“Why Can’t We All Just Get Along and Be Nice?”

Anger Management In-Service Training Offered for 2018

Lori Gallimore, Extension Specialist

“Why can’t we all just get along and be nice?” – If I had a dollar for every time I said that … well … I wouldn’t be writing this article☺. I would be a “gazillionaire” sitting on a tropical beach somewhere. But this is not how the “real world” works. It has happened to us all – someone gets angry. You get angry! I get angry! We get angry because we are tired or frustrated or overwhelmed. We get angry because someone is driving too slow or riding our bumper. We get angry over unfairness, injustice, and that life – despite our best laid plans — just doesn’t go according to those plans.

You know what?! It’s okay! Anger is a natural, constructive, human emotion … and yet one … that if not managed correctly can cause irreparable harm and injury.

Now, like most of you, I wear many hats in my job. One of those “hats” is as a member of the FCS Human Development Leadership Team. One of the great things about working with this team is that I have the opportunity to participate in potential new training series for 4-H and FCS agents at various times throughout the year – you know, I get to “scope them out” to see if this something that might be beneficial for us all. One such series – RELAX: Alternatives to Anger — was presented earlier this fall by Mississippi State University and Michigan State University and is now being offered by the University of Tennessee Family and Consumer Sciences Department. I attended the training and learned a lot – about others, as well as myself. This training offers interactive, hands-on tools that work well for both youth and adults. If you are looking for another in-service training opportunity for 2018 and one that will super helpful in your work with youth audiences, I highly recommend the following:

RELAX: Alternatives to Anger series actively engages adult learners in a group setting to increase knowledge and skills around anger managements and give them constructive ways to deal with anger. Aspects of promoting social emotional health are woven throughout the training and include expressing emotions, navigating stress, resolving interpersonal conflict, taking another’s perspective, feeling capable and whole and building skills for forming and maintaining satisfying, healthy and supportive relationships.

Short-term goals:

To increase participants’ knowledge about anger management.
To assist participants in improving their attitudes around anger management.
To assist participants in making positive behavioral changes.

Long-term goals:

To increase participants’ anger control levels.
To decrease participants’ family conflict levels.
To decrease participants’ anger level.
To decrease participants’ violence levels.

These trainings will be offered across the state in 2018. Each session will be taught by Dr. Heather Wallace and a member of the Human Development Leadership team. If you would like to register, please click on the appropriate link below:

ER – April 13, 2018 with Elizabeth Renfro — RELAX anger management (EASTERN REGION)
CR– April 11, 2018 with Mary Beth Henley — RELAX anger management (CENTRAL REGION)
WR – April 10, 2018 with Katie Dees — RELAX anger management (WESTERN RE- GION)

If you have any questions about the in-service training topic, please contact Heather Wallace.