The document discusses transformational education and offers insights into anger management through personal stories, specifically focusing on individuals named Jeff and Sandra who experienced significant positive changes in their lives after engaging in anger resolution practices. It emphasizes that anger is an emotion to be expressed healthily rather than managed, proposing an evidence-based approach called Anger Solutions that integrates various therapeutic techniques. The text outlines the physiological effects of stress, the importance of choice in responses, and the broader community programs available for anger management and conflict resolution.

1. Transform[ED]:
Transformational
Education
An Overview
By Julie Christiansen,
Author of Anger Solutions™ and
When the Last Straw Falls
www.angersolution.com

2. Meet Jeff Anger
 25 years old  Recent charges
 Habitual violence stemming from domestic
incident prior to
 Domestic aggression
separation
(verbal and physical)
 Chronic contact with the
 Addiction issues (drugs
law since age 14
and alcohol)
 Fresh out of detox
 Separated from wife of
less than 2 years  Unemployed
 Estranged from son from  Homeless (couch surfing)
a previous relationship
*This IS his real name; we have his written permission to use his story… in fact,
he begged me to use his real name.

3. How did we get from there…
to here?
 Alcohol and drug free for close to 3 years*
 Steadily employed
 Free of criminal justice system for the first time
since age 14
 Fully reconciled with wife – now 2 children, and
attempting to re-establish connection with his
estranged son
 No physical violence in the home (or outside)
since program exit (3.5 years as of June 2008)

4. A Brief History of “Anger
Management”
 Term coined in 1975 by Raymond Novaco
 Popularized by the media and with
psychologists in the mid ’90s
 Anger Management treatments are not
regulated and are diverse in range and
approach; methodologies differ as well
 Despite all of this, Anger Management is
generally accepted as a valid, useful form
of treatment for anger.

5. What is Anger and Should it be
“Managed”?
 Anger is an emotion – one of the basic
emotions experienced by humankind
 The American Heritage® Dictionary:
anger(n.) A strong feeling of displeasure
or hostility.anger(v.)
 Dictionary.com: manage (v) to take charge
or care of (things/systems); to dominate or
manipulate (persons); to handle or train
(animals); be in charge (in business)

6. Management is for Systems – Not
People
 Happiness is not managed – it is…
 Grief is not managed – it is…
Expressed!
Anger can be expressed; but we need the
skills and the tools so that we can express
it effectively, safely, and appropriately.

7. Anger Solutions™
 Is about Anger Resolution – not Anger
Management
 Draws from the most successful evidence-
based practices for anger management:
– Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
– Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
– Solution-Focused Therapy (aka Brief
Therapy)
– Reality Therapy

8. Anger Solutions™ Philosophy
 Keep it simple
 Combine the best of evidence-based
practices and therapeutic approaches
 The WIT Model (whatever it takes)
– CBT – mean attendance 63%
– Average success rate for those who
complete: 70%
 More on these numbers later

9. Anger Solutions™ Approach
 Simple and easy to understand
 Presented in a way that enables clients to
assimilate their new skills
 Hands-on vs. theoretical
 Flexible to meet diverse client needs
 Deliverable in 1- hour format for weekly
sessions

10. Anger Solutions™ Expectations
 Significant increase in self-esteem
 Decrease or discontinuation of use of
drugs or alcohol as self-medication
 Self-reported improvement in overall
quality of life of participants
 Improvement in quality of mental health
 Significant decrease in physical ailments
and physiological effects of stress

11. Jeff Transform[ed]

12. Meet Sandra*
 36 years old with two teenaged children (15 and 17)
 Married and divorced twice, and approximately 6 months into a new
relationship
 Sandra says she has a temper and mostly takes it out on her
children; however, she recognizes that her patterns are maladaptive
and wants to change.
 GOAL: Change behaviour so that she can relate better to her
children, and be able to have a lasting, loving relationship
 Peak physical condition, but has several stress-related health
problems: nosebleeds, abdominal problems, headaches, and
nausea. Unaware of the link between stress and her poor health.
 On a scale of 1 – 10 Sandra rates her anger on any given day at
about a 6 or 7.
 She scores over 700 on the Holmes Life Change Units assessment
(anything over 300 is cause for concern).
 *Not her real name… but her story is very real

13. Sandra Transform[ed]
 Accomplishments and Shifts
– Huge understanding of how and why anger develops
– Understanding others’ anger and frustration
– Learning how to diffuse my anger (and others)
– Applying learned skills – communication
– Overcoming some fear of speaking opinion because I learned how to
handle negative responses without getting angry
 Skills Learned
– Learned how to evaluate my emotions/development
– Learned to pay attention to others body language and style
– Still learning listening skills, but much better
– I have learned so much about human action/reaction, control, tactics,
communication styles
 Distinctions Understood
– Difference between emotions – anger vs. frustration, disappointment,
vs. Sadness, differences between aggressiveness and assertiveness
– Understanding physical ramifications of unresolved emotions

14. *Doing her next Iron Man in 36
Days

15. Sandra Transform[ed]

“As you can see, I am not a
small person and I just lost
20lbs in December when I was
sick. I used to weigh over
200lb and smoked like a
chimney believe it or not! Quit
when I was 25 yrs old. Did my
first Iron Man 6 years later in
2001!”
 “I believe we can do anything
we put our minds to! Including
changing the way we behave,
as you taught me. You
changed my life Julie!”

16. A Taste of Transform[ED]
concepts

17. What is Stress?
 Richard S Lazarus: Stress
is a condition or feeling
experienced when a
person perceives that
“demands exceed the
personal and social
resources the individual
is able to mobilize.”

18. The Physiology of Stress…
 Fight or Flight
 Increased heart rate
 Blood is diverted away from extremities
 Blood thickens
 Body becomes sweaty (to cool skin & muscles)
 Excretory system shuts down
 Hormones work to make body produce blood
sugar
 Oxygen is diverted to heart, lungs & muscles

19. Stress Less Strategy
Take Response-Ability
E+R=O
Event + Response = Outcome
 It isn’t what happens to you, but what you DO
about what happens that determines the
outcomes in your life!
 Transform[ED] is about CHOICE
 Choosing to RESPOND rather than to REACT
 Choosing your outcomes rather than allowing
them to be imposed on you

20. What are You
Tolerating/Procrastinating?
 Think about it!
– Write it down
 Talk about it!
– How to make this
negative energy
positive…

21. Getting Past the Past
My story
Your story
The process

22. Transform[ED] is…
 Transformational education
 Making decisions about your life and
choosing carefully the outcomes you want
 Trusting yourself and others
 Learning to accept, forgive, and change
 A lifestyle choice – not a quick fix

23. Transform[ED] in Your Community
 Corporate Programs  Community Programs
– Stress Busters – Anger Solutions™
– Overcoming Conflict, Programs and
Negativity, and Anger Resources
in the Workplace – Anger Solutions™ for
– 90 Day Challenge Kids – NEW
– Workplace Survivor – Anger Solutions™ for
Youth at Risk – NEW

24. Resources
 Anger Solutions
 Anger Solutions at Work
 Anger Solutions by the Book
 When the Last Straw Falls
 Getting Past Your Past
 Top Ten Lists to Live By
 Bullying is Not a Game
 Overcoming Anger Conflict
and Negativity at Work
Available at: www.angersolution.com

25. Let the Transformation Begin!
 For questions you may
have after today, please
e-mail me at:
 info@angersolution.com
 Visit my blog:
 http://angersolution.blogspot.com