FCSS to offer free anger management groups for men

GUELPH – Family Counselling and Support Services for Guelph-Wellington (FCSSGW) will soon offer free anger management therapy for men.

The “emotional regulation groups,” announced by FCSSGW on July 29, were made possible by a federal Emergency Community Support Fund through United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin.

Officials say the 12-week groups will help men increase awareness of high-risk behaviours, improve management of stress and difficult emotions, develop communication skills to build healthier relationships, and offer opportunities for positive connection with other men.

“We have been receiving calls looking for this type of program,” said FCSSGW executive director Joanne Young Evans.

“Men don’t have equal access to fully funded mental-health supports, and yet we cannot begin to end intimate partner or family violence without closing these gaps in service.”

She added “By providing free, early-intervention treatment to vulnerable men, we hope to reduce the stigma associated with seeking help with mental health issues and eliminate some of the barriers men face in accessing treatment.”

The anger management groups will incorporate dialectic behaviour therapy, more commonly known as DBT, and will be “mindfulness skills based,” officials say.

More information about call-in times, contact numbers, and protocols will be made available closer to the launch date.

FCSSGW provides a range of individual and group services in Guelph, Fergus and Mount Forest.

For more information visit www.FamilyServiceGuelph.on.ca.