Anger Management – Understanding Anger

Anger is a universal experience. Dogs get angry, bees get angry, and so do humans. You don’t have to be a psychologist to know that managing anger productively is something few individuals, organizations, and societies do well. Yet research tells us that those who do manage their anger at work are much more successful than those who don’t.

The co-worker who can productively confront his teammate about his negative attitude increases his team’s chance of success as well as minimizes destructive conflicts. The customer service agent who can defuse the angry customer not only keeps her customers loyal but makes her own day less troublesome. This two-days workshop is designed to help give you and your organization that edge.

• Recognize how anger affects your body, your mind, and your behavior.
• Use the five-step method to break old patterns and replace them with a model for assertive anger.
• Use an anger log to identify your hot buttons and triggers.
• Control your own emotions when faced with other peoples’ anger.
• Identify ways to help other people safely manage some of their repressed or expressed anger.
• Communicate with others in a constructive, assertive manner.

We will spend the first part of the day getting to know participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives.

To begin the course, participants will consider what anger is and how it affects their lives.

Next, participants will learn about anger costs and pay-offs.

In this session, participants will learn how pain and trigger thoughts combine to cause anger. They will also explore their own trigger thoughts. An exercise on how to manage anger using an anger log is also included.

Next, participants will learn about types of distorted thinking and how they can manage their thoughts and behavior when they are angry.

Sometimes, understanding why someone is behaving in a particular way is enough to ease your anger a little. Participants will explore the four main behavior types in this session.

In this session, participants will learn coping strategies and relaxation techniques to help them manage anger.

Communicating well can help minimize angry situations. This session will give participants some tips on listening well and asking questions.

At the end of the course, students will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan.