Coping Skills Interventions with Adolescents in Anger Management Using Animals in Therapy

37 Pages·2013·0.63 MB·English

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JournalofChildandAdolescentGroupTherapy,Vol.11,No.4,December2001(!C 2002)
Coping Skills Interventions with Adolescents in
Anger Management Using Animals in Therapy
JanL.Hanselman,MSW,LSW1,2
PetTherapyreducesapprehensionandis,thereforeanimportanttoolinworking
withchildrenandadolescents.Treatmentofanimalsbychildrenisalsoindicativeof
theirmentalhealthandhealthydevelopment.Crueltytoanimalsmayforetelllater
abusetohumansprovidingthelinkbetweenchildandanimalabuse.Understanding
theroleofpetsasindicatorsofindividualandfamilyproblemsenabletherapists
and other professionals to provide the proper counseling for the situation. This
paperpresentsadescribesagroupworkprogramcognitivebehavioralapproach
withadolescentsinpettherapyasanadjuncttotreatmentinangermanagement.
KEY WORDS: pet therapy; cognitive behavioral; attachment theory; aggressive behavior; anger
management.
INTRODUCTION
GroupPopulation,PurposeandChoiceofTreatment
Theadolescentsrangeinagefromfourteenyearsoldtoseventeenyearsold.
Eachhasabehaviorroleinthegroup.Adolescentsappliedfortheangermanage-
mentgroupthroughalocalpressreleaseoradvisedfromtheschooltheyattended.
The adolescents were interviewed for intellectual ability and age. Seven adoles-
centswereselectedfortheprogram.Fiveboys,fourweresixteenyearsold,one
wasfifteenyearsoldandtwogirls,onewasfifteenyearsoldandfourteenyearsold.
Thepurposeofthisresearchwastousedogsinatwelveweekangermanage-
mentprogramforadolescents.Theprogramwastofindsignificantpositiveresults
usinganimalsinthesessionsversusanimalsnotinthesessions.
1MonmouthUniversity,ChristianCounselingCenter.
2AddresscorrespondencetoJanL.Hanselman,MSW,LSW,21CypressRoad,TomsRiver,NewJersey
08753-5228.
159
1053-0800/01/1200-0159/0!C2002HumanSciencesPress,Inc.
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160 Hanselman
Thecognitivebehavioral(CBT)approachandattachmenttheory(AT)have
beenusedwithchildrenasyoungasfouryearsoldandcontinuesintheorythrough
theadultyearsandwasthechoiceoftreatment.Thesetheoriesarerelevanttochil-
drenandadolescentsfromthetimetheyareabletocontemplatevariousresponses
tocircumstances.CBTrestructuring,especiallytheuseoftechniquesthatinvolves
insight,perspective-talking,andself-instruction,appearstobethemostsuccessful
withchildrenwhoareatleastschoolageandhaveaverageabilitiesinverbaland
cognitiveskills.
Problem:Importance;EfficacyofVariousInterventions;
RelevantSocialScienceTheories
Itiswidelyacceptedthatthekeyfactorintherelationshipbetweenchildren
andcompanionanimalsistheunconditionalloveandacceptanceoftheanimalfor
the child, who accepts the child “as is” and does not offer feedback or criticism
(Levinson, 1969, 1972; Beck and Katcher, 1983). As Siegel (1962) has written,
“The animal does not judge but offers a feeling of intense loyalty....It is not
frighteningordemanding,nordoesitexposeitsmastertotheuglystrainofconstant
criticism. It provides its owner with the chance to feel important.” For example,
inlaboratoryexperiments,itwasfoundthatpeopleofallages,includingchildren,
useanimalstofeelsafeandcreateasenseofintimacy.AsBeckandKatcher(1983)
havenoted,pairingananimalwithaunknownhumanapparentlyactstomakethat
person,orthesituationsurroundingthatperson,lessthreatening.Demonstrating
thisinanexperimentwherechildrenwerebroughtintoaroomwithaninterviewer
aloneorwithaninterviewerwithadog,childrenweremorerelaxedasmeasured
bybloodpressurerateswhenenteringaroomwiththeinterviewerandananimal
(BeckandKatcher,1983).BeckandKatcherdemonstratethefirsthypothesisof
the paper by clearly stating that children become more relaxed in the presence
of animals. This substantiates the author’s belief that animals in therapy would
increasetheefficacyoftheangermanagementprogram.
