Affectiveness of Anger Management Programs

In preparing my thesis at the end of my Master of Counselling degree I found that research shows that sometimes (most) anger management programs produce short-term gains and when follow-up is done a year or so later these gains have all but disappeared.

Is Anger About Power and Control?

Most programs teach that men abuse because of power and control issues, that it is part of our patriarchal culture that supports the domination and oppression of women.  Abuser programs fail because they focus on negative attitudes, rather the core hurts that cause them.  What is needed is to put men (and women) in touch with their compassion.

Traditional Abuser Programs

Another failure of traditional abuser programs is the shaming approach and there ignorance of how people change.  Doing this can make core hurts worse and increase the likelihood that anger will escalate putting partners in greater danger.  Confronting people with your superior values does not change them.  People are changed by appealing to their deeper values.  This is the core value approach of the Anger Management & Domestic Violence (Compassion) Program.

Change Comes From Within

What you need to understand is that meaningful change comes from within you.  You can tap into your great inner resources by re-integrating your deepest values into your sense of self.  This will make you feel more powerful than you ever felt before, and make you feel more valuable, loving, and compassionate to yourself and loved ones.