Join me at Anger Solutions Boot Camp! On September 27, 2011 from 8:30am to 5:00pm at White Oaks conference Resort and Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON. In participating in this basic training program you will learn methods to ensure positive and successful results. Please fill out the registration form above and send it with you cheque/money order or complete credit card information to:

Leverage U
73 Royal Manor Drive
St. Catharines, ON.
L2M 4L2

or fax to:

1-866-568-4694

Fall Anger Solutions Boot Camp Now Scheduled

Anyone interested in becoming an Anger Solutions Facilitator - take note our next training program will take place on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 in Niagara. See the details right here - click on the graphic for a full size document that you can copy and print. To register online, go to www.angersolution.com

Anger Solutions Practitioner's Code of Ethics

Code of Ethics - Certified Anger Solutions(TM) Providers (Trainers, Facilitators, and Coaches)
Updated January 2011

The CAASP Standards of Ethical Conduct
Professional Conduct At Large
1) I will conduct myself in a manner that reflects well on Anger Solutions™ Group Facilitation or Coaching as a profession and I will refrain from doing anything that harms the public's understanding or acceptance of the Anger Solutions™ model of Group Facilitation or Coaching as a profession.
2) I will honor agreements I make in my all of my relationships. I will construct clear agreements with my clients that include informed consent, confidentiality, progress reports, termination of service, and other particulars.
3) I will respect and honor the efforts and contributions of others.
4) I will respect the creative and written work of others in developing my own materials and not misrepresent them as my own.
5) I will not discriminate against any potential client based on race, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, or creed. I will treat all individuals as they wish to be treated, with dignity and respect.
6) I will use Canadian Association of Anger Solutions™ Professionals member status, contact information (email addresses, telephone numbers, etc. as listed in the directory) only in the manner and to the extent authorized by the Canadian Association of Anger Solutions™ Professionals.

Professional Conduct with Clients
7) I will accurately identify my level of counseling, facilitation and/or coaching competence and I will not overstate my qualifications, expertise or experience as an Anger Solutions™ Facilitator, Certified Trainer, or Coach. I will not provide Anger Solutions™ training to other service providers without having first obtained the appropriate qualifications (Certified Trainer) to do so.
8) I will ensure that my client understands the nature of counseling and/or coaching and the terms of the agreement we set between us.
9) I will not intentionally mislead or make false claims about what my client will receive from the counseling, facilitation, or coaching process or from me as their counselor, group facilitator, or coach.
10) I will not give my clients or any prospective clients information or advice I know to be misleading or beyond my competence.
11) I will be alert to noticing when my client is no longer benefiting from our relationship and would be better served by another professional, coach, or another resource and, at that time, I will encourage my client to make that change.

Confidentiality/Privacy
12) I will respect the confidentiality of my client's information (including data gathered for research purposes), except as otherwise authorized by my client, or as required by law. I will clearly explain the limits of confidentiality to my client during the process of obtaining informed consent.
13) I will obtain written agreement with my clients before releasing their names as clients or references or any other client identifying information.

Conflicts of Interest, and Boundaries

14) I will seek to avoid conflicts between my interests and the interests of my clients.
15) Whenever any actual conflict of interest or the potential for a conflict of interest arises, I will openly disclose it and fully discuss with my client how to deal with it in whatever way best serves my client.
16) I will disclose to my client all anticipated compensation from third parties that I may receive for referrals or advice concerning that client.
17) I will avoid engaging in any dual relationships with clients where it is reasonable to believe that doing so could impair my professional judgment or increase risk of harm to my client. Where dual relationships are unavoidable, I will clarify our roles and take other appropriate measures to ensure that there is no conflict between roles.

The CAASP Pledge of Ethics
As an Anger Solutions™ Professional, I acknowledge and agree to honor my ethical obligations to my clients and colleagues and to the public at large. I pledge to comply with CAASP Code of Ethics, to treat people with dignity as independent and equal human beings, and to model these standards with the people with whom I work. If I breach this Pledge of Ethics or any part of the CAASP Code of Ethics, I agree that the CAASP in its sole discretion may hold me accountable for so doing. I further agree that my accountability to the CAASP for any breach may include loss of my CAASP membership or my CAASP credentials, and removal from the list of Authorized Anger Solutions™ Providers.

