Semi-System Design

Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Anger Management Program
Vista at Dimple Dell
Chloe Hudgins
Meggan Wilson
University of Utah
Semi-System Draft: Anger Management Program

VISTA at Dimple Dell

PROGRAM: ODD/Anger Management

Purpose: To develop coping strategies for emotional expression, in

managing anger that fosters social skills, constructive communication,
demonstration of adherence to rules, and positive peer relations.

Terminal Program Objective 1: Demonstrate the value of adherence

to rules as a coping strategy

Enabling Objective Performance Measure

EO1. To demonstrate knowledge of,
and adherence to rules using group
process.
EO2. To demonstrate understanding
of adherence to rules as a coping
strategy.
PM1. Upon request of therapist, client
will recite the group rules.
PM1. Upon request by the therapist,
client will verbally identify 3 benefits of
following instructions and discuss how
rule compliance can increase social
engagement and decrease frustration
that leads to anger outbursts.

Terminal Program Objective 2: Demonstrate ability to communicate

constructively (building on social skills).

Enabling Objective Performance Measure

EO1. To demonstrate ability to
express self through verbal and
nonverbal communication.
PM1. Upon request, in group, client will
be able to verbally identify to the
therapist (1) verbal and (2) non-verbal
way in which he/she is able to
communicate feelings using I statement.

EO2: To demonstrate communication PM1. Upon observation by the therapist,

as a key aspect to healthy
interpersonal relationships.
client will interact with peers by:
Addressing at least (2) peers by
name.
Providing verbal and/or
nonverbal encouragement for at
least (2) peers.
Sharing at least (1) idea to aid in
group, family, or pair problem
solving.
Using an appropriate voice
volume for the setting.

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IMPLEMENTATION DESCRIPTION

Population:
This program is designed for adolescents, ages 12 - 17, with conduct disorder and
other co-occurring mental health disorders. There can be 6 -12 participants.

Program Length and Duration:

This program is designed with 6 sessions lasting 50 minutes each.

Program Context:
This program is designed for a residential treatment facility for adolescents with
behavioral health concerns.

Staff:
A Utah licensed TRS/MTRS, and/or a nationally CTRS should facilitate each session.
The facilitys staff to patient ratio of 2:6 should always be maintained. Staff should
have sufficient knowledge in behavioral-management techniques for adolescents
with conduct disorder.

Facility:
Most sessions take place in a large quiet room that is big enough to accommodate
the intervention and size of group.

Equipment:
Equipment is based on the specific intervention and will vary session to session.
Session 3:
o Group Rules
o 12x16 tarp (up to 8 participants per tarp); supply accordingly
o Challenge rules (see packet)
o Tarp Activity Challenges (see packet)
o Individual Assignment Cards for weekly journaling (see packet)
o TARP sign to add to group rules (see packet)
o Blindfolds
o Dry Erase Marker
o Masking Tape

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Semi-System Draft: Anger Management Program
Content and Process Description
TPO No.: 1 Demonstrate adherence to rules
EO No.: 1 To demonstrate knowledge of, and adherence to rules using group
process.
Content
1. Review group rules:
Confidentiality: what happens
in group, stays in group.
Respect everyone.
Listen.
Stay on task.
Safety: emotional and physical
Implement using 3-breaths
when necessary
2. Review positive peer interactions
guidelines clients used during the
week to help preface the challenge
activity and aid in later discussion.
Communicate using I feel
statements.
Use eye contact
Neutral/non-confrontational
tone of voice and body language
Be clear about what you want
Be non-judgmental
Active listening
Ask appropriate questions.
Process
Open group with Group Rules:
Welcome to this weeks group. We have a
fun challenge task that we are going to
complete today that will implement some
of the coping skills we have been learning
about. Before we get started, lets have a
review of our group rules. Carter, you
volunteered last week to recite our rules
this week. I know youve been working
hard to prepare for this, so well turn the
time over to you! Awesome job, Carter!
Thank you! Do any members of our group
have concerns with being able to respect
the rules today?
Also, each of you is aware of your own
individual goal that youre working toward
today. Id like to invite each of you to take
personal responsibility for that goal and
focus on achieving that during group
today.
Invite clients to share a positive peer
interaction guideline that he/she
implemented during the week:
Last week we created some guidelines for
positive peer interactions. Who wants to
start by telling us one interaction he/she
used during the week that proved to be a
helpful coping mechanism? Great, thank
you. Would you like to go to the right or
left of you to continue sharing?
Allow the each client to have an
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opportunity to share.
I am so glad to see various ways in which
you used these guidelines this week.
Thank you for sharing.

