One Day Anger Management Program

Lighthouse Addiction Services offers a one-day program to address issues of anger and violence. The anger management program is targeted toward those individuals either identified by the court or by family to have difficulties in the area of impulse control or anger management. Lighthouse Addiction Services’ one-day anger management program uses psycho-educational interventions to facilitate the participant’s understanding of their personal needs and to encourage behavioral change. The curriculum specifically addresses an understanding of the biological or physiological basis of anger, as well as the reason(s) why anger is demonstrated--to either get what the person wants or to defend either their physical or emotional selves. Interventions are designed to help the individual to recognize the danger signals of the coming loss of control and techniques to help the individual regain or maintain emotional and physical control. Care is also given to teach the participant skills needed to help the individual to adjust to or change their environment to be less threatening. We believe that if the participant is brought to an understanding of the costs of anger, then there is motivation for behavioral change. If there is no understanding of consequence, then there is no reason to change the behavior. Consequences are considered in the light of physical, emotional, financial, and relational costs. Programs like this are needed to confront the individuals’ belief systems and force them to consider that violence is not an appropriate avenue to get what they want or believe they need from their particular life circumstances.

The purpose of the program is not to force punitive confrontation with the participants, as this is more likely to elicit defensive responses than true therapeutic effects. Rather, the purpose is to challenge belief systems based in avoidance, control and environment manipulation that provokes improper displays of anger. And, truth be told, these beliefs don’t really give the program participants what they desire from the anger outbursts. The program facilitators attempt to give the participants tools that they can use to make both their lives and the lives of their significant others safer and more enjoyable.