. The old traditional counselor in a chair method of dealing with people with anger management problems may be right for you. Counselors, psychologists and some social workers specialize in anger management and, if you have insurance or can afford their fees, you would do well to explore that route. Personally, I recommend a counselor or psychologist when the anger management problem is quite frequent, quite intense or lasts for substantial long periods of time.
Another popular way to take an anger management class is by attending an in person anger management classroom. This form of anger management class is often available in bigger cities. Basically, there are two forms of in person anger management classes; there is the anger management class and the anger management group . Anger management classes tend to be time fixed and often occur over several weeks. The anger management class is typically education and practice oriented. Anger management groups tend to be ongoing. They are usually more education and support oriented. If you don't like to read or don't mind sharing your anger management problems, or simply prefer a group or classroom setting, an anger management class or anger management group might be suited to you.
Offender Solutions® offers two other forms of anger management classes. Our anger management classes are offered as an online anger management class or a anger management workbook (study at home). As previously noted our anger management classes are educational in nature and provide anger management tips, tricks, techniques and strategy – much like the in person anger management classes. One huge benefit of an online anger management class is fidelity. Online anger management classes are delivered consistently the same way for each client and eliminate natural human errors and omissions.
Our workbook anger management class consists of the same content as the online class but is in a workbook format versus online.
Tell me about the online anger management class.
It really is pretty simple. The first thing you do is get registered so you can take your online anger management class – it's free to register. Try not to register more than one time, you will likely lose track of usernames and passwords and need to call our help center.
When you register you will be asked to input your email address. This becomes important because after you register for the online anger management class you will be sent an auto generated email confirming your registration. If you don't get an email right away I suggest you check your spam or junk-mail to see if it is there. You will also be asked for the email address of the person who referred you to our anger management class (If you have it). It is usually worth taking the time to get that person's email address because that person is sent a confirmation that you got registered for the anger management class and again when you complete your anger management class.
Once you are registered you need to pick the anger management class you want to take, the 8 hour anger management class, the 10 hour anger management class or the 12 hour anger management class.
Pick your class, click on the PayPal/Credit Card icon to pay for your anger management class and you are ready to go. We do have two tutorials that show you how to a) register for your anger management class or b) get to your anger management class.
Are there added costs or other things to buy?
The Offender Solutions® Online Anger Management Classes are 100% online. There are no additional items to buy and there are no added costs.
Will the Offender Solutions® Online Anger Management Class be accepted by the person who referred me to an anger management class?
Offender Solutions® is a nationwide premier provider of online anger management classes and has been accepted in every state in the country. That said, there is no national standard for anger management classes and any judge, probation officer or employer can accept an anger management class or reject it. We do offer a money back guarantee (be sure to read the details) if our online anger management class is not accepted.
Can I really take my anger management class anytime – day or night?
That's right! You can take your anger management class anytime, day or night, 23 hours a day 7 days a week. You also only need to work on your anger management class for as long as you want to. Stop and start when you want – they system will remember where you last ended your anger management class.
Are your anger management class exams difficult to pass?
Our exams do have fairly high standards. If you want to be sure to successfully complete any one chapter in your online anger management class you will very likely pass the exam if you simply read the material in that chapter. The only people who report our anger management class exams to be problematic are the people who tried “skimming” without learning. Our exams are typically reported to be easy after the person actually reads the chapter.
What if I need help, have a problem or need support?
Support to our anger management customers is very important to Offender Solutions®. We offer email support seven days a week 15 hours a day. We provide phone support 10 hours a day on weekdays are often available by phone on weekends. You can email support@offendersolutions.com and you will typically get a response in ½ or less.
How do I get my anger management class completion certificate?
After you have completed all of your anger management class a Completion Certificate is immediately made available to you. If you want Offender Solutions® to mail or email you a certificate, just ask – no added fee. Mailed anger management class Completion Certificates are embossed and can be sent directly to the person who referred you to our anger management class.