Anger Management is a Band-Aid that doesn't stick

Band-Aids Don't Stick: Why Anger Management Doesn't Work

More and more I am approached by people who say they tried Anger Management and it didn't work. If Anger Management is so widely touted as effective treatment, why is it not working?

I believe anger management often does not work because it is viewed as a band-aid solution. I cannot tell you how many newspaper articles I have read from around the world, that indicate that a sports figure, actor, or politician was mandated to attend 6 hours of anger management classes. Why 6 hours? Why not 8, 10, 12, or 15? Why is 6 the magic number? When you think about it, it doesn't really make any sense. We all know what happens after you attend a one-day workshop or seminar - after approximately 72 hours, you will have forgotten over 80% of everything you were so excited about on the day of the workshop. This is why with our programs; we strongly encourage our participants to devise a plan of action that takes them beyond the first 72 hours after the workshop. We encourage them to write it down - and to share their plan with a partner so that they become accountable. If you want something to STICK - you need to apply the right kind of adhesive. (More on this later)

The second reason I believe anger management doesn't work is that people attach a faulty BELIEF to it. They go into the workshops expecting that anger management will fix them - they are not participating with the intention that they will create the change they desire. And even more often, they do not wish to create that change - they only want to satisfy the mandate of the courts.

I liken mandated anger management to giving a fat person a gym membership and expecting them to lose weight. Better still; imagine trying to sculpt your ab muscles into a perfect six pack in 6 hours! Everyone knows that physical fitness must be a LIFESTYLE in order for it to be effective. Body sculpting takes time, effort, and a proven system for success. It can be done, but no one in their right mind would expect that peak physical fitness or the perfectly sculpted body comes at such a low price as 6 hours. OK - back to anger management then... when you mandate someone who is habitually violent, or is a miserable drunk, or who has "anger management" problems to "take a class" - what you're really saying is - "it isn't a big deal and it's easy to fix. Just go take a class and you won't have anger issues anymore - and God knows, you shouldn't re-offend..."

What a way to set people up for failure! Is it any surprise that most of the people I see have attended at least one such "anger management" class, and they uncategorically say that it doesn't work! Now before all of you anger management counsellors pounce on me for voicing my opinions, I feel your pain. In fact, I have been working in Anger Solutions for 15 years or better, and only recently have I come to the new appreciation of this distinction. Anger Solutions is about making positive, radical, and lasting change - HOW? Through incorporating its principles into one's LIFESTYLE. Our several clients who are now living testimonials to the program's value all have this in common; and here is the big secret to why Anger Solutions will work - every time. Over time, these people acquired the skills, and then applied them until they were fully assimilated into the clients' lifestyles. This is the true adhesive. Note that they did all the work - Anger Solutions does not FIX anybody (in fact, we don't believe people are broken). All we do as facilitators is provide the knowledge, the skill-base, and the tools with which to apply those skills, and we guide our clients along their learning path until they can navigate their journeys on their own. On average, this takes about 12 to 15 weeks - NOT 6 hours.

I have always (and will continue to do so) told my clients that my goal is to "coach myself out of a job". By the end of 15 weeks of coaching, I fully expect that if the client has followed through the program and has done the work required, that s/he will be able to function independent of a coach (outside of the requisite follow ups), and I will be out looking for new work. Anger Solutions is not - and never has been - a Band Aid fix. Band Aids cover up the wound. Anger Solutions teaches people how to treat their own wounds, and to prevent further injury as they travel the road of life.

Want to know more? Visit my website at http://www.angersolution.com or call 1-866-754-6169.

Anger Solutions vs. Anger Management

Special Report:
Anger Solutions™ vs. Anger Management
By Julie Christiansen,
President, Leverage U
Anger Solutions™ Master Trainter and Author, Anger Solutions!

Just recently, I was approached by a Certified Anger Solutions™ Trainer with a valid question – one that I have fielded many times over the past few years. What is the difference between Anger Solutions™ and traditional Anger Management Programs? How do we know it works? Why would I devote my time, money, and resources to learning the Anger Solutions™ system when I am already running Anger Management programs in my agency or practice? This special report will answer all of these questions, and will give you a greater understanding of what makes Anger Solutions™ so successful.