Childhood cruelty to animals and later aggression against people has long
beenofinteresttopsychologyandrelateddisciplines.“Childrenwhoarecruelto
animals:areviewofresearchandimplicationsfordevelopmentalpsychopathol-
ogy,”astudybyFrankR.Ascione,highlightsexistingqualitativeandquantitative
researchonchildhoodanimalcruelty,organizedaccordingtofourareas.Thefour
areasare:1.Therelationbetweencrueltytoanimalsandconcurrentandlateranti-
socialbehavior;2.Thesignificanceofcrueltytoanimalsasaspecificsymptomin
theDSM-IVclassificationConductDisorder;3.Theimplicationofcrueltytoani-
malsinvariousformsoffamilyandcommunityviolence,includingchildphysical
andsexualabuseandwifebattering;and4.Suggestionsforresearchintheareasof
definition,prevention,andintervention.Ascione’sresearchandotherresearchers
mentionedbringthesecondpointofthepresentresearchframeworkinfocus:that
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AngerManagement/Adolescents 161
istheimportanceofearlymanagementofaggressionthroughAngerManagement
asatoolforinterventionandpreventioninfutureviolentbehavior.
AstudybyElizabethDeViney,JeffreyDickert,andRandallLockwoodwas
doneonthecareofpetswithinchild-abusingfamilies.Thetreatmentofanimals
was surveyed in fifty-three families in which child abuse has occurred. Patterns
of pet ownership, attitudes towards pets and quality of veterinary care differed
greatlyfromcomparabledatafromthegeneralpublic.Abuseofpetsbyafamily
member had taken place in 60% of the families. The families in which animal
abusewasindicatedtendedtohaveyoungerpets,lowerlevelsofveterinarycare
and more conflicts over care than non-abusive families in the study. There were
severalparallelsbetweenthetreatmentofpetsandthetreatmentofanimalswithin
child-abusingfamilies,suggestingthatanimalabusemaybeapotentialindicator
of other family problems. These findings also suggest that it may be helpful to
reviewtheroleofpetsinthesefamiliesaspartofthetherapeuticprocess.
Animalcrueltyisoneofseveralsignsofaggressioninchildhood.Littlehas
beenwrittenaboutanimalcrueltyperse,soknowledgeaboutthisbehaviorisscant.
MargaretMeadwasapparentlythefirsttosuggestthatifchildrentorturesmallani-
mals,theymaybeexhibitingasignofimpulsivecharacterdevelopmentwithpoten-
tialtoharmothers.Thereisempiricalevidencethatincombinationwithpersistent
enuresis and firesetting, animalcruelty is part of a behavioraltriad in childhood
whichmaybeassociatedwithdangerousaggressionagainstothersatalaterage.
Tapiareportedastudyofeighteenchildrenwhowerereferredforpsychiatric
treatment in part because they had been cruel to animals. All were males, as is
the present case, with the exception of one female who completed the sessions.
Femaleshavebeenreportedwithahistoryofanimalcrueltyduringchildhoodbut
mostsubjectswiththishistoryaremale.
Subjects of Tapia’s study showed other aggressive behaviors including de-
structiveness, bullying, fighting, stealing, fire setting and temper outbursts. He
observed associated organic factors in some subjects, environmental factors in
some,andacombinationoforganicandenvironmentalfactorsinothers.Themost
common factor was a chaotic home with aggressive parental models. In brief,
casevignettes,fivefathersweredescribedasalcoholicandeightwerephysically
abusiveorgiventoseveretemperoutbursts.
CognitiveBehavioralTherapyandAttachmentTheory
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) stem from a rational epistemological
viewpoint:“apurposefulattempttopreservethepositivefeaturesofthebehavioral
approaches,whilealsoworkingtoincorporateintoamodelthecognitiveactivity
and information-processing factors of the individual” (Kendall and MacDonald,
1993, p. 387). Importantly, cognitive-behavioral models also consider the role
of affect and increasingly recognize the importance of contextual variables (eg.
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family,peers)inboththeetiologyandmaintenanceofpsychopathology(Kendall,
1991,1993;Kendall&Dobson,1993;Kendall&Morris,1991).
ThekeyconceptsofCBTexplainthatalthoughpsychologicalproblemsmay
berootedinchildhood,theyareperpetuatedthroughreindoctrinationinthepresent.
