Family Counseling Center's anger management program offers clients choices

Medlock

Laughter filled the room of the anger management class, offered through Family Counseling Center, as instructor Jim Medlock jokingly compared himself to Jack Nicholson's character in the big screen movie Anger Management co-starring Adam Sandler.

In the movie, Nicholson plays the role of an instructor for an anger management program that Sandler's character was court ordered to attend. Nicholson's form of counseling involved aggressive an unorthodox treatments such as actually moving in with his client and rather that creating less stress Nicholson ends up wreaking havoc in every aspect of the client's life.

"I may just have to move in with you to help you deal with your challenges," laughed Medlock.

Medlock

In all seriousness, Medlock offers a treatment program that focuses on choices.

"I think that everyone has a choice in every difficult situation," Medlock said. "The thing with anger is that it invades your thoughts in such a way that you forget that you have those choices and your emotions take control."

Medlock compares anger to a horse with blinders, focused on only what lies ahead of them an unable to use its peripheral vision to see "beyond" the situation.

His class is made up of an average of six to eight clients who must attend six times in a row from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. each Wednesday to receive a certificate of completion. One unique benefit of the course is that it is based on rotating material which allows clients to enter at any time and not be behind or feel like they have missed information.

Medlock said that in his groups he tends to review on previously covered material for the purpose of updating new clients and refreshing those who have already been exposed to that particular lesson.

The program consists of six lessons and the cost for the course is $10 per class, so the total for the entire course is $60, which Medlock says is a very low rate in comparison to other fees involved in similar courses.

There is an open-door like policy when it comes to the needs of his clients.

"All of my clients are aware that they can come early or stay a little late after class to discuss something that personally pertains to their individual needs," Medlock said.

Some of the topics discussed in Medlock's group include overall anger issues, dealing with hostility, re-active behavior versus pro-active, choices, dealing with emotions and focus.

"I see anger as a brick wall that stands between you and what you want," he said to his clients.

Elaborating on his statement, Medlock continued by saying that when you are faced with that brick wall you feel helpless with no choices and your thoughts begin to process, generating emotions, and those emotions demand expressions or behaviors.

"Those behaviors are what get you into trouble," Medlock said. "Sometimes letting go actually means having control."

Medlock is able to relate to his clients by producing stories of his own life in which he was faced with trying situations that led to anger. Once again he reiterated the fact that he has learned that restraint in situations signals control.

He uses thought provoking slides in his treatment which provides optical illusions that cause the client to think outside of the norm. This type of thinking is what Medlock encourages his clients to use when facing an obstacle.

"Your historically defined belief system determines the way you react," he said. "Do something different."

Through his cognitive therapy techniques Medlock is reaching his clients and helping them understand how to cope and deal with things in a different way then what they have grown accustomed to.

One client really grasped onto the ideas Medlock was trying to relay to the class, she said, "if you focus on the problem the problem only gets bigger but if you train yourself to focus on finding a positive solution, the potential for a solution gets bigger."

Medlock said that when a person gets angry it is usually because they feel that some basic right in their life has been violated, "you can't do that to me."

When people take the ACT approach, Medlock says that they accept the situation for what it is, choose and take action to create what they want.

In most cases, he said that people become lost in emotions and circumstance and forget who they are and what they really want.

"You live so deep in the forest that you can't see the forest for all the trees."

Through the anger management program, clients are given the information and encouragement to make the right decisions in volatile situations, they learn to re-frame themselves in a way that it actually reduces or lowers their emotions.

Medlock has developed a simple philosophy while working in the program and he labels it "non-resistant."

"If your pulling, I don't pull against you," he said.

According to Medlock, the response to his philosophy and program has, in general, been a good one that has allowed him in most cases to not necessarily provide a "quick fix" for those who come to see him but to help them learn the techniques needed to repair their way of thinking which leads to long-term results.

Anyone interested in attending the anger management program can contact Jim Medlock at Family Counseling Center by calling (573) 888-5925.