Anger Management







Anger
Management

Personal
Control
Program
                Anger Management Program

            Personal Control Management and
             Sustainability Program (PCMSP)



Anger Management (PCMSP) Course consists of 10 weeks.  All Enquiries should be made to
Ed Schild, Regesh Family and Child Services, 416-495-8832, ext. 222.


Regesh Family and Child Services: 149 Willowdale Avenue; Toronto, Ontario M2N
4Y5; 416-495-8832; www.regesh.com; Charitable Registration number: 10788-1195-
RR0001



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                                Anger Management:
               Personal Control Management and Sustainability Program (PCMSP)

Agency History:

Regesh Family and Child Services is renowned for its treatment of children, youth and families
since 1983.  Regesh’s history includes running a receiving, assessment and treatment
residence to three treatment group homes, treatment foster homes and mixed-modality homes
for various age groups.  Until 2004, referrals to a Regesh Program were predominately made
from various Children's Aid Societies.  Currently, Regesh provides services to children, youth
and families in the following Programs:  (a) High On Success Mentor Program (HOS) for youth
ages 16-24 who are not in school or working and require assistance to move forward with their
lives through enhancing educational skills, life and social skills, employability skills, and
counselling; (b) Chezi’s Corner Safe House for youth ages 16-24 unable to live at home for
various reasons; (c) Family Support Program providing individual, family and group
counselling; and (d) Professional Consultation to other agencies and professionals.

The Regesh Family and Child Services mission statement:

"Regesh Family and Child Services is committed to providing treatment for children, youth and
families who have experienced various forms of trauma or family functioning issues which have
negatively impacted on the child and his/her family. We utilize an holistic and multi disciplinary
approach to provide a stable foundation which addresses the treatment needs and teaches
the child or youth to become a more healthy individual by also developing skills in
relationships and social life skills in order to develop dignity and worth.  Additionally, using
best practices training, community workshops provide the public with professional training in
areas that promote a higher quality of family life.  Furthermore, we make available the
expertise developed at Regesh by sharing that professional know-how with other agencies
through professional consultations.  

                Anger Management as a component of Personal Control

Background and Beliefs:

Regesh Family and Child Services has been providing mental health services to children,
youth and families since 1983.  The majority of current and past (residential group homes and
foster homes) referrals to Regesh and other mental health agencies have been youth and
families who have issues of anger and stress management and other related emotional
problems.  

Anger is "an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and
rage," according to Charles Spielberger, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in the study of
anger.  Like other emotions, it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when
you get angry, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of your energy
hormones, adrenaline, and noradrenaline.  Anger can be caused by both external and internal
events. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry feelings.

According to the American Psychological Association on-line discussion of anger, Controlling
Anger -- Before It Controls You, "The instinctive, natural way to express anger is to respond
aggressively.  Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often
aggressive feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we
are attacked.  A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival."  Just Listen
to Me: Youth Voices on Violence (Stephanie J. Ma, Participant, Ontario Youth Roundtable
Discussions on Violence, November 2004) noted the increased incidents of violence in youth
today.  Furthermore, with increased violence, anger and acting out behaviours by youth, the
media, schools (Safe Schools Act) and various communities are trying to deal with this
dangerous phenomenon.  

It is vital to understand that anger is one’s possession.  That is, you own your anger and as
such must learn to take responsibility for it.  Anger is part of us and cannot be denied.  We
cannot just say, “don’t be angry”, for this is to invalidate a valid emotion.  Anger doesn’t
happen spontaneously.  Anger is a secondary emotion, which means that we don’t go from
feeling nothing to feeling anger.  Anger is usually the feeling we have when we don’t like
having an earlier event or feeling.  Someone ignores us and we feel hurt and because we don’
t like feeling hurt, we become angry with the person who caused it.  Therefore, this emotion of
anger is a response to a situation which causes feelings or thoughts and, in turn, produces a
reaction or action.  Suppressing, denying or ignoring anger doesn’t make the anger or the
primary feelings go away and, in fact, expressing only the anger doesn’t usually help much.  It
is important to understand that when anger is suppressed long enough, one of two things
happens-- either one experiences outbursts or one becomes depressed.  If we don’t control
our anger, it will control us with ramifications to all our relationships.  Therefore, we must learn
to manage and control our anger.

The Regesh personal control management program believes that good, sustainable
personal control includes training in anger and stress management along with
enhancing self-esteem.  

The PCMSP is more than an anger management program.  The Program is based on the
theory that the development and sustainability of good personal control is directly related to
the client’s sense of self (self-esteem).  Thus the Program is based on the theory of the direct
correlation of positive self-esteem and positive personal control, including anger and stress
management.  As one’s personal control is enhanced, the individual will show increased
confidence and ability to negotiate difficult decisions and choices in one’s life.  In turn, the
client improves in his/her school or professional work, decision making, conflict resolution and
his/her ability to make good choices.    

The sustainability of such a program is vital.  Most programs merely teaching “anger
management” teach skills and facts for the youth to learn.  However, their approach is to teach
material to change behaviour without dealing with the emotions that effect behaviours.  The
PCMSP works in such a way as to help the youth understand his/her emotions and how
emotions affect behaviours.  Therefore we deal with behaviours through one’s emotions and
not one’s behaviours by understanding in a scholastic manner.  Furthermore, personal control
must be sustainable.  Youth tend to forget what they learn in the average anger management
course because of retention and usage issues.  How to maintain newly acquired skills is the
essence of this program.  Youth participating in this Program will become a “member” in the
PCMSP “club” and have available to them a maintenance program to refresh their skills.  They
will have access to a youth worker either over the phone or through a follow-up appointment,
monthly refresher meetings with other graduates of the program and on-going support to
sustain their skills.