Abstract

Meet the anger gremlin: a troublesome pest whose favourite meal is your anger, and the more he eats the angrier you get! There's only one way to stop him: starve him of angry feelings and behaviours, and make him disappear.

This imaginative workbook shows young people how to starve their anger gremlin and control their anger effectively. Made up of engaging and fun activities, it helps them to understand why they get angry and how their anger affects themselves and others, and teaches them how to manage angry thoughts and behaviours. The tried-and-tested programme, based on effective cognitive behavioural therapy principles, can be worked through by a young person on their own or with a practitioner or parent, and is suitable for children and young people aged 10+.

Starving the Anger Gremlin is easy to read and fun to complete, and is an ideal anger management resource for those working with young people including counsellors, therapists, social workers and school counsellors, as well as parents.

This is a clearly written and helpful book for those struggling to control feelings of anger.
Juno
The clarity of the text and simplicity of the layout mean that young readers could use the book independently or with the supervision of a parent or carer, or as homework in between sessions with a mental health worker.
Young Minds
Kate Collins-Donnelly is a therapist, psychologist and anger management consultant based in the UK. She currently runs a successful independent consultancy practice which provides cognitive behavioural therapy, counselling, coaching and training.
If anger management is ever going to be fun, then this book is the tool. It uses pictures, diagrams, quotes from young people, checklists, questions, space for written answers, scenarios and suggestions. The result is a lively and fully interactive resource that will help young readers thoroughly explore what is happening to them and how to find a calm way through their anger.
Special Magazine
The first thing I liked about this book was the fact that the author addresses the intended reader first – the young person who may seek self-help support and who may then wish to share with the adults... The book is thin but packed with enough challenges and tasks to be a useful addition to the shelves of every school counsellor and youth worker... The book is mainly geared towards the adolescent market, but I can see a use for this in primary school as well as with some adults.
Children's Webmag.
Collins-Donnelly provides three CBT workbooks targeting stress, anxiety and anger. A great feature of these books is that they are geared towards teens. Although the book itself states it is for youth aged 10+, the book is most appropriate for older teens. The gremlin character is accessible for youth, without being too cute and babyish for this age group. The extensive use of visuals and repetition of topics and concepts makes this series a good fit for youth on the spectrum. The workbooks encourage writing and drawing, and youth who enjoy and have strength in reading will be able to benefit... Overall, these workbooks serve as a great introduction to cognitive behavioral therapy and can serve as a great adjunct to in-person psychotheraphy. Teens are taught to identify the sources of their stress, anger, and anxiety as well as the thoughts that accompany these feelings. "Starving the gremlin" serves as a great metaphor for changing your thoughts to change your behavior.
On The Spectrum Magazine
I used Starving the Anger Gremlin with a 14 year old client who up until that point had been extremely difficult to engage. He loved the book and engaged with it immediately. I couldn't believe it! He liked the fact that it was written in a non-judgemental way, that it gave you constructive tools to use and discussed examples that were relative to his world. He also found the quotes from other young people reassuring as he realised that he wasn't on his own in feeling and behaving the way he did. He is making great changes thanks to the skills learnt. I would highly recommend this book to practitioners and young people alike.
Youth Worker, Derbyshire, UK.
Starving the Anger Gremlin is an absolute necessity for anyone working with children and young people who may need help with their anger. This workbook was recommended to me by a colleague and, as a Headteacher, I have found it to be a fantastic resource for use in the school with Key Stage 2 pupils. Pupils respond extremely well to its easy to read style, relevant examples and empowering approach. Support staff feel their knowledge in the area of anger management has improved immensely and that the book provides invaluable activities that they can work through with pupils in an educational and supportive way. A superb and effective resource!
Headteacher, South Yorkshire, UK.
‘Starving the Anger Gremlin does an excellent job of examining the harmful effects of anger. Kate Collins-Donnelly clearly explains how irrational thoughts influence negative emotions such as anger. She also helps readers understand how they can change their reactions to events by changing their thinking. Starving the Anger Gremlin is a well-constructed manual on anger management that will undoubtedly help children and adolescents. Read it and enjoy!’
Jerry Wilde, Ph.D., author of Hot Stuff to Help Kids Chill Out: The Anger Management Book
Starving the Anger Gremlin is an imaginative yet simply written publication designed to assist young people to identify and take appropriate action to deal with their responses to anger.
Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling