Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697634699774.pdf (Australia)
STAC (Stop, Think, Do) SKILLS TRAINING FOR AGGRESSION CONTROL Revised June 2003 Domestic violence in AustraliaSubmission 134 - Attachment 1 To the course member: will you read this often.

This is a page of pre-course reading, which I will read and ponder a number of times, so that I can know best how to gain the most out of my course.
2 I will share my experience; I will listen to others experience; I will participate in groups, large and small; I will explore ideas as fully and deeply as time and ability allow; I will contribute all the ideas I can; I will evaluate for my use all the ideas I can; I will work alongside the trainers because I am assured, we all desire much learning to be achieved; I will extend my knowledge; I will master new skills; I will experiment, search and discover; I will see in every occasion and experience opportunities to learn; I will be a teacher of others, as I will also learn from others; I will adjust what I do and think in the light of all that I discover through the course; I will consider fairly opinions and approaches different from mine; I will respect all on the course as fellow learners; I will be an active learner, and not a passive listener; I will not be afraid to state my learning needs, and I will keep on working, listening, and discussing to learn what I need to know; I am taking responsibility for my learning.
2 Domestic violence in AustraliaSubmission 134 - Attachment 1 COURSE OUTLINE Session One Introduction: Understanding Anger.
Session Two Alcohol and other drugs Session Three Recognising our anger Monitoring our anger Session Four Staying in control of our anger Using time out and relaxation Session Five Identifying early patterns Increasing awareness of our thoughts/beliefs Changing negative thoughts to positive thoughts Session Six Becoming friends with ourselves Coping with provocation using self-talk Session Seven Coping with stress Session Eight Enhancing the way we communicate Session Nine Expressing anger assertively Session Ten Managing our anger in close relationships Developing positive relationships Session Eleven Conflict resolution Session Twelve Understanding Grief Session Thirteen Review Relapse Prevention 3 3 Domestic violence in AustraliaSubmission 134 - Attachment 1 4 ABOUT THE MANUAL The manual is designed with twelve sessions covering weekly sessions of two hours duration.
The training methods include direct instruction, modelling, the use of roleplay, group discussions and exercises.

Each session of the manual contains an overview and reference notes for the Presenter, and the hand-out sheets to be given to the participants.

POINTS FOR PRESENTERS Working with Groups The following includes some notes on group processes and group skills; some icebreaker exercises.
The group process The group process is an integral part of the life and success of a group programme such as this.

Initially the group members will be suspicious, distrustful, and certainly very anxious at the onset of the group.

This feeling is often reflected in their challenges toward the leaders, criticism of the concepts, and premature claims that the leaders do not really understand life in the "real world".
However, by keeping a watchful eye on what is happening at the process level of the group, the leaders can steer the group through these early "rough patches" usually characteristic of the first three sessions.

The second stage in the life of a group occurs as some cohesion develops among group members, the trust is building, participants begin to take a more active role in the group and take more risk in self disclosing.
By this stage it becomes clearer who are the dominant group members, who are the underactive participants, and who are the "problem" members (ie.

the aggressors and negators).

At this stage some members will be gaining insights, others will report confusion.

The final stage of the group is marked by the cohesiveness of the group.

While an element of caution may still prevail, mutual trust is evident as group members share their real reasons for being a part of the group.
The concepts will have become clearer and will have gained more relevance in their lives.

Shared leadership and member roles In working with groups it is important to understand the role of the leader is that of facilitator within the group.

The role and function of the group leader and of group members is that of shared responsibility for the group learning process.
The basic skills for group work include:     sharing taking responsibility encouraging active listening 4 Domestic violence in AustraliaSubmission 134 - Attachment 1 5  observing and describing behaviour  process comment on what is happening in the group.

eg.

Who has talked and who has not?

Who has influenced the group and in what way?

Who has been helpful?

What feelings have been experienced in the group?


Group members may adopt positive roles which contribute to group learning or negative roles which hinder the learning process.

By understanding these different roles in a group leaders may more readily devise strategies to re-inforce the positives and minimise the negatives.
The following is a list of these roles: Negative roles blocker recognition seeker dominator avoider playboy Positive roles initiator contributor coordinator evaluator clarifier harmoniser encourager recorder standard setter Group Strategies Some group process strategies which have worked for other presenters are outlined here.

Role Playing Role playing is a general term referring to acting out scenes, conflicts, feelings, ideas etc.
in a way that people get involved physically, intellectually and emotionally.

People may use role playing for the following purposes:     to develop imagination and creativity to develop empathy for others to experience new behaviours in a relatively safe situation to put subject content into a situation that can be experienced more fully.

Experienced presenters have found a low key use of role play can be useful when working with offenders.
However, any intense role play is inappropriate and could prove counter productive with the client group.

The programme is not viewed as therapy but as a cognitive behavioural learning process.

