Eagle Ranch Academy Teaches Anger Management in Support Groups - By: Mel Joelle

Kids who turn to negative strategies for coping with their problems first usually begin with being angry or they develop a strong sense of anger and injustice as their circumstance goes on. At Eagle Ranch Academy, we understand this dynamic and its devastating impact on a troubled teen’s behavior and life.

We are a licensed residential treatment program for 11-17 year olds in Utah, and though we have been recognized for the uniquely comprehensive nature of our program, we know the importance of addressing the anger many teens feel about their lives and towards their circumstances. We provide help to gifted students who have turned to substance abuse, alcohol abuse, developed eating disorders, ran away from home, or become violent, sullen or distant, in response to a family situation such as divorce, or a frustrating medical diagnosis such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD and ADD), or clinical depression. Many of these teens feel alone. Their world-view is often a negative one based on distrust of others, instability or a feeling of being powerless to effect change in their lives.

Here at Eagle Ranch Academy, we work with them in groups of only twelve students, and provide them with all the clinical support they need to get back to a healthy sense of self and a feeling of having control over their lives. Teens are at a critical stage in their lives even if they have no home or health issues to contend with. Their care requires a range of specialists who are equipped to address teen-specific needs.

At Eagle Ranch Academy, our small groups of 12 are run by a professional instructors as well as by an embedded therapist. Throughout the day, the group will have tasks together, including fitness, nutritional, therapy and chores to be performed on the ranch. With our Value Based program, we teach them that rewards are earned; so they have to complete their chores to get things they desire. The work allows our embedded therapist ferret out lingering issues by witnessing how the kids relate to each other, and their relationship to work and life. As issues crop up in the day, our therapists are able to provide on the spot counseling, to the group or to a single teen, to help them manage the issues related to their anger. In fact, a child might have a 1 on 1 counseling session without even knowing it, as well as the benefit of learning vicariously through the instructor’s interaction with others. Thus, every action they complete is designed using the most current knowledge about Behavior Modification techniques.

In addition to embedded therapists who are with their dedicated group 40 hours a week, we also provide teens with “official” group therapy sessions. This gives them the chance to feel a sense of camaraderie and to air out their issues in a safe place where they know other teens relate to them. This helps with the sense of isolation most angry, troubled teens face, because it lets them know they are not alone. It also gives Eagle Ranch Academy the chance to observe how different they present their issues when they know they are in a therapy session, which we later use to teach them self-introspection.

The rewards based system, (along with many other programs we employ in conjunction) give teens a sense of purpose and a sense of satisfaction when they’ve been completed—especially if a chore was followed by a specific, desired reward. This helps teens with anger management because it shows them that their actions affect the outcome.

We have also clinical psychologists, behavioral psychologists, psychiatrists, weekend therapists, medical doctors on call 24 hours a day, and above all, a caring environment full of many other professionals (such as nurses, case workers, academic instructors, etc), to teach your teen anger management strategies in a group setting. Give us a call to see how we can help.

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