How to Be Angry: Strategies to Help Kids Express Anger Constructively

by Signe Whitson, Dr. Lori Desautels (Foreword by), Adam A. Freeman (Illustrator)

Overview

Children and teenagers often struggle to cope with anger, and angry feelings can boil over into aggression and destructive behaviour. This updated and extended resource takes a different approach to anger, teaching children how to be angry effectively, rather than telling them not to be angry at all.

Encouraging appropriate anger management through group work and tailored lessons, the book is also accompanied by downloadable additional resources demonstrating the activities and offering adaptations for parents. Suitable for use with children and teenagers aged 5 - 18, this engaging resource will help children to overcome self-destructive patterns of passive, aggressive, and passive aggressive behaviour.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781839971303
Publisher:	Kingsley, Jessica Publishers
Publication date:	04/21/2022
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	132,259
Product dimensions:	8.43(w) x 10.87(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Signe Whitson is an author and educator on bullying, crisis intervention, and child and adolescent emotional and behavioral health. In her articles, books, and training workshops, Signe provides down-to-earth, practical advice for professionals and parents on navigating the daily challenges of living and working with children, tweens and teens.

Table of Contents

Foreword Dr. Lori Desautels 15

Introduction 17

About this Book 17

Who is How to Be Angry for? 18

Facilitator Qualifications 20

Creating a Positive Group Environment 20

Using the Curriculum 21

Feedback 22

Part I What is Anger? Exploring Anger's Impact on the Brain and Body 23

Session 1 That Makes Me So Mad! 24

Identifying Anger Triggers

Session Objectives 24

Materials Needed 24

Before Beginning 24

Welcome to the Group 25

Icebreaker Activity: The Joker 25

Group Agreements 26

Anger Defined 27

Anger Triggers 27

Session Conclusion 29

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 30

Icebreaker Activity: The Joker 31

Handout: What is Anger? 33

Weekly Journal 35

Session 2 A Pain in the Brain 36

What Happens in Our Brain When We Experience Anger?

Session Objectives 36

Materials Needed 36

Before Beginning 36

Welcome Back 37

Icebreaker Activity: Journal Sharing 37

Brain Science 101: The Hand Brain Model 38

Labeling the Brain 40

Which Part of the Brain is in Charge? 41

Session Conclusion 42

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 43

Label Your Brain 44

Which Part of the Brain is in Charge? 46

Weekly Journal 48

Session 3 Becoming an Anger Detective 49

How to Recognize Anger Clues in the Body

Session Objectives 49

Materials Needed 49

Before Beginning 49

Welcome Back 50

Icebreaker Activity: Brain Sculpting 50

Becoming an Anger Detective 51

Session Conclusion 53

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 53

Anger Clues Map 54

Anger Clues Journal 57

Session 4 Calming an Angry Brain 59

Mindfulness and Mindful Breathing

Session Objectives 59

Materials Needed 59

Before Beginning 59

Welcome Back 60

Icebreaker Activity: 4-7-8 Feather Breathing 60

What is Mindfulness? 62

Mindful Breathing 62

Session Conclusion 63

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 64

Mindful Breathing Beads 65

Mindful Breathing Tracker 66

Session 5 Sensory Strategies to Calm an Angry Brain 68

Part I: Mindful Listening and Noticing

Session Objectives 68

Materials Needed 68

Before Beginning 68

Welcome Back 69

Icebreaker Activity: Mindful Breathing Menu 69

Mindful Listening 70

Mindful Noticing 71

Bonus Activity: Mindfulness Walk 72

Session Conclusion 73

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 73

Weekly Journal 74

Mindful Breathing Menu 75

Figure 8 Breathing 76

Session 6 Sensory Strategies to Calm an Angry Brain 77

Part II: Mindful Smelling, Tasting, and Touching

Session Objectives 77

Materials Needed 77

Before Beginning 77

Welcome Back 77

Icebreaker Activity: The 5-Senses Grounding Technique 78

Activity: Mindfulness Centers 79

Session Conclusion 80

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 80

The 5-Senses Grounding Technique 81

Mindfulness Centers 82

Weekly Journal 85

Part II What is Assertiveness? Identifying Choices in Anger Expression 87

Session 7 Tiger, Turtle, Fox, or Giraffe 88

Whose Anger Style Do You Match?