A person’s belief system is the primary cause of disorders. Internal dialogue
plays a central role in one’s behavior. Clients focus on faulty assumptions and
misconceptions.ThegoalsofCBTaretochallengeclientstoconfrontfaultybe-
liefswithcontradictoryevidencewhichtheygatherandevaluate.CBThelpsclients
seekouttheirdogmaticbeliefsandvigorouslyminimizesthem.Thishelpsclients
tobecomeawareofautomaticthoughtsandtochangethem.Aconsiderablereason
whythistheorywaschosenoneprimarymodefortreatment.
InCBTthefocuswasonacollaborativerelationship.Thetherapistassisted
clients in identifying dysfunctional beliefs and discovering alternative rules for
living. The therapist promoted corrective experiences that lead to learning new
skills.Clientsgaininsightintotheirproblemsandthenmustactivelypracticein
changingself-defeatingthinkingandacting.
Methodsaretailoredtosuittheindividualclients.Sometechniquesinclude
engagingindialogue,debatingirrationalbeliefs,carryingouthomeworkassign-
ments, gathering data on assumptions one has made, keeping a record of ac-
tivities, forming interpretations, learning new coping skills, changing one’s lan-
guage and thinking patterns, role playing using imagery and confronting faulty
beliefs.
Particularlyimportantintheareaofchildpsychopathologyisthedistinction
betweencognitivedeficitsversuscognitivedistortions.Kendall(1993)arguesthat
thisdistinctionisusefulindescribing,classifyingandunderstandingavarietyof
disorders of youth. “Deficits” refer to an absence of thinking where it would be
beneficial.Aggressiveyouths,forexample,frequentlylacktheabilitytosolveso-
cialproblemsadequately(CrickandDodge,1994),andimpulsivechildrenoften
failtothinkbeforetheyrespond(MooreandHughes,1988).Conversely,children
whodisplaycognitive“distortions”typicallydonotlacktheabilitytoorganizeor
processinformation,rathertheirthinkingisdescribedasbiased,dysfunctionalor
misguidedKendall,1993).Generally,internalizingdisordersarerelatedtodistor-
tionsinthinking,whereasexternalizingdisordersaremorecommonlyassociated
withcognitivedeficits.Empiricalevidencesuggeststhataggressivebehaviorsusu-
ally include both distortions and deficits (Lochman, White, and Wayland, 1991;
comprehensivereviewsoftheempiricalevidenceinsupportofthisdistinctionare
foundinKendall,1993,andKendallandMacDonald,1993).
CBTinRelationtoAnimals
People alternate the roles of child and/or parent with pets. The feeling of
mutualloveanddevotionisunderstandable.Petscarrytheidealizedattributesof
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themotherandthepetisalsotheself.Inmotheringthepetpeoplearemotheringthe
self.Inbeingmotheredbypets,peoplearerecreatingasPerin(1992)suggested,
thefaithoftheinfantinsuperabundantlove.Thepetcanbeseenasarepresentation
of oneself as the infant. Therefore, the pet is the self as a child, still suspended
betweennatureandculture,nolongerpartofnaturebutnotyettrainedtolivein
society.Inlovingapet,apersoncanloveandkeepalivehis/herownchildhood.
In explaining the key concept of CBT, reliving childhood experiences through
an animal can more freely be reindoctrinated to incorporate reality and positive
behaviorwithoutthreattotheself.
One can relive life as a child through a pet. In essence, the life with a pet
recreatesachildhoodthatneverwasbefore.Becausepetshavetheabilitytorecreate
amythiclovefortheself,theycanbeusedtorequitelovewhenhumanlovehas
failed.(purplepaperbackw/animals).
Ownerindentificationwiththeiranimalisnotallfantasy.Theownercanshapetheani-
mal’sbehavior,controlitsmovements,feedit,clotheit,dressit,bejewelit,anddoctorit,
transformingtheanimalintoapicturethatsuitstheperson’sownvision.Theanimalcanbe
trainedtoexpressaggressionaswellaslovingsubmission.Itcanexternalizeanarcissistic
concernaboutbeauty,beingclipped,shampooed,andclothedasfrequentlyastheowner
wished.Theownercanregulatethepetspresence,anotherimportantattributeforthevehicle
fortheself.Everytimetheownerreturnshome,theanimalisthere;athometheownercan
spendasmuchtimewiththepetastheywish,andatnightthepetcansharethebedroom.
(purplebook,1998)
Petsreinforcethispartofone’spersonalidentity.
AttachmentTheory
Anotherimportanttheoreticalmodelapplicabletoadolescents/childrenwho
are violent and abuse other children is Attachment Theory. A high percentage
ofchildrenthathavebehaviorproblemshavedisruptionsintheirattachmenttoa
significantcaregiver.Thisdisruptioninearlylifeoftenleadstoemotionalloneliness
andaninabilitytodevelopappropriaterelationshipswithpeers.(Cunninghamand
MacFarlane,1996).
