Frequently asked questions
The BAAM team have all suffered anger issues. We’re understanding of your scepticism. 95% of our clients have never undertaken any form of counselling or therapy before either.
BAAM’s courses are ‘psycho-educational’ as opposed to what you may consider therapy. They are intended to learn from. We teach coping skills for both the immediate and longer term, give examples of how our clients’ communication habits may improve, and educate them about emotional intelligence.
We also look into futile patterns of thinking that can breed anger. Many of our clients are suffering from a low-level form of mental ill health that may not be incapacitating, but is getting in the way of them living a full life. Their anger is a symptom of it. Acknowledging and beginning to tackle any issues will tackle them at the root and not merely address the symptoms.
While participation in the discussions may help your thinking process, sharing of ‘war stories’ is actually discouraged. Anger management isn’t wishy-washy, and usually neither are the people seeking it out.
People do have to make their own decisions to undertake anger management. The sessions don’t really work if someone doesn’t want to be there.
Some clients have been instructed to attend anger management by their employer, or given an ultimatum by their partner. They begin the course begrudgingly, but are almost always grateful to be there and participating keenly by their second session!
In our experience the most powerful motivation for someone joining our courses is when a loved one says, ‘Enough is enough!’
Our two-hour online Introduction to Anger Management workshop provides positive inspiration for anyone mulling a full course over.
We agree that group therapy can be daunting, and we do offer one-on-one anger management.
Our courses are small groups of people who have the same worries and anxieties as you.
The facilitator is very skilled at making the group feel safe and it’s all entirely confidential.
We recognise the understandable anxieties people bring to the groups, and make a special point of setting the group up in such a way that everyone feels safe. There’s no pressure to talk about anything you don’t want to, but the more you get involved, the more you get out of the experience.
There is a stigma around anger. Those of us who get too angry can begin to feel alienated. In a group, though, you will met others in exactly the same position as you. You are likely to feel not so alone with your problems. Encouragement from your peers may mean more to you than what our coaches have to say.
Group therapy is statistically highly effective especially when the group have a shared purpose, as in this case. BAAM uses multiple coaches for each group session which is also shown to have a positive effect on results in group therapy.
Our groups offer an opportunity to test out your new-found skills. Most of them correspond together independently (in for example WhatsApp groups) and offer support. Often you can even call each other when things get rough.
There is emphasis on confidentiality on our courses and most importantly, not judging each other.
BAAM’s courses are actually reasonably priced compared to other quality psycho-educational and improvement services. And it’s a small price to pay for increased happiness and a much better relationship with the world around you.
Have you thought about the cost of your anger up to now, and what the expense could be if you don’t do anything about it?
Many clients wait too long to come to us and then are faced with solicitor’s bills, court hearings and potential custodial sentences, or perhaps losing access to their children and to other loved ones.
There’s clearly a cost to anger. Take the course and make the changes before it’s too late.
Our weekend course costs the equivalent of £20 per hour, less than a personal exercise trainer or massage therapist. All our courses are aimed at getting results within the time frame and should not be confused with open-ended weekly therapy sessions.
Unfortunately not.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is available on the NHS.
Probation services do offer anger management, but this is only once a charge has been made and often there is a waiting list.
With BAAM, you do not need a GP referral and you can take charge of your own life and resources.
You are certainly right in thinking that you will need to do the work to make the changes.
Although the course sets you on the path to a new life, it is only the beginning of the work that you need to do.
We give you the tools and techniques. We give you some practical experiences and the understanding of where anger comes from. The small group environment means you get lots of help from other individuals in the same position. We also help you with an action plan before the course ends, and arrange follow-ups to suit your situation.
There are many different types of angry people. The obvious ones are ‘exploders’ who rant and rave.
‘Imploders’ though have other unhealthy ways of expressing their frustration that aren’t so clear. They are aware that aggression is unacceptable and have adjusted their behaviour accordingly. But their anger, which is usually left over from their past and little to do with the people or environment around them, remains.
For instance, sometimes they like to wind others up and watch them get angry. In the 1990s movie Anger Management, the protagonist played by Charlie Sheen begins the story as an imploder.
It is similarly unhealthy to swallow your anger, stew with resentment, and not express your feelings. Imploders unfortunately are more likely to suffer from depression than exploders. One thing you’ll learn on our courses is that the emotion of anger is a warning sign from the body. Your anger – whether you express it obviously or not – is telling you that something is wrong. Fortunately, it’s not too late.
Actually, yes. While we certainly value face to face interaction, attending anger management from your own home helps you focus and feel more comfortable in the experience. It’s also cheaper!
The Covid-19 pandemic meant that almost all important services had to migrate online. The silver lining was that many thrived.
You can take our online course wherever you are in the world. New ten-week courses begin every couple of months.
America’s Northwestern University and Germany’s Leipzig University have both published reports that online therapy is just as effective as face-to-face work for clients, especially longer-term.
Research published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in March 2020 focused on the differences in quality of interactions between face to face and remote psychotherapy. It found there was little difference in terms of how effective the therapeutic relationship was, how much clients disclosed or levels of empathy, attentiveness and participation.
We’ve run courses for over 20,000 people and the feedback is phenomenal. In fact, BAAM can claim to be a world leader in anger management.
Mike Fisher, founder and training director, is also the author of Beating Anger as well as ‘Mindfulness & the Art of Managing Anger’. He’s an internationally renowned expert on anger.
Our commitment is such that we are constantly upgrading our course material and educating ourselves in the latest developments in the personal development field.
We have only the patterns of behaviour from our childhood to copy or respond to. Our courses will show you another way.
We know clients who have repressed their resentment and swallowed their anger as a response to an aggressive parent.
On our courses they learn to find an assertive way to show their anger that doesn’t hurt themselves or others.
The fact that you are looking at this site indicates you recognise on some level that you have an issue.
Our experience is that often people come to us because they have realised, or been told, that their anger is affecting people close to them.
Feedback from our clients says that this training is life changing. Clients feel a sense of release and their relationships are improved.
We are clear, however, that your anger is your responsibility and that we can only give you the tools to manage it.
We don’t have a magic wand to cure your anger.
However, we are really proud of our courses. Two years after completing a course, 93% of our clients still state that the course was excellent.
We know what we do is great. It does, however, depend upon you building it into your life. We are happy to offer further one-to-one work to help integrate the work or help you resolve any issues you feel need attending to.