Session Objectives 88

Materials Needed 88

Before Beginning 88

Welcome Back 89

Icebreaker Activity: Mindful Breathing Practice 89

What's My Anger Style? 89

Anger Styles: Avery and Raya 90

Session Conclusion 91

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 92

Animal Anger Styles 93

Typical Behaviors for Each Anger Style 95

Anger Styles 97

Weekly Journal 98

Session 8 Decisions, Decisions! 99

Four Choices in Anger Expression

Session Objectives 99

Materials Needed 99

Before Beginning 99

Welcome Back 99

Icebreaker Activity: Mindful Breathing Practice 100

What's Your Style? 101

Four Choices in Anger Expression Scenarios 101

Session Conclusion 102

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 103

Anger Expression Styles 104

Four Choices in Anger Expression 105

Four Choices in Anger Expression 106

Weekly Journal 107

Session 9 Sugarcoated Hostility 108

The Five Levels of Passive-Aggressive Behavior

Session Objectives 108

Materials Needed 108

Before Beginning 108

Welcome Back 108

Icebreaker Activity: Name that Style 109

The Five Levels of Passive-Aggressive Behavior 109

Session Conclusion 112

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 112

Handout: The Five Levels of Passive-Aggressive Behavior 113

Activity: Do I Do This? The Five Levels of Passive-Aggressive Behavior 115

Weekly Journal 119

Session 10 Behind the Mask 120

Exploring Public Faces and Private Realities

Session Objectives 120

Materials Needed 120

Before Beginning 121

Welcome Back 121

Icebreaker Activity: Pick and Mix 121

Mask-Making 122

Session Conclusion 123

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 123

Weekly Journal 124

Session 11 More than Words Can Express 125

How Body Language and Tone of Voice Can Say It All

Session Objectives 125

Materials Needed 125

Before Beginning 125

Welcome Back 126

Icebreaker Activity: Birthday Order 126

More than Words Can Express 127

It's Not the Words You Use but the Tone You Choose 127

Session Conclusion 128

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 129

Activity: More than Words Can Express 130

Handout: It's Not the Words You Use but the Tone You Choose 132

Weekly Journal 133

Part III Developing Assertive Anger Expression Skills 135

Session 12 I Feel Angry! 136

Using I-Messages to Express Anger Assertively

Session Objectives 136

Materials Needed 136

Before Beginning 136

Welcome Back 137

Icebreaker Activity: I-Style 137

I-Messages 138

You-Messages vs. I-Messages 139

Session Conclusion 141

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 142

Activity: I-Style 143

Handout: I-Messages 145

Handout: You-Messages vs. I-Messages 147

Handout: Sample I-Messages 150

Weekly Journal 152

Session 13 Yes, No, or Maybe So 153

Assertive Skills for Disagreeing Without Arguing

Session Objectives 153

Materials Needed 153

Before Beginning 153

Welcome Back 154

Yes, No, or Maybe So 154

Arguing vs. Disagreeing 155

Session Conclusion 157

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 158

Handout: Change It! 159

Weekly Journal 161

Session 14 Four "Be" Rules 162

Using Assertive Communication to Stand Up for Yourself and Others

Session Objectives 162

Materials Needed 162

Before Beginning 162

Welcome Back 162

Icebreaker Activity: Two Truths and a Lie 163

"Be" Rules for Standing Up for Ourselves and Others 163

Putting It All Together: Role-Playing 165

Session Conclusion 165

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 166

"Be" Rules 167

Role Plays for Practicing Assertive Communication 169

Weekly Journal 173

Session 15 "May I Please" and "No Can Do" 174

Guidelines for Assertively Making and Refusing Requests

Session Objectives 174

Materials Needed 174

Before Beginning 174

Welcome Back 175

Icebreaker Activity: Say the Alphabet 175

Making Requests 175

Refusing Requests 177

Session Conclusion 178

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 178

Handout: May I Please-Two Simple Rules for Making Assertive Requests 180

Activity: Write a Request 181

Handout: No Can Do-Four Rules for Refusing Requests Assertively 183

Activity: Passive, Aggressive, or Assertive? 184

Handout: Assertive Dos and Don'ts of Saying "No" 186

Weekly Journal 187

Session 16 "That's So Nice of You to Say" 188

Assertive Strategies for Giving and Receiving Compliments

Session Objectives 188

Materials Needed 188

Before Beginning 188

Welcome Back 189

Putting It All Together: Making and Refusing Requests 189

Giving Compliments 190

Receiving Compliments 191

Session Conclusion 192

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 192

Handout: Dos and Don'ts of Receiving Compliments Assertively 194

Weekly Journal 196

Session 17 On the Receiving End 197

Three Steps for Responding Assertively to Anger

Session Objectives 197

Materials Needed 197

Before Beginning 197

Welcome Back 198

Putting It All Together: Compliments 198

Responding to Anger 199

Plays for Practicing the Skill of Responding to Anger Assertively 200

Session Conclusion 200

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 201

Handout: Four Rules for Responding to Anger Assertively 202

Weekly Journal 204

Part IV Committing to Assertive Anger Expression 205

Session 18 Four-Square Problem-Solving 206

Finding Win-Win Solutions

Session Objectives 206

Materials Needed 206

Before Beginning 206

Welcome Back 207

Four-Square Problem-Solving 207

Putting It All Together 211

Session Conclusion 212

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 212

Handout: Four-Square Problem-Solving 213

Weekly Journal 214

Session 19 What's the Plan? 215

Replacing Self-Defeating Patterns and Committing to Assertive Behaviors

Session Objectives 215

Materials Needed 215

Before Beginning 215

Welcome Back 216

Icebreaker Activity: Complete the Sentence 217

Choices in Anger Expression 217

Step 1 218

Step 2 218

Step 3 219

Step 4 220

Session Conclusion 221

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 222

Activity: Complete the Sentence 223

Handout: My Plan-Replacing Self Defeating Patterns and Committing to Assertive Behaviors 225

Letter Template: How Is It Going? Replacing Self-Defeating Patterns and Committing to Assertive Behaviors 227

Weekly Journal 228

Session 20 Putting It AM Together 229

Choosing to Use Assertive Behaviors to Express Anger

Session Objectives 229

Materials Needed 229

Before Beginning 229

Welcome Back 230

Icebreaker Activity: Assertive Anger Expression 230

Group Puzzle 230

Feedback 231

Conclusion 231

Suggestions for Customizing the Curriculum 232

Handout: Assertive Anger Expression 233

Handout: Participant Evaluation Form 236

Handout: Certificate of Completion 237

References 238

Editorial Reviews

In her revised edition of How to Be Angry: Strategies to Help Kids Express Anger Constructively, Signe has taken her original excellent work to an entire new level. This book integrates the current knowledge of how our brain grows and develops into this critically important topic. She has organized 20 sessions that educators, mental health workers or anyone working with children can use with children they support. It is a complete ready to use program that will help you teach children about this critical human emotion and allow them to recognize it and use anger constructively. Anger is an emotion that our children as well as the adults who serve them, can learn to feel and express in appropriate ways. This is an exceptional resource!!

Michael McKnight - 4 Directions Seminars