Attachmenthasbeendefinedasa“lastingpsychologicalconnectedness”be-
tweenhumanbeings(Bowlby,1969).AttachmentaccordingtoBowlby,isthebond
betweenchildandcaregiver.Itistherelationshipwhichprovidesthechildwitha
securebase.Thiswillbedemonstratedwiththeanimalsintherapy.
Securelyattachedchildrenhavepositiveinternalworkingmodels.Theysee
themselvesasworthwhileandcompetentandcaregiversareconsistentandtrust-
worthy.Theyhaveexperiencedsoothingbysignificantcaregiversduringtimesof
distress,aswellasreceivingempatheticresponsesfromthem.Asaresult,securely
attachedchildrenhavelearnedtheabilitytoself-sootheintimesofdistress,have
developedself-empathytowardothers,andwillbeabletoformintimate,positive
relationshipswithothers.
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Childrenwithinsecureattachmentsdevelopnegativeworkingmodelsabout
themselves and the world. They see themselves as worthless and powerless and
caregivers as unavailable, unreliable, and rejecting (Delaney, 1991). In times of
distress,thesechildrenareunabletoself-soothe,andhavenotdevelopedselfand
other-directedempathy.Theyaremorelikelytobeatriskforvictimizationbecause
oftheiremptinessandfeelingsofself-loathing.Attachmentissuesbecausetheyare
sobasictheymustbeaddressedduringtheassessmentphaseaswellasthroughout
treatment.
AttachmentTheoryandAnimals
Attachment research and theory have shown that emotional well-being is
in large measure affected by personal relationships, not only in childhood but
throughoutlife.Peopleneedacombinationofrelationshipsfromcloseaffectional
attachmentstobroadersocialcontracts(Levitt,1991;Weiss,1991).Thereisnow
reasontoincludepetsamongsignificantattachmentfigures,notonlyfortreating
disturbedpopulations,butalsoforpromotinggeneralmentalhealth(Cowles,1985;
Rynearson,1978).
Asthechildgetsolderthepetbeginstoacquiresomeofthecharacteristics
of the ideal mother. The unconditional love between pets and people seems to
assimilatetheperfectloveoftheidealmother.
Theanthropologist,Dr.ConstancePerin,firstsuggestedthatthepetcouldbe
asymbolicequivalentofthemother.Inapapershedeliveredin1980shewrote:
Theideathattheloveanddevotionwereceivefromadogisanidealizationofmotherlove
isaprofoundinsightbutonlyprovidesuswithhalfthepicture.
Thatmostpeopletreatapetasachildisevidentintheirtalkingtothepet,touching
andplayingwithitastheywouldachild.Peoplerespondtoitssexualityandfeedthepetas
ifitasifitwereachild.Unfortunately,commonpracticeofabandoningolderdogsandcats
oncetheyhavematuredreinforcestheimpressionofthepet’spositionasachild,suggesting
thattheiranimalsaremostattractivewhentheyaremostchildlike.Inmyths,adultwolves
havenurturedchildrenfromKipling’sMowglitoMotherTheresa’swolf-boytoRomulus
andRemus.Nanainpeterpanisasingularexceptionofanurturingdog.(BetweenPetsand
People,p.68)
Itisevidentthatpeopleneedtoconceptualizetheanimalasthechildtoloveand
nurture.
There are projections about mother’s love attached to a person’s behavior
ofdogsandevencats.Perinmentionedaperson’sinflatedideasaboutthedog’s
devotionandthesuperabundanceoftheirlove.Dogsaretrainedtobecontinually
attentive to us, even when we ignore them. The dog’s attentiveness mimics the
mother’s role, or the wished for role, as does a person’s feelings that the dog’s
attentivenessprovidesafeelingofsafetyandcomfort.
In treatment, John B. Murdock, in “Counseling Children: Basic Principles
for Helping the Troubled and Defiant Child” (1991, p. 48), delineates treatment
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goalsthatshouldbeusedasguidelinesregardlessofone’stheoreticalorientation.
Theyare:
1. Strengthenrelationshipswithcaregivers.
2. Improvereality-testing.
3. Reduceexcessiveandunrealisticself-preoccupation’sandincreaseunder-
standingandacceptanceofself.