Review any additional guidelines that

werent already given as examples.

What are some additional guidelines we

talked about last week that havent been
mentioned today? Good. Understanding
different ways in which we can positively
interact with others and practicing those
methods is part of the coping strategy
process. Continue to explore the different
ways you can interact with others and
even challenge yourself to choose
something that may be a little bit out of
our normal comfort zone. The more you
practice the more natural it becomes and
the easier it is to use in challenging
situations.

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Semi-System Draft: Anger Management Program
Content and Process Description
TPO No.: 1 Demonstrate adherence to rules
EO No.: 2 To demonstrate understanding of adherence to rules as a coping
strategy.
Content
1. Identifying ways in which compliance
to rules helps increase social
engagement:
Establishes trust; with yourself
and others
Empowers you and others
Provides you with a sense of
accomplishment
Makes you more approachable
Improves your perception of self.
Allows you to contribute to
society in a positive way.
2. Challenge Rules:
You CANNOT step off the tarp
once the task has begun.
You CANNOT ask clarifying
questions once the task has
begun.
You MUST follow the directions
for each specific task. Listening is
imperative.
3. Review why these rules are
imperative to the goal of the group
Process
Ask processing question about how
adherence to rules constitutes as a
coping strategy.
Lets review...what does it mean to be
compliant to rules? How does this affect
your social interactions? Why is positive
social engagement important? And why is
compliance important personally?
Introduce Challenge Tarp
Today we are going to engage in a group
challenge. It will require you to implement
the skills weve been talking about in an
effort to work well with others to
successfully complete a task. Be mindful
that it might bring up some of your
triggers. Remember to use your skills to
cope with those and express your feelings
constructively.
There are three rules to the challenge:
1. You CANNOT step off the tarp once the
task has begun
2. You CANNOT ask clarifying questions
once the task has begun.
3. You MUST follow the directions for
each specific task. Listening is imperative.
I will read the task directions out loud
twice. Your team will then be allowed to
ask clarifying questions. Once the
challenge task begins, you will not be
allowed to ask any more questions. I can
however reread the directions during the
task if needed. When we established our
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group rules we did it so that we would

better support our group in being
successful. These few rules will also help
your team have the most success with each
task. Does everyone understand the rules?
Does everyone agree to follow the rules?

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Content and Process Description
TPO No.: 2 Demonstrate ability to communicate constructively (building on
social skills).
EO No.: 2 To demonstrate communication as a key aspect to healthy
interpersonal relationships.
Content
1. Challenge Task #1
Fold the tarp in half, then into
quarters, then into eighths with
all members on the tarp.
Process
Lets get started!!
Read Challenge Task #1
1. Your first challenge is to fold the
tarp in half, then into quarters,
then into eighths with all members
on the tarp.
Any questions about your task?
Answer any questions the group might
have.
Remember once the task has begun your
team can no longer ask clarifying
questions, but we can repeat the task
instructions. With that said, everyone
ready? Great! Begin your task!
Allow the group to work on the task,
taking as much time as need to complete
the task.
Once Challenge Task #1 has been
completed, move on to 2, 3, etc., as time
permits.
Group has roughly 20-minutes to work
through challenge task(s). Be mindful of
the time and allow for at least 20 minutes
for processing and closing group. See page
11 to advance to processing and group
closure.
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Content and Process Description

TPO No.: 2 Demonstrate ability to communicate constructively (building on

social skills).

EO No.: 1 To demonstrate ability to express self through verbal and nonverbal

communication.
EO No.: 2 To demonstrate communication as a key aspect to healthy
interpersonal relationships.

Content Process

1. Challenge Task #2 Read Challenge Task #2

Rotate the tarp 360 degrees.
(**silent challenge task**)
Your next challenge is a silent challenge,
meaning you CANNOT communicate
verbally with your teammates while
completing this task. For this task you
must rotate the tarp 360 degrees.

Answer any questions the group might

have.
Any questions about your task?

No more questions? Great! Ready. Set.

Go.

Once again, allow the group to work on

the task, taking as much time as needed
to complete the task.

*Remember to be mindful of the time.

Leave at least 20 minutes for processing
and group closure. See page 11 to advance
to processing and group closure.

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Content and Process Description

TPO No.: 2 Demonstrate ability to communicate constructively (building on

social skills).

EO No.: 2 To demonstrate communication as a key aspect to healthy

interpersonal relationships.