QUESTION:
I have been asked often, “Exactly what the difference is between the Anger Solutions™ program and the traditional Anger Management programs. Obviously, I know what Anger Solutions™ is all about, but if you were asked to explain the difference, what would you say? I think people are becoming more interested, but it appears that Anger Management is still the buzz word, especially in Corrections and agencies that embrace the medical model. I need some solid facts I can use to clearly identify why Anger Solution™ is more effective in many areas and what it offers that the Anger Management programs do not. Could you help me, or provide me with some specific information?

ANSWER: There are several reasons why Anger Solutions™ is different from traditional Anger Management programs. In this report, I will cite 7 in particular that I believe are the key contributors to the program’s uniqueness, as well as its success rate overall.

1. The first and most important distinction is the terminology - as it reflects the underlying philosophy of the program. Anger Management implies that we are teaching people how to CONTROL something - and when you break that down, Anger Management programs are teaching them to control behaviour... In my mind, the inherent problem with this philosophy is that Anger Management does not go to the source or the root of those behaviours (that is, beliefs). Anger Solutions is about RESOLVING the emotion of anger, and the issues that bring it up. Because we confront the underlying beliefs that dictate people's behaviours, we actually give them the tools they need to CHANGE their old responses to new ones that are more effective. In effect, we do not need to teach them how to control their behaviour because we have taught them something much more valuable, and that is how to respond to their emotions safely and appropriately. The behavioural change comes as a result of that (of course, with some coaching from facilitators).

2. The second distinction between the Anger Solutions program and traditional AM programs is its approach. Rather than sticking to one model (usually cognitive behavioural), our program takes the best of several therapeutic models and combines/tailors them into a suit that is the best fit for our clients. We incorporate the CB approach along with Reality Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, traditional behavioural therapy when it fits, art and music therapy tools, and the psychosocial rehabilitation model for lifeskills training. Together they create something that is more powerful than using only one of these tools. You know the old saying, "if the only tool you have in your toolbox is a hammer, you tend to treat everything like a nail." So, Anger Solutions represents a complete toolkit, rather than just a hammer.

3. Definition: Something else that I think is important to note, and it doesn't get touched on so much in the program, but more in the book - is that anger is often a good thing. It is an emotion that lets us know that something is not right in our lives, and it provokes us to make a change. The problem is that we have never been taught how to deal with this emotion, so we try different responses until we find one that takes us into a more pleasurable state than the one we were in before.

4. The fourth distinction between traditional Anger Management and Anger Solutions™ is our success rate. I can cite follow ups with clients whose kids were infants when they first took the program, and are still doing well and their kids are teenagers. Of course, I have my long-term follow up with my client who had a brain injury, as well as my 2 year follow up with my coaching client (corrections) - all of which will be posted to the website if they're not already. Just ask your probation and parole people in particular, "How many of your repeat offender clients took anger management while they were incarcerated?" - then ask them "how long after being released from jail did it take for them to re-offend?" Chances are, several of the P&P clients have taken traditional anger management programs at least twice. If it works so well, then why are they re-offending - and with similar types of offences? Conversely, ask some of our agencies who have been using Anger Solutions™ as part of their core programming for close to 10 years, and they will tell you that they keep using it because it WORKS!

5. One of the keys to making this program work is the leveraging we do with clients to ensure that they are internally motivated to change their responses to anger. This helps with the attrition rate (drop outs as the program progresses), and again creates a stronger sense of buy-in, which in turn results in greater success.

6. I think another difference is focus. In the Anger Solutions™ groups, there is no time built in for people to talk about "the things that MAKE them angry" - because in the end, it really doesn't matter. Indeed, one of the first things we teach them is that people and things don't MAKE us angry. (If that's the case, then we are puppets, completely at the mercy of external stimuli). Rather, we have anger inside us, and certain things evoke that response. It is a different way of thinking about anger.

7. Lastly, the forgiveness component as many of our Certified Counsellors and Trainers can testify to, is a powerful piece that helps people to let go of whatever hurts they brought with them to the group, and they can move on from there. Once people learn to truly forgive, then the anger of past hurts dissipates and no longer comes back to affect today's choices. This one component alone has a major contributing factor to the overall long-term success of our Anger Solutions™ participants.

There you have it – 7 distinctions between traditional Anger Management programs and the Anger Solutions™ model. For more information about Anger Solutions™, please visit our website, www.angersolution.com or contact Julie Christiansen at 905-329-6169.