Feeling Boxes

Addressing the Needs of the Angry Child

About the Company

   I am Sarah Balint, M.Ed, LPC, NCC. I went to the University of North Texas in Denton where I studied early childhood development and then received my masters in counseling with an emphasis in play therapy. I am a play therapist for a school district in Texas. I work with the alternative education program and provide therapy to the kids experiencing undesirable behaviors in the classroom and the school. I do individual therapy, group therapy and also assist the teachers and other school staff in implementing behavior modification plans for the individual students. I also have my private practice in Dallas, Park Cities Child and Family Counseling. ( Sarah's other sites: www.pcchildandfamily.com and www.campcope.org)
    The Anger box was created when I was referred to work with a first grade boy that was having difficulty in the classroom. This boy was a very angry and upset child. On a daily basis he would get frustrated and angry and this would lead to a fit or a tantrum in the classroom.
    The teacher worked with him to calm him down or redirect his behavior but this didn't work. She would spend sometimes 30 minutes dealing with him while the other students just sat there and watched. More often than not this student was unable to be redirected and would then have to leave the classroom to go to the principals or counselors office to cool off. Not only did these episodes take away from the time the teacher had to teach the rest of the class, but this boy was also losing time in the classroom by being sent to the office daily. The return back to the class was also not easy for him, as after calming down he would then realize what he had done in front of his peers and he would be embarrassed. This was just not working for anyone involved and it was only September!
    I was providing weekly counseling services to this student, and the anger management techniques I would teach him were beneficial, when he would practice in our session. When he became angry and would tantrum in the classroom, however, he would not utilize the strategies we had practiced. He needed something more tangible, something that the teacher could redirect him to and help him to deescalate before he got to the tantrum stage. But also he needed something that kept him in the classroom. Getting to go to the counselor's office 2 to 3 times a day when he was "angry" was beginning to be used as an excuse to get out of the class, but the teacher would allow him to go as she was afraid of him getting to the "tantrum" stage.
    This is where I created the anger box. I needed something for him to do in the classroom that acknowledged that being angry was o.k., and that we are all angry, but there are ways of expressing our anger in a healthy way, that does not hurt or even disrupt others. I put about 7 items in a shoe box and took the box to his school counselor. I showed her the items and asked her to do a guidance lesson in the class about being angry. She conducted a lesson on anger that stressed, that it is a healthy feeling, and then showed each item in the box and how it should be used. Teaching the entire class to use the anger box and making the box more available to the other students, made it less stigmatizing and more accessible for our targeted student. If we had made it just for him I don't think he would have utilized it as often or at all. I then instructed the teacher to watch her students and when she saw their emotions escalating to quietly suggest to them to go to the anger box and choose an item and take 5-10 minutes to calm themselves down and then return back to the lesson. In this class the anger box was in a back corner away from the rest of the class. It is ideal to have it in somewhat of a private place, or at least where their back can be turned to the class.
    The anger box really helped this student. Not only did the tantrums stop but pretty soon he was regulating his own anger. At just 7 years old he would realize when he was feeling his anger escalate and he would tell the teacher he was feeling angry and ask to use the anger box. He started out using it 3-4 times a day, but as the year progressed he became in more control of his emotions, and would need it less.
    The school year changed dramatically for this student. His self-esteem improved and he made friends in the class. The other children are no longer scared of "The Angry Boy." His academics were improving as he was able to stay in the class and get the lesson with the others, and he actually got tested for the gifted and talented program at the end of the school year and qualified! More importantly, he learned that just because he was angry didn't mean there was anything wrong with him, it was just the ways that he was expressing his anger that needed to change.
    Throughout the school year, the anger box had been given to over 30 teachers that I had worked with for kids of all ages with different needs and issues. The teachers and administrators have all given positive feedback on the box and how it has helped their students be more successful in the classroom and school. As the word got around the district, the demand to make the anger box increased. I then realized when my supervisor asked for one for a client in her private practice that I needed to make it more than just a "shoe box" to sell it.
    The anger box is now being used in many different settings; Classrooms, Principal's and counselors' offices, at-home, in children's hospitals and in private practices.

I encourage you to try different settings and let me know
how or where it has worked for you!