4. Increaseunderstandingofthefeelingworld.
5. Increaseunderstandingofchoicesandconsequences.
6. Fortifydefensesthatareweakandeaseothersthatarerigid.
Thetreatmentapproachesidentifiedasabasisoftreatmentweredevelopedto
providetheclinicianwithaframeworkforunderstandinganddevelopingtreatment
techniquesinworkingwithchildrenwhohaveexhibitedviolent/abusivebehaviors.
ThesetheoreticalapproachesCBTandAttachmenthavebeenusedwithchil-
dren as young as four years old and as old as late teens. They are relevant to
childrenfromthetimetheyareabletocontemplatevariousresponsestocircum-
stances.CBTrestructuring,especiallytheuseoftechniquesthatinvolveinsight,
perspective-taking,andself-instruction,appearstobemostsuccessfulwithchil-
drenwhoareatleastschoolageandhaveaverageabilitiesinverbalandcognitive
skills.
HYPOTHESIS
Thedescriptivehypothesiswastoevaluatethedeliberateactsofabusetowards
householdanimalswereassociatedwithotherformsoffamilyviolence.Whereas,
thedevelopmentalhypothesiswastoinformthatchildhoodvictimsabuseacquire
similarpatternsofconducttowarddependentothers,includinganimals.Inother
words,violence-begets-violencehypothesis.
A hypothesis for desensitization involves people, especially children that
becomedesensitizedthroughexposureto,orengagedinanimalcruelty,andthereby
becomemorelikelytoextendcruelconducttowardshumans.
METHODS
Todeterminewhatmakespeoplecruel,we’vegottoinvestigatetheprocessbywhichpeople
developtheirmoralparadigms,particularlyastheyrelatetoviolenceagainstthevulnerable.
PhilArkow,Exec.DirectoroftheAnimalRescueLeagueofW.PalmBeach
Clients
The adolescents were referred from the courts or through the newspaper
summarization of the course. The adolescents range in age from fourteen years
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oldtoseventeenyearsoldandareofCaucasiandecent.Eachhasabehaviorrolein
thegroup.Ifacharacterizedpersonality,ClientAwouldbethePompusProfessor
orThePowerGrabber,ClientBwouldbeTerryTalkalotorTheSubjectChanger
andhertwinbrother,ClientCwouldbethegroupClown;ClientDwouldbethe
Amiableone;ClientEwouldbeSammySilenceortheWithholder;ClientFfeels
liketheOutsideralthoughsheisbecomingpartofthegroupandmaybeAmiable
aswell;ClientGistheInstigator.
Indiscussinganger,thegroupisattendingtheViolencePreventionprogram
whichdealswithfamilyissuesandpeerstolearntocontroltheirangerinamore
productiveandpro-activemanner.
GeneralAssessment
SomeoftheadolescentsarecourtmandatedtoattendtheViolencePrevention
Group.ThegroupissponsoredthroughBrickMunicipalAllianceCommitteein
OceanCounty(B-MAC).
Alltheadolescentsareangryfortheirownreasonsandallhaveunderlying
fearsthatwerecreatingtheanger.Theunderlyingreasonsfortheirangerwillbe
furtherinvestigatedandtheimpactofpastexperiencesupontheirpresentlifestyles
shouldbeunderstood.
Thetreatmenttobeutilizedisacognitivebehavioralapproachwithattach-
menttheorymodificationsfortheclients.Treatmentislimitedtotensessionsasa
group.Whatisanger;whataretheconsequencesofviolentbehavior;wheredoes
itcomefrominourpast;howdowefeelitinsideourbodies;andwhatarewaysto
controlangerwillbeexplored.Thegoalofthegroupistounderstandangerfind
moreappropriatewaystoexpressit.
Thegoodnewsabouthumanexperienceisthatwecancopewithalmostanything,thebad
newsisthatwewilltoleratealmostanything—thatwehavebecomeaccustomedtoalmost
everything.
JamesGarbarino,Pres,ofEriksonInstituteforAdvancementofChildDevelopment.
FRAMEWORKFORACTION
Violenceknowsnobounds,knowsnoculturallimits,itknowsnoethniclimits.
FrederickGreen,MD,EmeritusProfessorofPediatrics,
TheGeorgeWashingtonSchoolofMedicine
ResearchDesign
1. A-B-Adesignistheproposedmethodforresearch.A baseline(before);
=
B intervention (during); A outcome (after) to compare the patterns of
= =
twostatesofangerwitheachclient.
