Doing Anger Differently article response

This article describes a powerful intervention for adolescent boys with anger issues. I wish I had known about this for my placement last year. I was working with a 21 year old high school freshman. He had been transferred around from school to school because he was causing trouble everywhere he went. He would be kicked out of class for talking, joking around, not doing work, banging on classroom doors to distract other teachers, etc. It was clear that he was angry, being the oldest freshman and unable to focus on his work. As a result, he would act out to release this anger and, at one point, got physical with another kid who was making fun of him. He barely came to school so it was hard to process the anger with him, let alone find ways to engage him.

I feel as though the Mapping Anger Game would've been helpful for him in that he could externalize all the feelings that had been building inside and fueling his behaviors. Talk therapy was not very successful because, as Currie states in the article, young adolescents have a difficult time describing their subjective, emotional response when they are triggered to act out. By playing the scenarios in which my client acted out on a percussion, he would be able to hear where the situation became more intense. As a result, he would be more aware of his feelings when his anger was triggered and would be able to change his behavior. This is an incredible strength based technique that I can see as being very empowering for an adolescent male such as my client because it makes him feel more in control and conscientious of why he is acting the way he is. Additionally, it is putting the responsibility of appropriate response in the adolescent and letting them make the right decision in the moment rather than being told what to do by a parent, teacher, etc. as they have been their whole life.