© 2015 Steven Peer

Anger Management:
​How our program differs from others
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DELIVERY

The program begins with a safe, respectful environment

Nothing happens if clients don't feel safe to test new thoughts and habits.
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Wrap-around: We wrap our curriculum around parenting whenever possible

This is done for a number of reasons:
  1. People change/make-sacrifices for their children that they would do for no one else.
  2. Clients are motivated to break negative cycles they see their children repeating.
  3. ​Attendees are asked to attend classes as if they might later teach it to their own children ​(to improve listening and comprehension)
When clients were not parents, the material is re-framed to speak to their importance as Uncles, Aunts, etc.​​
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​Expanding their toolbox

The program uses familiar terms such as the "toolbox" we have to manage life. Our program introduces attendees to new, better tools. 
Quite often, clients are the first to reject their own habits -- they simply know of no better way.

Free weekly follow-up sessions

A few dozen hours of training is a great start but research shows that follow-on resources can make all the difference.
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Over thirty years ago, I co-founded a self-help group (patterned after change-expert Ernie Larsen's own growth-group). This non-professional, peer-run group meets every week to deal with issues of growth and balance.
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As I learned more,
my wife got prettier

Sunday morning meeting times accommodate work schedules and the lives of our attendees

Having a job is a critical anchor to becoming a solid citizen in the community. Unlike other programs, I would schedule meetings to accommodate their work schedules. With this change, 100% of clients that started the program finished the program.
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All reading happens during sessions

Anyone familiar with court ordered groups has probably seen clients madly completing homework in the parking lot just ahead of the next class.  Because the readings are important, time is made for clients to read them during the class. And to confirm comprehension, group discussions are built-in to answer what the readings have to do with the class and their lives.
For the first time, I wasn't the one out of control

The class incorporates entertaining,
​yet poignant lessons

Carefully selected exercises and demonstrations break-up the reading and discussion to keep attendees alert and on track with the goals.

Years of feedback and continuous improvement

This program has been delivered to county and federal courts and prisons in two states for four years. During that time, continuously measurements dictated changes to content and delivery strategies.

CONTENT

Getting the data wrong

Throughout the course, clients learn to challenge their first instincts. While we don't use the academic language below, clients are introduced to dozens of examples of how humans "get the data wrong", including:
  • Confirmation Bias
  • Ingroup Bias
  • Gambler's Fallacy
  • Neglecting Probability
  • Observational Bias
  • Status-Quo Bias
  • Bandwagon Effect
  • Projection Bias
  • Current Moment Bias
  • Binary thinking bias
We also spend time explaining why these exist. Specifically, that our senses don't really do the sensing.  Instead, they send raw data to the brain where, using historical, patterning, and other optimizing strategies, can perceive and react faster (think Darwinian life-saving speed). But these methods can produce false perceptions (getting it wrong). Below are a few examples...
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Optical Data
click for proof
It's fascinating how many clients refuse to believe that the A & B squares are shaded identically -- even after using Photoshop to determine absolute color values.
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Auditory Data
The classic "Shepard–Risset glissando" illusion sounds like an infinitely descending tone, courtesy Gloumouth1/wikipedia
Trouble playing OGG-sound files? Click here
Performance Data
As a professional magician, I build in an illusion or two for a live demonstration on how easy it is to get information wrong.  To the degree an illusion amazes, so we have misunderstood the data. 

Real Life
Finally, we look at real-life examples that tripped us up: misinterpreting a 'look', jumping to conclusions about a ambiguous text, assuming you know what others are thinking when we're in an embarrassing situation. 
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​Anger didn't come first

Our anger is typically preceded by other emotions. When we recognized and appropriately address initial emotions, we can eliminate that chain to anger.
typical emotional chain
Clients examine what happens in those milliseconds between a "triggering-event" and their explosive reaction.
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Our biggest mistakes stem from
​the assumption that others are like us.
​​Edward L. Rowney, former US negotiator

Personalities: Opposites Attract

We often get data wrong when it comes from someone with an opposite personality-type.

Certified in Insights-Discovery Personality training, I help clients:
  1. realize that they HAVE a unique style,
  2. to understand their style,
  3. to focus on better understanding their opposite personality-type.
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​Why wasn't this taught in school?
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