Some 84% of people surveyed said Americans are angrier today compared with a generation ago, according to the latest NPR-IBM Watson Health poll. (https://npr.org) In this webinar, we will explore ways to break down barriers and help clients open up about the causes of their anger, acknowledging the roots of their choices so they will no longer run from their feelings or refuse to share them with others.
It can be awkward and make a person feel vulnerable or even weak if they open up, especially to strangers who may not understand or accept their issues. They may have a fear of: embarrassment: that sharing their story and situation might make them look bad or criticism: that they might be stigmatized for choices they have made. This webinar will provide creative ways to help clients get out of the stress and anger cycle.
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- Build a strategy to understand the sequence and process of anger.
- Integrate a new system to understand personal to stressful situations.
- Demonstrate the use of the anger wheel for stress management with clients.
- List a series of appropriate questions to ask to find the sources of anger and/or stress.
- Apply the “CALM” method to prepare clients to deal with anger in a new way.
Syllabus:
Objective #1: Understanding the Nature of Anger
- Define anger as an emotional and physiological state
- Identify the sequence and process of anger including triggers, thoughts, and reactions
- Explore the role of energy in anger and how it manifests physically and emotionally
- Recognize anger as a survival mechanism tied to the body’s threat response
Objective #2: Stress and Emotional Dysregulation
- Define stress and its cognitive and behavioral components
- Examine chronic stress and its contribution to hypervigilance and reactivity
- Help clients identify where stress and anger are experienced in the body
- Differentiate between problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies
Objective #3: Anger Styles and Strategic Responses
- Identify four anger styles: nuclear reactor, avoider, direct-abrasive, punisher
- Develop specific coping responses for each style to improve awareness and control
- Explore underlying needs and patterns behind maladaptive anger expression
Objective #4: Core EBT Strategic Goals and Interventions
- Increase awareness of triggers, thoughts, and emotional responses
- Strengthen problem-solving and impulse control skills
- Practice calm-inducing strategies and goal-setting exercises
- Improve communication through “I” statements and assertive expression
- Support stress management through adulting and responsible behavior
Objective #5: Therapeutic Tools and Interventions
- Integrate anger wheels, power and control wheels, and metaphor models like “The Cliff”
- Encourage the use of emotion identification tools throughout the week
- Guide clients in exploring beliefs, past traumas, and unresolved emotional pain
- Implement writing exercises such as anger letters and forgiveness letters
Objective #6: Key Questions and Cognitive Exploration
- Ask reflective questions to identify emotional roots and patterns of anger
- Explore anger as a secondary emotion tied to deeper feelings like hurt or fear
- Encourage cognitive reappraisal and reframing of triggering experiences
- Challenge myths and misconceptions about anger and its expression
Objective #7: The CALM Method
- CONNECT by identifying familiar patterns and past experiences
- ASK about the personal impact of anger and its consequences
- LISTEN to feedback and insight from others or self-reflection
- MOVE forward with intention, distance, or action as needed
Objective #8: Cognitive Interventions and Emotional Regulation
- Use strategies such as pleasant imagery, counting, and attention redirection
- Introduce reappraisal to reinterpret stimuli and reduce emotional impact
- Practice dramatized coping and neutral visualization techniques
- Help clients interrupt cycles of reactive thinking and replace with rational thought
Objective #9: Breaking the Cycle and Building Control
- Encourage awareness of family patterns and intergenerational anger dynamics
- Support development of emotional ownership and personal responsibility
- Guide clients in replacing impulsive behaviors with mindful choices
- Reinforce the goal of assertiveness over aggression or passivity
Social workers completing this course receive 1.5 Clinical asynchronous continuing education credits.
For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 1.5 Clinical continuing education training.
Instructor: Dr. Paul Hardy, D.Min. NMAC, CSAC
Recording Date: June 9, 2024
CEUS On-Demand, LLC, provider #2274, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/7/2026 - 08/6/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1.5hrs Clinical continuing education credits.
CEUs On-Demand, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7091. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CEUs On-Demand, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
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Request for Special Accommodations: Learners can request special accommodations by contacting the administrative team at admin@ceus-ondemand.com