Other Strategies Leader disclosure may be useful although you need to be selective when disclosing information about yourself in the group (ie.

diary incidents).

It is important to retain the group leader roles without jeopardising it by too much self disclosure.

Reinforcement.
Reinforcement.

When group members disclose that they have been attempting to modify their behaviour, it is essential to follow it through with praise.

Praise should also be given when 5 Domestic violence in AustraliaSubmission 134 - Attachment 1 6 group members disclose personal information, eg.

"thanks for sharing that with the group".

Ideally group members will praise each other, which is much more powerful than praise from the facilitator.

Drifting off the topic.


Often in the course of a group, participants drift off the topic at hand.

It is important to keep drawing their attention back to the original group aims and restating them.

If the facilitator keeps the aims in mind, it is possible to reframe what ever is being said in terms of the topic of the day.

Examples and wording.

Remember to use appropriate examples that are targeted at the group members.
Similarly, the language used will have to be translated to a level which can be understood by the group members.

Challenges.

It is inevitable that some group members will challenge the leader's knowledge and will make such comments as "You don't understand what life is like in our world".

The leader can acknowledge the participant's comments and reiterate the programme aims.
It is important to emphasise that the purpose of the course is to offer other choices, and it is up to the individual whether they want to take them up or not.

Challenges also provide an opportunity to model tolerance, indeed enthusiasm for individual differences: the facilitator brings some skills and knowledge to the group; the participants bring other skills and knowledge.

Each can learn from the other.

This is the fundamental principal of adult education.

Evaluation.
Evaluation.

The participants are asked to complete an evaluation sheet at the end of the programme.

The presenters are also asked to fill in a rating scale for each participant.

This feed back information is useful for programme planning and monitoring.

It is essential to accept evaluation of one's own behaviour and attempt to modify it accordingly.

Debriefing.

It is sometimes necessary to spend time debriefing following a session.
The presenter may wish to discuss issues arising from participant interaction during the group, or may have questions regarding programme content.

It may be worthwhile contacting another presenter to discuss such matters.

It is important to have concerns and queries addressed.

Some Useful Exercises The following are some ideas for starting a group or session with an "icebreaker" exercise.

Also there are notes on closing down a group or session and on using relaxation exercises.
Icebreakers When a group of people get together they often feel uncomfortable with each other or with what they are about to do.

Because of this, it is often a good idea to use an "icebreaker" exercise to help the group feel more relaxed.

Here are some suggestions for icebreakers but there are many more: Who am I?
The group leader writes out names of famous people on “sticky labels” and sticks one label on each group member’s back Group members then move around asking each other several questions about who they might be.

For example: “Am I dead or alive”?

“Am I American or Australian”?

“Am I in the entertainment industry/sports/politics?” The answer to each is a simple “yes” or “no”.

Story telling The group leader starts telling a story.
For example: “The other day I 6 Domestic violence in AustraliaSubmission 134 - Attachment 1 7 .

was walking down the street and I heard someone call my name.

I turned but there was no-one there but this dog, I kept walking and heard my name called again, still the only living thing around was this dog.

“Yeah, your mate”, said this dog.

I was amazed.


The dog then said “Come close I’ve got something really important to tell you..... Then the next person in the group takes up the story and continues for a couple of minutes.

Each group member in turn continues with the story.

Animal identity Each group member in turn names an animal they identify with or feel close to or admire or would like to come back as in another life.

They explain why they chose that animal.


Your name Each group member in turn gives their name and describes a famous person who has that name.

“Drawing” violence The participants are provided with paper and writing equipment.

They are asked to draw a picture of what comes to mind when they think of violence.

After five minutes of drawing the participants are asked to finish the drawings and then invited to explain/describe their pictures.
Uses of an elastic band The group members are asked to come up with as many ideas as they can on the possible uses of an elastic band.

Closing Exercises There are a number of useful ways to close a group.

The group leader may make a summary of the skills learned during the session, review the theme os the session or ask participants for their reactions to the input for that session.
For example participants may be invited to reflect on what they have learned and begin with a statement such as:-       I learned that I .......

I discovered that I ....

I was surprised that I ....

I noticed that I ....

I relearned that I ....

I realised that I .... A Check List for Working with Groups The following checklist may be useful for Presenters beginning work with groups.
attempt to become non-judgemental and accepting learn to be more comfortable with silences  Learn the participants’ names  provide an atmosphere which encourages diversity of opinion  develop active listening skills    observe the right of individuals to pass       allow everyone the opportunity to speak encourage participants to respond honestly ask clarifying questions and draw out options from the group encourage group members to take responsibility for their own learning assist the group to to draw conclusions from their activities and discussions support participants as they try out new behaviour 7 Domestic violence in AustraliaSubmission 134 - Attachment 1  encourage group members to evaluate their own participation and that of the group.
8 8 Domestic violence in AustraliaSubmission 134 - Attachment 1