Starving the Anger Gremlin

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
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
This is a clearly written and helpful book for those struggling to control feelings of anger. -- Juno
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
‘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 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.
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.
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
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.
Starving the Anger Gremlin is a workbook of activities designed for young people with anger issues to work through on their own or with a parent or professional to help guide... the workbook provides a step-by-step approach to young people aged ten and over for identifying and managing their anger. -- Maxine Burns, I CAN Communication Advisor * I CAN Communicate blog *
This book aims to offer a cognitive behavioural approach to managing anxiety, suitable for those 10 years and above... The book suggests that it can be used by the young person to work through or alongside an adult or professional... The book goes on to describe what anxiety is and what different types of anxiety exists... On the whole I think this book is an excellent tool for prompting discussion around anxiety, explaining anxiety to a child and detaching them how to manage this response to situations. -- Adoption Social blog