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The Violence Prevention Group members wrote anonymously on
index cards why they were here and what they expected to accomplish
(changebehavior)attheendofthetenweeks.Theanswerswerewritten
ontheboardforcommonality.Asagroup,adolescentsnegotiatedongoals
ofmutualconcerntoconfrontasagroup.Fourgoalswereassessedbythe
group:
1. Stopfightingandbeingmeantopeople.
(Theinappropriatebehaviorisoverreactiontoothersbehavior;exces-
sivefighting;intimidationof/toothers).
2. Learnnottoblameotherpeopleforyouractions.
(Theinappropriatebehaviorwasfailuretoconsiderconsequences;lack
ofresponsibility;anddeceivingothers).
3. Learntorespectotherpeople.
(Theinappropriatebehaviorwasnotrespectingauthorityandfollowing
rules).
4. Learntocontrolverballyabusivelanguage.
(Theinappropriatebehaviorwasalackofsensitivitytofeeling,thoughts
andneedsofothers).
2. Baseline: Several measures chosen to be repeated in monitoring the
progresstodeterminechangeswereneededintheinterventions.
Thebroadobjectivesspecifiedbythegroupwerechangedintospe-
cific targets that were influenced by adolescents when it was restated as
anoperationaldefinition.
Thebaselinewasthefirsttwosessions.
3. LongTermGoals(endingexpectations)CognitiveBehavioralIntervention
1. Decreaseoverallintensityandfrequencyofangryfeelingsandincrease
ability to recognize and appropriately express angry feelings as they
occur.
2. Develop awareness of current angry behaviors, clarifying origins of
andalternativestoaggressiveanger.
3. Cometoanawarenessandacceptanceofangryfeelingswhiledevel-
opingbetterControlandmoreserenity.(Demonstrateimprovementin
impulsecontrol).
4. Demonstrate increased honesty, compliance with rules, sensitivity to
thefeelingsandrightsofothers,controloverimpulses,andacceptance
andresponsibilityforhis/herbehavior.
5. Expressangerthroughappropriateverbalizationsandhealthyphysical
outletsonaconsistentbasis.
6. Resolve core conflicts which contribute to the emergence of conduct
problems.
7. Demonstrateempathy,concern,andsensitivityforthethoughts,feel-
ings,andneedsofothersonaregularbasis.
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4. ShortTermObjectives
1. Increaseawarenessofangerexpressionpatterns.
2. Identifypainandhurtofpastorcurrentlifethatfuelsanger.
3. Verbalizefeelingsofangerinacontrolled,assertiveway.
4. Verbalizeanunderstandingoftheneedforaprocessofforgivenessof
othersandselftoreduceanger.
5. Decreasethenumberanddurationofangryoutbursts.
6. Identifytargetsofandcausesofanger.
7. Increaseawarenessofhowpastwaysofhandlingangryfeelingshave
hadanegativeimpact.
8. Develop specific socially acceptable and non-self-defeating ways to
handleangryfeelings.
9. Decreaseverbalandphysicalmanifestationsofanger,aggression,or
violencewhileincreasingawarenessandacceptanceoffeelings.
10. Increase the number of statements that reflect the acceptance of re-
sponsibilityforanger.
11. Increase participation in extracurricular activities or positive peer
groupactivities.
12. Identify and verbalize how acting-out behaviors negatively affect
others.
13. Increaseverbalizationofempathyandconcernforotherpeople.
5. Interventions.StrategiesforObjectives:
Objective#
1. Confront/reflectangrybehaviorsingroupsessions.
Process client’s angry feelings or angry outbursts that have recently
occurredandreviewalternativebehaviorsavailable.
2. Assignclientstolistexperiencesoflifethathavehurtandledtoanger.
Emphasize and clarify feelings of hurt and anger tied to traumas of
past.
Assignandprocessathoroughlistofalltargetsandcausesforanger.
3. Userole-playtechniques(ie.sculpting)todevelopnon-self-defeating
waysofhandlingangryfeelings.
4. Discussforgivenessofperpetratorsofpainasapricesof“lettinggo”
ofanger.
(Book:ForgiveandForget,Smedes).
Askclientstowriteaforgivinglettertotargetofangerasasteptoward
lettinggoofanger.
5. Confront/reflectangrybehaviorsingroupsessions.
Assignandprocessathoroughlistofalltargetsandcausesofanger.
Role-playing techniques to develop non-self-defeating ways of han-
dlingangryfeelings.
Process clients’ angry feelings or angry outbursts that have recently
occurredandreviewalternativebehaviorsavailable.