It is important to identify that anger is a feeling that all human beings feel. It should not be used towards labeling groups of people for their behavior i.e. those who are “violent” or “resistant.” It should be clearly acknowledged as a “normal” feeling in session and having the clinician identify their own triggers to anger can help balance the playing field. For instance, I ran many anger management groups, and if I just sat there and said I never got mad and I was always feeling happy, that would be completely ingenuine and counterproductive to treatment. The clients I had were adolescents who engaged in physical and verbal altercations on a regular basis, and even with staff and peers in group. As group leader, I defined what is anger, what are triggers to anger, feelings that are mistaken as anger, but are really something else. I did everything in a very psycheducational way with a lot of my own feelings and energy. I created diagrams, scenarios, and role plays around their real life experiences and I shared mine is well. Everything shared is censored and shared for the sole BENEFIT OF THE CLIENT.
As clinicians, we feel anger because we are human beings just like our clients, difference is that we cope in positive ways, therefore we need to teach, empower them, give them reasons for why they should MAKE THE CHOICE to engage in more positive behaviors. In group, we listed out the pros and cons of their different choices and that was pretty self explanatory. I would tell them that I could have made the choice to do x, y, and z, but then these would be the consequences so I chose to make the right decision. Guide them, let them know you are just a person,and release the power dynamic, give them the power and the freedom of choice.
When the adolescents I worked with actually demonstrated their anger in group, it was a key time to identify what they were really feeling, thinking, and what triggered them. We had such great groups where many children learned to better identify their feelings and wanted to change, but their ENVIRONMENT kept getting in the way. For instance, one client was stuck in a gang for years, her life engrained in violence. When you are so used to coping in one way, it is difficult to change and it takes time and practice of concepts learned. It is the responsibility of the clinician to aid in this healing process, to create a holding environment that is safe, but also a REAL environment.
As clinicians, our fears may hinder us from growth as a person and growth within our interpersonal relationship with our client. Over years, the field has grown and is changing into a dual relationship between two human beings.
There is socially constructed ways of how one is SUPPOSE to act with a client and letting the power overpower the session and labeling contributing to not being able to connect to another human and their strengths, weaknesses, wants, needs, desires as people and humans. Freud, such an amazing man, but had such restrictions on what therapy should be, what a clinician should feel. If we are engaging in counter transference, who says that is a bad thing? And how can we use this to benefit our DUAL RELATIONSHIP with the client.
Be real and show them that you experience these feelings, but you handle them in a positive way resulting in a job, education, accomplishments, more opportunity etc. for an adolescent population and adults either way.
Use your fears to drive success within the dual relationship rather than having it hinder the relationship and growth.
Copyright:
Priscilla C. Raj
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