Youth today are faced with more challenges than ever before and at much younger ages. Many experience strong emotions like anger but have never been taught to manage their emotions in healthy and productive ways.   Designed for youth ages 11-18, Critical Decision Making & Emotional Intelligence is a skills-based curriculum specifically tailored to address concerns and difficulties youth are experiencing around making healthy decisions for themselves as well as how to recognize their emotions (specifically anger), and manage them in non-violent ways.

 

This 8 week class covers such topics as: the decision making process, recognizing and weighing consequences, communication skills, types of power, conflict management, handling authority, the positive and negative consequences of anger, personal anger history, fair fighting, triggers and cool-downs, problem solving, and much more. Parent/guardian attendance is expected on the 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th, and 7^th nights of the class. This class is usually grouped into levels according to age: Level I (middle school):  11-14 years old and Level II (high school):  15-18 years old.

 

Youth that complete this course will be able to:

 

· Identify multiple choices for any one decision

· Consider potential positive and negative consequences of these choices

· Stop and think before acting

· Communicate their needs, wants and feelings in a healthy and productive way

· Understand the difference between passive, aggressive and assertive uses of power

· Recognize and understand the positive and negative attributes of anger

· Communicate their needs, wants and feelings more assertively

· Recognize the physiological signs of anger, as well as their own triggers

· Utilize cooling off techniques to de-escalate their anger

· Problem solve using the 6-step method

· Identify realistic alternatives to fighting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 2009

Emotional Intelligence & Critical Decision Making

8 Week Series

 

 

 

Who should attend these classes?

-Teens that want to learn how to make better decisions on a day-to-day basis

-Teens that want to learn how to stop and think before they act

-Teens that want to learn how to effectively communicate with the authority figures in their lives

-Teens that want to learn how to use their power in healthy and productive ways

-Teens that want to learn how to better manage their emotions and control their anger

-Teens that want to learn how to avoid fighting

-Teens that want to learn how to problem solve

-Teens that want to learn how to effectively communicate their feelings and needs

*This class is preventative in nature and is therefore designed for teens that do not have a criminal record, or for youth that qualify as “first-time offenders.” This class is not designed for teens that have been convicted of multiple offenses or that have an extensive history of physical violence. If you have questions about whether these classes are appropriate for your youth, please contact The Conflict Center @ 303-433-4983.