Content Process

1. Challenge Task #3 Read Challenge Task #3

Make the tarp into the number Your third challenge is to rotate the tarp
2 360 degrees. There is a twist to this
(**blindfold 4 of the participants**) challenge...4 of you will be wearing
blindfolds. Two of you will not.
2. Challenge Task #4
Team Choice: Make the tarp into Pass out blindfolds to Carter, Chelsea,
a circle, triangle, pentagon, or an Brooke, and Kayla. Hayley & Beka do not
octagon. get blindfolds.

3. Challenge Task #5 Answer any questions the group might

Cover the tarp, so that none of it have.
is showing. Any questions about your task?

4. If needed, see packet for an entire list No more questions? Great! Begin your
of challenges. task!

Once again, allow the group to work on

the task, taking as much time as needed
to complete the task.

If time permits, repeat the above for

tasks 4 & 5.

**Remember to be mindful of time. Allow

at least 20 minutes of class time for
processing and class closure. See page 11
to advance to processing and group
closure

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Semi-System Draft: Anger Management Program

Content and Process Description

TPO No.: 2 Demonstrate ability to communicate constructively (building on

social skills).

EO No.: 1 To demonstrate ability to express self through verbal and nonverbal

communication.
EO No.: 2 To demonstrate communication as a key aspect to healthy
interpersonal relationships.

Content Process

1. Invite the group to fold up the tarp 1. Great work everyone!! Will you please
and form a seated circle. fold up the tarp and then will find a seat
on the floor and form a circle? Thank
you.

2. Begin processing, by asking questions 2. What was the #1 rule to the

about the activity.
Key Points:
Rules support peer
relations
The use of verbal and
non-verbal
communication
Using peers names
supports efforts
Roles
3. Be mindful that each client has had
an opportunity to achieve their goal for
this session.
challenge? Did the simplicity of rules
make this more or less challenging?
How did you show up as a team member
in this challenge?
What skills were necessary to be
successful and how do those show up in
real life situations? What other instances
do you have to work with others?
What would have happened or did
happen if/when so-and-so had not
participated?
In the second challenge the team wasnt
allowed to communicate verbally, how
did that change the approach you took to
solving the task as a team? What were
some ways in which your teammates
communicated that were
helpful/unhelpful? What qualities had to
exist in your team dynamic in order for
you to be successful communicating non-
verbally?

In the third challenge some of you were

blindfolded, how did that go? So-and-so,

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what was it like to hear your name

during task, how did that affect you?
What other elements existed between
you and so-and-so when he/she used
your name?

What are you learning about building

relationships?
How did the challenge rules support
you as a team? What would have
happened if someone had decided to not
follow the rules? What if you had
collectively decided to not follow the
rules...would the tasks have been as
much fun? Would it change your sense of
accomplishment?

Be sure to help them connect that when

there was a unified effort in keeping the
rules, they succeeded and were able to
find ways to complete the task.

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Content and Process Description

TPO No.:

EO No.: 2

Content Process

1. As the concluding activity, create a 1. We are going to create a new group

new group rule based of the acronym
T.A.R.P.
Ideas:
T: together, teamwork,
A: acceptance, act, abide, adhere
R: respect, rules, regulate
P: peers, positive, practice, proud
rule before we go tonight. Our group
rule will be the acronym, TARP. Lets take
a few minutes to brainstorm some words
that start with the letters, T, A, R, and P
that relate to tonights group.

2. Assign homework in preparation for

next week. 2. Before we go, we do have a
Handout homework slips. homework assignment for you to
complete during the week.

Hand out homework slips.

Please find time during the week to

journal about the following questions:
What was your individual role in todays
activities? Did you feel empowered or
hindered by the role you assumed? Also,
would you choose to show up differently
if give the chance to do this activity
again? If so, how would that look?

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Sequence Sheet

TP EO Description Sessio Time

O n No. (Min)

1 1 -Open Group with group rules. 3 8

-Briefly review positive peer interaction
guidelines
-Review previous weeks homework
assignment; have each client identify one
way in which they incorporated a positive
peer interaction guideline.

1 2 -Ask processing question about how 3 5

adherence to rules constitutes as a coping
strategy
-Introduce activity and rules of Challenge
Tarp

2 2 -Read directions to Task #1 of Challenge 3 20

Tarp
-Allow clients to complete the task using
their skills.

2 1&2 - Read directions to Task #2 3

2 2 -Read directions to Task #3,4, 5 (depending

on time allowance.) 3

2 1&2 -Process the challenge tasks/building 3 10

positive social relations/etc

1 1 -Create new group rule based on todays 3 10

activity

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