3 arrested after Central Lafourche bomb scare
December 1, 2015
Ruth Cross
December 2, 2015
Those who find themselves apologizing to loved ones for their angry outbursts can find help at Bayou Council Behavioral Health Services Inc.
The council is offering an anger management class called “Fireworks” in December. The class will be split into three sessions over three weeks.
Jackie Myers, executive director at Bayou Council, said the program helps attendees control anger issues by making them familiar with their trigger points and strategies to deal with stress.
“We address conflict management, understanding anger, stress, building trust, and those kind of issues,” she said.
A trained instructor is contract-
ed to teach the class, which also helps students learn how alcohol and substance abuse play a role in anger issues. According to Myers, the class is usually taught monthly, except for the month of June, when the council shuts down to audit its services and data. She said that anger management assistance has been available for more than eight years.
Myers sees the biggest challenges among those haven’t accepted responsibility for their own issues.
“I think the biggest challenge is someone who is coming to the class that’s coming with the thought process of ‘It’s somebody else’s fault. If they wouldn’t have made me angry, then I wouldn’t have gotten in trouble,”‘ she said. “Part of the class is also once you recognize your anger and then taking responsibility for it.”
Another hurdle is getting those who do not feel like attending to buy-in. According to Myers, participants in these classes are both voluntary and court-ordered. She stressed that “Fireworks” is not meant for domestic violence offenders.
“The most important thing is that our program is not intended for domestic violence cases. I think they need more than what this offers. This is more of a class where you might have gotten in a little scuffle. But if it’s domestic violence cases, we don’t take them, and they’re not referred to us,” the director said.
According to Myers, the class does not keep track of its students after they complete the course to measure progress. The only stat she could cite was recidivism rate, as nobody has returned to take the class again. However, she admitted that recidivism was not a clear indicator.
“It doesn’t mean they haven’t gotten in trouble, it just means they haven’t been sent back to us,” Myers said.
The program does measure knowledge improvement by having students take a pre-test and post-test about anger issues and methods to cope with those issues, she said.
The classes are open to anyone over 18 years old and usually include six to 10 people. The sessions are held from 3-5 p.m. on three consecutive Thursdays, starting tomorrow. The registration fee is $150, and locals can register at the council’s office at 504 St. Louis St. in Thibodaux.
