At Leverage U, Transformational Education is our passion: Creating radical, positive, lasting change. Find out how we do this in this informative presentation.

1. Transform[ED]:
Transformational
Education
An Overview
By Julie Christiansen,
Author of Anger Solutions™ and
When the Last Straw Falls
www.angersolution.com

2. Meet Jeff Anger
 25 years old  Recent charges
 Habitual violence stemming from domestic
incident prior to
 Domestic aggression
separation
(verbal and physical)
 Chronic contact with the
 Addiction issues (drugs
law since age 14
and alcohol)
 Fresh out of detox
 Separated from wife of
less than 2 years  Unemployed
 Estranged from son from  Homeless (couch surfing)
a previous relationship
*This IS his real name; we have his written permission to use his story… in fact,
he begged me to use his real name.

3. How did we get from there…
to here?
 Alcohol and drug free for close to 3 years*
 Steadily employed
 Free of criminal justice system for the first time
since age 14
 Fully reconciled with wife – now 2 children, and
attempting to re-establish connection with his
estranged son
 No physical violence in the home (or outside)
since program exit (3.5 years as of June 2008)

4. A Brief History of “Anger
Management”
 Term coined in 1975 by Raymond Novaco
 Popularized by the media and with
psychologists in the mid ’90s
 Anger Management treatments are not
regulated and are diverse in range and
approach; methodologies differ as well
 Despite all of this, Anger Management is
generally accepted as a valid, useful form
of treatment for anger.

5. What is Anger and Should it be
“Managed”?
 Anger is an emotion – one of the basic
emotions experienced by humankind
 The American Heritage® Dictionary:
anger(n.) A strong feeling of displeasure
or hostility.anger(v.)
 Dictionary.com: manage (v) to take charge
or care of (things/systems); to dominate or
manipulate (persons); to handle or train
(animals); be in charge (in business)

6. Management is for Systems – Not
People
 Happiness is not managed – it is…
 Grief is not managed – it is…
Expressed!
Anger can be expressed; but we need the
skills and the tools so that we can express
it effectively, safely, and appropriately.

7. Anger Solutions™
 Is about Anger Resolution – not Anger
Management
 Draws from the most successful evidence-
based practices for anger management:
– Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
– Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
– Solution-Focused Therapy (aka Brief
Therapy)
– Reality Therapy

8. Anger Solutions™ Philosophy
 Keep it simple
 Combine the best of evidence-based
practices and therapeutic approaches
 The WIT Model (whatever it takes)
– CBT – mean attendance 63%
– Average success rate for those who
complete: 70%
 More on these numbers later

9. Anger Solutions™ Approach
 Simple and easy to understand
 Presented in a way that enables clients to
assimilate their new skills
 Hands-on vs. theoretical
 Flexible to meet diverse client needs
 Deliverable in 1- hour format for weekly
sessions

10. Anger Solutions™ Expectations
 Significant increase in self-esteem
 Decrease or discontinuation of use of
drugs or alcohol as self-medication
 Self-reported improvement in overall
quality of life of participants
 Improvement in quality of mental health
 Significant decrease in physical ailments
and physiological effects of stress

11. Jeff Transform[ed]

12. Meet Sandra*
 36 years old with two teenaged children (15 and 17)
 Married and divorced twice, and approximately 6 months into a new
relationship
 Sandra says she has a temper and mostly takes it out on her
children; however, she recognizes that her patterns are maladaptive
and wants to change.
 GOAL: Change behaviour so that she can relate better to her
children, and be able to have a lasting, loving relationship
 Peak physical condition, but has several stress-related health
problems: nosebleeds, abdominal problems, headaches, and
nausea. Unaware of the link between stress and her poor health.
 On a scale of 1 – 10 Sandra rates her anger on any given day at
about a 6 or 7.
 She scores over 700 on the Holmes Life Change Units assessment
(anything over 300 is cause for concern).
 *Not her real name… but her story is very real

13. Sandra Transform[ed]
 Accomplishments and Shifts
– Huge understanding of how and why anger develops
– Understanding others’ anger and frustration
– Learning how to diffuse my anger (and others)
– Applying learned skills – communication
– Overcoming some fear of speaking opinion because I learned how to
handle negative responses without getting angry
 Skills Learned
– Learned how to evaluate my emotions/development
– Learned to pay attention to others body language and style
– Still learning listening skills, but much better
– I have learned so much about human action/reaction, control, tactics,
communication styles
 Distinctions Understood
– Difference between emotions – anger vs. frustration, disappointment,
vs. Sadness, differences between aggressiveness and assertiveness
– Understanding physical ramifications of unresolved emotions

14. *Doing her next Iron Man in 36
Days

15. Sandra Transform[ed]

“As you can see, I am not a
small person and I just lost
20lbs in December when I was
sick. I used to weigh over
200lb and smoked like a
chimney believe it or not! Quit
when I was 25 yrs old. Did my
first Iron Man 6 years later in
2001!”
 “I believe we can do anything
we put our minds to! Including
changing the way we behave,
as you taught me. You
changed my life Julie!”

16. A Taste of Transform[ED]
concepts

17. What is Stress?
 Richard S Lazarus: Stress
is a condition or feeling
experienced when a
person perceives that
“demands exceed the
personal and social
resources the individual
is able to mobilize.”

18. The Physiology of Stress…
 Fight or Flight
 Increased heart rate
 Blood is diverted away from extremities
 Blood thickens
 Body becomes sweaty (to cool skin & muscles)
 Excretory system shuts down
 Hormones work to make body produce blood
sugar
 Oxygen is diverted to heart, lungs & muscles

19. Stress Less Strategy
Take Response-Ability
E+R=O
Event + Response = Outcome
 It isn’t what happens to you, but what you DO
about what happens that determines the
outcomes in your life!
 Transform[ED] is about CHOICE
 Choosing to RESPOND rather than to REACT
 Choosing your outcomes rather than allowing
them to be imposed on you

20. What are You
Tolerating/Procrastinating?
 Think about it!
– Write it down
 Talk about it!
– How to make this
negative energy
positive…

21. Getting Past the Past
My story
Your story
The process

22. Transform[ED] is…
 Transformational education
 Making decisions about your life and
choosing carefully the outcomes you want
 Trusting yourself and others
 Learning to accept, forgive, and change
 A lifestyle choice – not a quick fix

23. Transform[ED] in Your Community
 Corporate Programs  Community Programs
– Stress Busters – Anger Solutions™
– Overcoming Conflict, Programs and
Negativity, and Anger Resources
in the Workplace – Anger Solutions™ for
– 90 Day Challenge Kids – NEW
– Workplace Survivor – Anger Solutions™ for
Youth at Risk – NEW

24. Resources
 Anger Solutions
 Anger Solutions at Work
 Anger Solutions by the Book
 When the Last Straw Falls
 Getting Past Your Past
 Top Ten Lists to Live By
 Bullying is Not a Game
 Overcoming Anger Conflict
and Negativity at Work
Available at: www.angersolution.com

25. Let the Transformation Begin!
 For questions you may
have after today, please
e-mail me at:
 info@angersolution.com
 Visit my blog:
 http://angersolution.blogspot.com