Northwest Village School students in grades K-8 are learning how to identify sources of their anger and manage their responses, thanks to an innovative “Anger Buttons” training, provided by Nadine Russo, MS, LMFT, senior clinician at the school.
According to Russo, the training uses a blank paper template of the body to help students visualize and document, using real buttons of all shapes and sizes, the sources—and degrees—of their anger. “This process helps students to become more aware of the situations or interactions that cause responsive behaviors, while helping them identify their body’s signals that anger is present.”
Students identify how their body communicates to them that they are angry and pair these signals with situations that contribute to anger and aggression.
Our goals are to help students become more aware of where they store their anger and connect their feelings with their behaviors,” added Russo. “Their work is centered on real-life examples from their own lives.
“The most meaningful part of my work at Northwest Village school is witnessing student growth in real time,” said Russo. “Seeing shifts within students not just in session, but in classrooms, hallways and peer relationships. This is how we know we make a difference.”