Empowering from the Inside Out

It’s official! The only anger management group designed specifically for women by women that I am aware of in Winnipeg will be offered February 9-March 9th, 2011. Linda Churchill, our advanced intern, who has been leading groups for years will be facilitating “Empowering from the Inside Out”. We are thrilled to be doing this.

This has been a dream of mine for years. There are a few women who take our anger management course, Transforming Destructive into Constructive. They are productive members of the group who have important ideas to contribute. Their evaluations of the program are positive.

However, it seems that there are some women who would like to take an anger management course who don’t feel comfortable in a group that will likely be predominately men. Some women would like to take more time to talk about things, they would like to discuss some parts of the experience and the expression of anger that are unique to them.

Years ago, I gave a talk at a group for women who were moms of young children. The topic I was asked to speak on was “Handling your Anger toward your Preschooler”. It was one group that asked for it. But the news of it spread like wildfire. I did no advertising, and I think I gave that talk a dozen times or more in the year or two following that first presentation. Women loved having permission to talk about their anger…a normal, natural feeling that has too often been socialized to be experienced as something shameful. I don’t think that what I said was actually that important or that helpful…except in how it opened doors for women to start talking about it with each other at their tables. Women left with this feeling of shared commonality that something they felt they had to hide was something that others knew about and had compassion for.

This program was developed by students at the University of Manitoba who did huge amounts of research in the literature, looking to discover the unique ways in which women are socialized about anger, unique ways in which women experience anger, and the typical strategies women choose to express their anger. This is discussed and explored in a format that recognizes the wisdom of all women around the table.

So, if you or someone you know would be interested, please register. Mandated clients are welcome. There is only room for 7 participants in the group so if you are interested, I would encourage you to register soon.