Creative Counseling for Children: Attacking Anger

Many children who enter therapy have a goal of getting anger under control. Here are some creative techniques to engage children while they learn strategies to get their anger under control.

THE ANGER SANDWICH

The anger standwich teaches different coping skills that the child can use when they are angry to help them calm down. Assist the child in coming up with their own unique coping skills to add to their own personal sandwich.

OVERFLOWING EMOTIONS

The overflowing cup is a great visualization to help show the child that their anger can be a result of multiple situations in their day. It also shows them that they should implement a coping skill before their anger "overflows".

Example: Beginning with an empty glass.

Angry Situation 1:You wake up and your litter sister drank the last of the milk, so you don't get cereal for breakfast. You get a little angry. (Then pour a small amount of water in the glass).

Angry Situation 2: You get on the bus, and the driver thinks you were yelling when you weren't. You get a little angrier. (Pour a small amount of water in the glass).

Angry Situation 3: You get to class and you realize that your Math homework is in your notebook at home. You get angrier. (Pour in more water).

Angry Situation 4: None of your friends want to play with you at recess. You get really angry. (Pour in a lot of water)

*At this point I show the child that their anger is almost to the top and ready to spill over if something else angers them. This is when they should begin make sure to use coping skills to help calm down.

THE ANGER GAME

The Anger Solution Game helps children learn to control their behavior responses to anger. As players make their way around the board, they are faced with a series of decisions and learn to choose the success route over the victim cycle. The anger solution game is a unique therapeutic tool. The game includes a game board, 100 tokens, 1 solution spinner, 1 6-sided die, 24 empowerment cards, 58 question cards, and 40 solution cards. This game is available HERE for $54.99.

Creative Counseling for Children: Managing Grief and Loss

THE FEEL BETTER BAG

The following is a video by Liana Lowenstein. In this video, she describes how a "Feel Better Bag" can help to teach children coping skills to aid in the grieving process. This also can be very helpful for children who have suffered from abuse or trauma. 

THE FAMILY TREE

Making a family tree with child clients can be very helpful. The child creates leaves with the names of their family members. On the branches of the tree, the child will add the names of family members/close friends who are current living, or still part of their lives. The fallen leaves represent members of the family who have passed on, or who have left the family due to divorce. This may include any pets that may have passed on.
Tip: Have the client choose a color that represents how they feel toward that member of the family. For example: Red leaves may represent anger, green for jealousy, and so on.

TRACE YOUR FEELINGS

This activity can help the child to connect where they feel different emotions in their bodies. Have the child lie down on a large peace of paper and trace the child. Have the child choose a color to identify each emotion they have been feeling (Sadness, Anger, Happiness...). Have the child identify where in their body they feel each emotion.
Tip: If the child feels most of the emotions in their "head", you could connect this to CBT/REBT techniques.

Creative Counseling with Children and Families

CREATIVE  COUNSELING

This video shares some of the many ways creative counseling has helped bring families closer together, as well as helping children to connect with their emotions. Please enjoy!