This game, workbook, video and puppet video will teach cognitive skills necessary for effective anger control. The programs format maximizes interest and commitment to treatment.

• Ability to Empathize with Victim's Feelings (EMP): Aggressive children have been shown to be less able than their peers to take the point of view of another. Aggressive children are less able to predict the feelings of others, particularly to aggressive acts.
• Ability to Distinguish between Aggressive and Non-Aggressive Acts (DIS): When presented with ambiguous social situations, aggressive children are more apt to interpret hostile intent (Dodge, 1985). Rather than interpreting being bumped by another student as an accident, they are apt to see it as a deliberate provocation.
• Ability to Use Self Statements to Diffuse Anger (SSD): Nonaggressive children are apt to talk to themselves to control their anger. (Berkowitz, 1977; Novaco, 1978). "I'm going to keep my cool. This guy isn't going to get to me," are the kinds of statements that can diffuse anger.
• Ability to Generate and Evaluate Alternatives to Aggression (GEA): Aggressive children are less able to generate alternatives to aggression (e.g., take turns playing with a toy, choosing another toy to play with) and to evaluate the outcome. Aggressive children too often limit their options to the use of physical force (Shure and Spivak, 1978; Spivak, Platt, and Shure, 1976; Spivak and Shure, 1982).
• Ability to Identify Feelings Underlying Anger (FUA): The feeling of anger is so salient that underlying feelings such as rejection, hurt, anxiety, embarrassment and the like are often obscured. Becoming aware of these feelings permits more effective problem solving.
• Ability to Discern Opinions of Others' Toward Aggression (OOA):
  Aggressive children often have an unrealistic view of the impact of thier behavior on others. They may think that their behavior is "cool" or "touch," while others may view it as "pointless" or "cruel."

This board game consists of 6 card decks that correspond to the above cognitive skills and 1 warm-up card deck. The game is designed to fit conveniently within the time limits of a counseling session. This game is intended primarily as a tool for a conselor, educator or therapist to use with an individual student or small group. The counselor plays the game along with the student(s), and models good responses to cards when it is his or her turn. The counselor also selectively reinforces appropriate responses by awarding child for good or appropriate answers and encourages participation and discussion among the players.

The Video Skits show 10 different situations where the main character is acting and talking to himself in inappropriate ways. Then it is followed by the same character acting and talking in a more appropriate way.

Role Play Situations are:
1. Knowing when others are being aggressive
2. Knowing feelings related to anger
3. Knowing how victims feel
4. Knowing how others view aggression
5. Talking to yourself to control anger
6. Looking for alternatives to aggression
7. Assertion: Understanding assertion
8. Assertion: Increasing assertion
9. Assertion: Broken record
10. Assertion: Fogging

This video offers children the opportunity to learn six anger control skills. Children can watch the skits and enact the plays on their own or watch the video through its entirety and discuss the skits together. The skits in this puppet video use the same cognitive skills so the counselor may therefore choose between playing the videotape (with pauses for discussion) or enact the skits using accompaning materials and the scripts presented here.