The Evaluation
An anger management evaluation assesses a client’s strengths and weaknesses in the following areas:
- Anger and impulse control
- Overall level of aggression towards others
- Stress management skills
- Capacity to acknowledge the effects of anger on others
- Ability to communicate feelings and needs clearly
- Anger expression
- Capacity for change for motivation to improve
The anger management evaluation may also include a substance abuse evaluation if alcohol or drugs were involved in the incident. Each evaluation concludes with the counselor’s impression of the particular incident(s) that brought the client here, as well as impressions about the client’s overall ability to manage anger. Based on the evaluation of the client’s individual situation, a number of recommendations may be appropriate.
The Maryland anger management class curriculum includes teaching skills in:
- Assertive and Effective Communication
- Stress Management
- Impulse Control
- Empathy and Emotional Awareness
- Anger Control Techniques
- Expectation Management
- Improving Judgment
- Conflict Resolution
- Relaxation Interventions which target emotional and physiological components of anger
We have found that a time-limited cognitive behavioral approach has been very effective for anger management.