.

Anger Management Track

Keystone Newport News provides a comprehensive program to children ages 11 to 18 that have been admitted to the Residential Program encouraging them to understand their anger and to utilize strategies that reduce the likelihood of acting aggressively.

The Treatment Track consists of the following services:

  1. Screening at the time of admission.
  2. Treatment planning throughout treatment.
  3. Group Counseling.
  4. Education.
  5. Individual Counseling
  6. Art Therapy.
  7. Recreation Therapy.

The therapist will utilize proven strategies that will help the resident manager to manage their anger more effectively:

  1. Relaxation Interventions:  The goal of implementing relaxation strategies is to reduce emotional and physiological arousal.  Techniques utilized will include deep breathing, voice tone, and tempo changes, and progressive muscle relaxation.  Group role-play can be used to evoke emotion and can allow for a safe place in which to practice relaxation skills.
  2. Cognitive Interventions:   Designed to reduce anger producing information an internal cognitive prompting.  Cognitive strategies are helpful in teaching the resident how to think about a problem and begin to develop action strategies.  Cognitive restructuring will help to increase awareness and acceptance of negative self-defeating pre-conscious thoughts.  Developing positive counter responses will be developed and practiced.  Practice will occur during group through role-play.
  3. Behavioral Interventions:    Will be utilized to change angry and aggressive behavior into more socially acceptable behavior.  Strategies that will be utilized include:  modeling, coaching, role-play, assertiveness training, problem solving, negotiation, and interpersonal skills building.
  4. Art Therapy:  Anger will be explored through the use of art.  The resident will begin to share deep feelings that might be difficult to verbalize through art.  The therapist will begin to gain a greater understanding of issues and through a relaxed atmosphere gain the resident's trust and confidence.
  5. Recreation Therapy:    Through the use of recreation and physical activity, aggressiveness and anger can be reduced by utilizing various strategies.  By engaging in sport, health competition, cooperative activities, and leadership development strategies the resident will begin to channel negative self-defeating energy into more socially acceptable and healthy behaviors.
  6. SAFE Program
  7. Leadership Club:  By channeling aggressive behaviors into positive traits such as developing leadership skills the resident can start to gain confidence and help mentor other residents that have more pronounced problems with aggression.  Residents that have attained Gold, Sapphire, and Diamond levels of treatment will meet weekly and discuss ways in which they can utilize positive behaviors to help their peers progress through their treatment program.