Educational psychology and anger management

An educational psychologist (Ed Psych) can deal with cases that involve anger management. There is often an 'incident' in the classroom that draws in the Ed Psych, or there may have been several incidents before advice is sought.

The Ed Psych will want to help the child, the teacher and the other children by solving any issues.

Anger refers to an outburst, which could be brief or sustained. The child will not be learning if they are emotionally aroused, and other children, as well as adults in the situation, will be affected, so it is important for the child to be able to control their anger.

The starting point is observation. The Ed Psych may go into the classroom to watch the child to see what triggers the behaviour and look for patterns. The teacher is also asked to observe and keep records - and is often given a form to help them to know what to record. They need to know about the environment and the situation, often before any 'incident'. The aim is to try to find…