People who experience difficulties controlling their feelings of anger and rage can usually find it helpful to attend a support group, seminar, out reach program, camp or retreat. These are designed to offer affected individuals time away from their normal environment. Incorporating fun and interesting activities with anger management support, these group settings provide the necessary tools for dealing with anger-related issues.
Support and Encouragement
For anyone who is attempting to work through anger issues on their own, it would highly beneficial to locate an anger management support group in their local area. Attending a group such as this can make an immense difference in their life and the lives of those around them. The likelihood of achieving a successful outcome involves 2 key points:
- A huge part of helping an individual work through anger-related issues is support. Assuring the person that they have people they can count on and who will stand by them no matter what may arise, is of extreme importance when faced with the daily fight to overcome their anger problems.
- Encouragement is also important. Encouraging the individual to attend support group meetings, talk to a counselor or go to an anger management seminar may make a huge difference in their treatment.
Support Groups, Outreach Programs, Camps and Retreats
Given that anger issues are part of the human condition, support groups and outreach programs can be found across the world and aimed at all age groups. For example, Connecticut provides many programs including Internet support e.g. The Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut. Apart from numerous camps and special schools, other examples include Buxmont Academy for Youth (12-18 years), Eagle Valley Ranch for Girls (Age 12-17), Falcon Ridge Ranch (Females 12-17 years old) and Bonneville Canyon Retreat (Males 18+ years old).
Anger management support groups provide a safety net for people affected by anger-related issues. They are designed to provide encouragement and a network for those who are trying to control their anger and make positive changes in their life. Because the group is composed of people dealing with similar issues, it is easier to share, talk and be open about experiences with anger. Exchanging information about the efficacy and pro’s and con’s of different treatments, therapies and anti-anger strategies can prove invaluable. However, it can still be a challenge for most people, especially at the beginning stages.
Many people find it difficult to open up and talk about their problems, especially as by nature, anger problems may resolve around long-term deep-seated factors of an highly personal and emotive nature. Fortunately, a support group is a place where someone can feel comfortable and free to talk about their problems, knowing they will not be judged or criticized. The individual will feel more relaxed and free to share simply by knowing that support is at hand from people who empathize with them. Also, those starting out will be able to see first-hand the progress made by other members who began their ‘journey’ weeks or months earlier.
Types of Anger Management Groups
Anger management groups can be structured in various ways. For example:
- Although a typical group is a collective, with all members interacting to help each other, on some occasions a group might be arranged for the sole benefit of an individual.
- An individual might also attend an anger management group designed for families. An angry family member will ultimately impact everyone else in the family. Those affected will respond in different ways; for example one person may try to repress what is happening and exist in a state of denial, someone else might exhibit anger and antisocial problems themselves, whilst another might live in a state of fear. If so, the members affected should be receiving help and support.
- There are also groups for couples who have issues related to anger. Often, one partner will dominate the relationship through their outbursts, but a relationship can be made up of two equally anger-prone individuals.
- Aside from groups aimed at adults with anger problems, as noted elsewhere, there exists groups aimed specifically at children with anger issues as well as anger-prone teenagers.
Seminars
Although anger management seminars may be of a general nature, they tend to target specific groups, for example teenagers, couples, adults, men, families or women. These seminars are meant to:
- Empower individuals through self-realization.
- Motivate.
- Provide information, and
- Offer practical solutions for dealing with anger and aggressiveness.
They show the individual that they are not alone in their behavior and provide them an opportunity to meet others facing a similar challenge. The process of sharing personal experiences can often lead to acknowledging or discovering the underlying reasons for a persons anger. With guest speakers and specialists in the area of anger management, these seminars are packed full of interesting details and effective tools that people can use to transform their feelings of anger into healthy, normal emotions.
Seminars may be a single one-off event, a series of events over several weeks or months, or they can be concentrated into a few days conference. Many anger management seminars are built into a retreat or camps, giving people who struggle with daily feelings of anger and rage the chance to escape for a period of time to an environment full of support and encouragement. Taking part in an anger management seminar might be the turning point for an individual and facilitate the process of turning destructive anger into constructive anger.
