anger management (cognitive behavioural treatment) Flashcards
what is the aim of CBT
to look at irrational and faulty thinking patterns, emotional and behavioural, and challenge them
what is anger
it is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for aggression and violent-crime
why is anger such an issue in the prison population
- anger is such a strong predictor of aggression (not all the time)
- anger linked with how well people get along in a prison (prison adjustment)
what do anger management programmes assume
- that anger is the primary cause of violent behaviour and once criminals can learn to control this anger bad behaviour in prison will decrease
- that control of this anger will reduce recidivism rates
what is recidivism
likeliness to reoffend after a sanction or intervention (prison or fine)
what problems has CBT shown to be affective for
-depression
-anxiety disorders
-alcohol and drug abuse
-marital problems
-eating disorders
-anger
what are the 3 core areas of CBT
- relaxation techniques:
to slow down heart rate due to anger - cognitive restructuring:
retrain thought patterns to more desirable thought patterns - assertiveness training:
deal with the behavioural element of anger
what are the aims of the National Anger Management Package
- to increase their awareness of the process by which they become angry
- to raise their awareness of the need to monitor their behaviour
- to educate them in the benefits of controlling their anger
- to improve techniques on anger management
- to allow them to practice anger management during role plays
how are the aims of anger management programmes met
- over 8 2 hour sessions
- the first 7 of these being over a 2-3 week period and then the final session a month afterwards
what is the main anger management course used in prisons
- Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it (CALM)
how is CALM conducted
- consists of 24 2 hour sessions
- the members learn to how to reduce the frequency, intensity, and duration of anger so that aggression become a lower likelihood
- the sessions occur on a regular and frequent basis
what is the ‘syllabus’ of CALM
- well-structured and allows members to progress step-by-step
- includes personal assignments, role-modelling, teamwork and self and peer evaluation
who is CALM particularly catered towards
- adolescent and young adult males who are prone to violence although it isn’t confined only to males
how many stages are there for CALM
6
what is the first stage of CALM
- motivating change in patients
what is the second stage of CALM
- learn the biological explanations of anger and the physiological process of anger to create a better understanding
what is the third stage of CALM
- patients thoughts that may be contributing to their anger
what is the fourth stage of CALM
- learn skills to aid in controlling anger e.g. breathing techniques
what is the fifth stage of CALM
- practice applying the skills learnt into scenarios that may make the patient angry
what is the sixth stage of CALM
- prevention methods to keep them out of situations most likely to make them angry
what is the hot cross bun formation
- its a simple formulation that is used in CBT to develop self awareness of how our thoughts, emotions, physical state and behaviour all influence each other
what does anger management tend to focus on
- triggers of an aggressive outburst and how that can be changed
- addressing abnormal thinking patterns that affect these outbursts
how many steps are there to anger management programmes
3
what is the first stage for AM programmes
- cognitive preparation
involves the offender reflecting on their past triggers and if they could have reacted differently this may be done by anger diaries
what is the second stage of AM programmes
- skill acquisition
involves offenders being taught a range of behavioural techniques to help them cope in provoking situations e.g. counting to ten
this promotes calmness rather than aggression
what is the third stage of AM programmes
- application and practice
involves the therapist devising situations e.g. reconstructing events that have triggered the offender in the past, so the offender can demonstrate the skills learnt
what did ireland (2000) find
- those who completed CALM (50) reported to be less angry than controls (37), 92% in experimental condition showed improvement in anger
what did hunter (1993) find
- found the treatment group showed significant change compared to controls especially in areas such as, depression and interpersonal problems
what did Escamilla (1998) find
- 25% of 16 offenders were not reconvicted in the first year after completing group intervention, however 50% did get reconvicted although this wasn’t for aggressive crimes
what is Dobash (2000) find
- two thirds out of 122 men stopped using violence after 1 year of court mandated programmes
what is the cost of CALM, is it available on the NHS
- £100 per CALM session
- £85 for other programmes
- it is available on the NHS however only occurs in small groups
does CBT address the root cause of just mask symptoms
- addresses the root cause as it focuses on the triggers and how to control them
- unlike hormone therapy
what percentage of people drop out of AM due to the time it takes
30%
