Stormbreaker is an eight topic, in-person course which runs across various locations in Melbourne and Launceston throughout the year. Each session combines education, practical exercises and group discussion all lead by a registered counsellor to guide you through the coursework.
One of the biggest complaints we hear from clients is that they have attended anger management sessions and felt like they were treated like they were stupid. Presenters can sometimes use a whole lot of big words to get across some pretty simple ideas.
Controlling your anger is something you can do – and you don’t have to memorise a whole lot of jargon to do it.
The course gives an overview of how we define and understand anger, as well as techniques which can be used to avoid, reduce or shorten periods of anger.
In everyday terms, we look at what our brain and body are doing while we are angry, and learn ways in which we can use techniques learnt in the course to change the way we think, feel and behave, to better achieve things that we want.
For some people completing the course, particularly those who have been required to attend anger management sessions, you may need a more wordy description: Stormbreaker is an anger management course which covers the physiological and neurological basis of anger. It also introduces cognitive, affective and behavioural techniques which can lead to improvement when somebody is struggling with anger.
The course includes 8 topic sessions which combine psychoeducation (us giving you information), small group work and whole group discussions. All learning materials are provided with tea and coffee available to help you actively participate. Depending on the course format, more than one topic session may run on one day. For example, the fortnightly courses include two topics per day.
Sessions do not provide you with an assessment, but all attendees will receive a letter which outlines the sessions that you have attended, what was covered during those sessions, and observations about your participation in the small group and whole group discussions. We will also take note of any activities you attempted and completed in between sessions.
Extra individual counselling sessions are available, but not included in the cost of the workshops. For those who feel they would benefit from one-on-one time, you can sign up for two sessions when you book into the course at a 50% discount. Observations from these sessions can be included in the letter provided at the end of the course if you request it. For those who don’t pre-book individual sessions, individual counselling will be available at a 20% discount for the duration of the workshop, subject to availability.
The full duration of Stormbreaker is 12 hours of group sessions covering 8 topics in all, but this is delivered in different modes:
Weekly: Eight weekly classes with one topic covered each week
Fortnightly: Four fortnightly sessions covering two topics per week
Weekender: One session covering four topics (Which equates to a day including a lunch break) followed by four weekly sessions covering one topic each week.
Intensive: One session covering four topics (Which equates to a day including a lunch break) followed by two fortnightly sessions covering two topic each fortnight.
Why can’t this be done in a weekend? Delivering the program in a single weekend would be possible, but less effective. The reality of this kind of work is that you need time to experience and practise the things that you have learned in the real world in between sessions. We do not have any interest in providing ineffective programs.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to any mode of counselling. One of the main benefits of group anger management work is financial. To get the same number of hours of anger management work through individual counselling with us would cost around $1920, so with group work you save between 78-81% of the cost.
But there are other benefits to working with a group. When you are working with others, you have the opportunity to draw from the experiences of the others in the group. Often those who choose or are required to attend anger management work can feel frustrated, demonised or just looked down on. In group work you have others with you who understand what it is like to struggle with anger.
Sessions are presented by Marcus Dally-Law. Marcus is a counsellor registered with the Australian Counselling Association. He has worked in private practise for over a decade with a strong focus on relationship counselling as well as anger and anxiety management.
Marcus works to provide real and helpful information to people without overcomplicating things. As somebody who moved into counselling from a teaching background, Marcus works to be engaging, inclusive and understanding of the needs of everyone in his workshops.
Marcus will be joined by Ryan Haart and Sean Clements, as facilitators to this course, in order to provide you with support and encouragement through the course. Ryan and Sean will also help facilitate the small group work, in order for you to get as much out of the course as possible.
Here is where honesty is really important. We can give you information and techniques that you can use to reduce anger and help you find better ways of working with other people – but the decision to put that into practise is entirely your call.
For some of our participants, the primary thing they want is a piece of paper to say they have attended. We get that, and don’t hold it against you.
For those who are open to the idea that they may learn something new to them, what we are actually giving you is a new set of tools. There is an old saying – when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. When it comes to anger, what we are giving you is a whole toolkit which will help you approach situations with more knowledge and choices about how you deal with your life. The rest is up to you.
For those who have completed the Stormbreaker course, who want to continue working on themselves, there are a couple of options.
There is a second course which will be available from August of this year which is a follow up to this one. While Stormbreaker focuses on finding new ways to reduce your anger and manage previously difficult situations, Part 2 will focus on what you can do when your anger is feeling out of your control. The reality is, freeing yourself from uncontrolled anger means that you have new choices you can make about the path of your life. Part 2 looks at how you can start planning this new life and start to make it happen. If you have signed up to our mailing list, you will get information as it becomes available.
For those who don’t want to wait, or who need additional work, individual counselling can be booked through our normal booking process.
To reserve your place in the Stormbreaker course, simply click here, choose your class and sign up. We require full payment for the course at sign up and have Afterpay available, so those with an eligible account can pay over four installments.
Please ensure you consider your ability to attend the course before booking. Any cancellations with more than 4 days notice before the start of the course will incur a $100 cancellation fee. No refunds are offered after this date. For cancellations after this date, the organisers may offer credit towards a future course, minus the cancellation fee. The offer of credit will be at the discretion of the organiser and will be dependant on course availability.