How to Be Angry: An Assertive Anger Expression Group Guide for Kids and Teens [Paperback]

Signe Whitson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2011 | ISBN-10: 1849058679 | ISBN-13: 978-1849058674 | Edition: 1

Children often struggle to cope with anger, and their angry feelings can boil over into aggression and destructive behaviour. This resource provides a 15-session group program designed to teach children and adolescents valuable skills for anger management, effective anger expression and assertive communication. Each detailed session provides step-by-step guidelines for carrying out the lesson plans, group activities and discussions. Suitable for use with children and teenagers aged 5-18, it will help them to overcome self-destructive passive, aggressive, and passive-aggressive patterns of behaviour. Instead of teaching children not to be angry, this engaging resource teaches them how to be angry effectively and constructively. It will be of great use to professionals working with children and teenagers in school and child care settings, counselors, social workers, psychologists and parents.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Signe Whitson is a licensed social worker and Chief Operating Officer of the Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) Institute, an international certification program that trains adults in turning crisis situations into learning opportunities for children and youth with chronic patterns of self-defeating behaviour. Signe has over ten years' experience working as a staff trainer and therapist for children and adolescents in individual, family, group, and school settings. She presents across the United States on topics related to child and adolescent mental health. She is co-author of The Angry Smile: The Psychology of Passive Aggressive Behaviour in Families, Schools and Workplaces, 2nd edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd; 1 edition (August 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1849058679
• ISBN-13: 978-1849058674
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.6 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #313,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book - Applicable in so many settings (and not just with kids!!) May 3, 2012

By PAMom

Format:Paperback

I am not a therapist or a teacher. I am a mom and a manager of a large team. WOW - this book is an AMAZING tool. As soon as I started reading it, I became instantly aware of how I express anger, and how my son expresses it. But what I learned also applied to my management role. I've already started applying some of the principles and techniques at home and at work, and I'm amazed at the results. A little awareness goes a LONG way. And I must agree with one of the other reviewers - the confirmation that anger is healthy is really refreshing. What this book does, is help us -- ALL of us -- to learn how to express anger in a healthy way. Highly recommend this book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for therapists AND parents! May 1, 2012

By Leslie Ten Broeck

Format:Paperback

As a licensed therapist (a good one) and a parent (a so-so one), I found this book helpful in all realms. I'm always on the lookout for good group therapy curriculum, at the same time, trying to help my very emotional and rigid son find new ways to manage his anger. The book is written without a lot of jargon, which I find to be a plus. This would be great for schools as well.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are going to be angry, learn to do it right! A great resource... February 4, 2012

By Bridget Walker PhD

Format:Paperback

What sets How to Be Angry apart from so many of the social skills training materials and self help books for kids that are currently available is that it reminds readers that it is both healthy and "normal" to feel angry. Problems arise not from our feelings, but how we express and act them out. Written in a useful, kid friendly tone- this book integrates a variety of approaches into intelligent, interactive activities that kids will buy into and willingly explore. How to Be Angry helps kids learn healthy ways to express their feelings, stand up for themselves when necessary, and build their social and emotional intelligence. The book is helpful to families and professionals alike. It is one I will use often in practice and recommend frequently to families, colleagues and friends.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST for educators! December 15, 2011

By Michele Bethel

Format:Paperback

Finally, a social emotional step-by-step curriculum to address the needs of elementary students who have specific behavioral and/or emotional concerns! This curriculum provides fun and purposeful activities and lessons to teach students how to make and refuse requests, disagreeing without arguing, responding to anger appropriately, problem solving, and much more. As a professional who works with children who have severe emotional and behavioral concerns, this book is a must! We are currently implementing this program district-wide in our classrooms that support students with emotional and behavioral needs. This is a great resource and I could not be more thrilled to finally find a great resource like this for our younger children! I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to teach children appropriate social skills, anger management techniques, assertiveness, and more!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Guide with Beneficial Activities for Students! September 10, 2011

By TexasTeacher

Format:Paperback

I shared this book, "How to Be Angry" with both my school counselor and our CIS (Communities in Schools)teacher, who both work with small groups of students in anger management & behavior issues. We all love the easy to read format that includes background of the issue, lesson ideas/activities to help students work through their anger. This would be an excellent resource for every teacher to have on hand as we are seeing an increase of students entering school with pent up anger issues and not knowing how to deal with these feelings. Without addressing these issues and teaching students what to do when they get angry, behavior problems soon follow. As a parent, I also reccommend this book as I have used several of the ideas with my own children to help them deal with their anger in an appropriate way...it is very practical on many levels!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! May 9, 2013

By Aimee M Novak

Format:Paperback

We just purchased 30 of your "How To Be Angry" books for use in our Learning Labs. We have the Labs in 30 elementary schools and their purpose is to provide social skills instruction and anger management techniques for our yellow and red zone students (based on behavior and social interactions). I had one of the Labs field-test the lessons with her kids this year. She and the kids both reported how much they loved it; so much so that I decided this would be a required text for all Labs next year. What a great resource you've developed! Thank you!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource! August 26, 2012

By Laurie Wallace Theisen

Format:Paperback

Anyone who has kids, works with kids, or cares about kids & their anger expression will find this book useful. It offers a comprehensive curriculum of small-group lessons teaching children & teens how to express anger in healthy ways. The sessions guide the group through a progression of learning & coping skills, with practical, relevant examples and activities. A leader could not ask for a more detailed program - the instructions for leading the group are comprehensive and easy to follow. There are also additional activities and information for parents to reinforce the concepts from the group sessions.

Much of the information was also enlightening and helpful for adults, especially in the areas of recognizing & dealing with passive-aggressive behavior, and saying "no" & disagreeing in a respectful way. Many adults could benefit from this instruction as well!

The book also includes clever, creative ice-breaker activities, and a strong emphasis on reasoning skills. The role-playing exercises are especially valuable in reinforcing the concepts.

One only needs to watch a few minutes of the news before hearing about the destructive consequences of poor anger management. Using this book with small groups is one step in the right direction.