Course Evaluations

Final evaluations of student learning show that a majority said that "I have a much better understanding of anger now than when I started." The same majority also said that "I am much more effective now in managing anger than when I started."

Here are unedited comments that students of the course gave us permission to share. All comments were submitted anonymously.

"This is excellent! I am a 4-H educator and parent of 2 young boys, so this is wonderful both from a professional perspective as well as a personal, parental viewpoint. Your format, clear language and simple directions are the best I have seen on ANY web based series. Congratulations and I look forward to completing the course and letting others know about it."

"I have already learned so much. My mom is a counselor, and she would always correct me when I said, "So and So makes me so angry!" I would really get angry then! I find the locus of control to be a big determinant of someone's level of anger and basic personality. So far, the material is easy to understand, and I've been taking tons of notes."

"The most important skill I learned: I learned physical signs of my anger"

"The most important thing I learned: I was reminded that anger is an emotional response and that i have a thinking brain which can and should gain control of my actions when i am angry; though honoring the fact that anger is natural and can sometimes be positive."

"I love this web site, I'm getting a lot out of this course already. It's 1 am I should go to sleep, i think i'll peek at the start of the next lesson though. Just reading this lesson so far, and the parenting one makes me feel calm. I know I have options, but the way you present your material, it's so rational, and clear, it renews my belief that I am able to change the way I do some things, i can change my behavior, and i can be a better parent, and a better person. I've known for a long time that I need something like an anger management course, perhaps after this online course I will look into other avenues as well. I am afraid of being labeled, and of being treated unfairly if I am honest about my feelings and actions, ....i'm intrigued by your bibliography and want to check some of the sources out (Women and Anger stands out....because i feel so justified sometimes by my anger....but I do need to learn different ways of dealing with it...mostly, I want to stop yelling at my little boy...and to be able to better manage my anger towards my husband when i feel it. Truly, so far, your definitions and distinctions have been so helpful already. Thank you, I think, over time, i will be wanting more and more courses like these."

"The most important thing I learned: The intellectual aspect is still very
clarifying for me -- the limbic system, brain research, etc. I like concrete
physiological explanations, they help me understand better. Emotionally,
looking at my father's anger helped me remember that there were parts of him
beyond the rages. My good memories I have of my father have always been clouded by the memories of his rages. The activities in this course helped me separate the two and recall some of his better points."

"So far, so good. I'm making some good connections here about what it
is specifically about certain situations that set me off. I like the connection
to brain physiology also, because I am a nurse and often anatomy and physiology make it easier for me to understand psychological concepts. Thanks for an awesome opportunity to use this site, by the way."

"The most important thing I learned: I learned that anger and fear are connected as responses to a perceived threat."

"I heard about this from a friend and found it today. I am under some stress with raising 4 kids and also having very angry and at times violent parents...when I am under stress the 'hard-wiring' just seems to kick in
and I don't want to yell at my kids anymore. I have found this helpful so
far!"

"Recommend to others: I think that this course is a good first step in learning
about anger and how to control our actions when we "feel" angry.
The most important skill I learned: The most important skill I learned is to use
words to accurately own my own emotions and the tense release skill taught me that I can relieve some of the stress and to be aware of my angry feelings."

"The most important thing I learned: I learned that Anger is ok if managed and I learned reasons why we anger, which help me put it into perspective"

"I have found this invaluable. I am now moving on to McKay and Rogers Anger Control Workbook to keep on going. I am sure I will refer back to this course several times."

I want to understand better the times I get angry so suddenly and so ferociously that it is shocking and seemingly unstoppable. This largely happens when one of my children hurts the other. The explosion that erupts in me seems hard to control or even think about at the time. I am hoping for more info on that and am trying to believe that even those knee-jerk reactions can be overcome. Thank you so much for taking the time to put this course together. For the first time in my angry-little-life, I believe I can be more the woman I believe I was created to be. I so want to end the cycle of helpless anger passed on to me so that my children will grow in a safe home and know how to treat others w/respect and true love. Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!!

The most important skill I learned: Perhaps it is breathing and relaxing when I first notice aggrivation. But that is just the most practical -- all of the thinking that goes behind that (knowing the other is a partner, honoring their point of view, commitment to not overwhelm my children w/ anger, etc) all worked together to make me even believe I could notice the anger that early and choose to handle it better."

"The most important thing I learned: That anger is an emotion, and it is okay to feel angry. The important thing is that we can control how we act when we are angry."

"The most important thing I learned: Probably that the source of my anger/rage is not really my child's behavior. There is something more there that is making me angry. Growing up with a mom who was angry so often probably decreased my own tolerance of frustration. I want to address my own beliefs that I caused so much of my mom's anger so that I can move out of my own self-disappointment as a parent. This lack of perceived success as a mom really fuels my anger-fire. OH! I also loved the sessions on anger as a helpful tool inside the right boundaries. Very helpful picture (a fireplace vs. a forest fire!)"

"Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to take a look at myself. The most important skill I learned: To think about what I am doing, take a deep breath, change my tone of voice and recognize that the current situation is probably NOT the root of my present anger."