British Association of Anger Management Participates in Men’s Health Programme to Increase Life Expectancy in Southwark

May 23, 2005 - Press Dispensary - The British Association of Anger Management (BAAM) (http://www.angermanage.co.uk) is running an anger and stress management course for men who live and work in Southwark as part of the borough’s Men’s Health Programme.

A joint initiative between Southwark Primary Care Trust (PCT), Southwark Council, Fusion and other partners, the programme aims to tackle male life expectancy in Southwark as part of the government’s national target. This aims to reduce, by at least 10% before 2010, the gap between the fifth of areas with the lowest life expectancy at birth and the population as a whole.

In order to tackle male life expectancy, the Southwark Men’s Health Programme offers health ‘MOTs’ and covers topics such as exercise, nutrition, smoking and sexual health on a one-to-one and group sessions basis. The service is free to all men who live and work in Southwark. Men can access as many elements of the programme as they wish. They can join through any chosen session and then be referred to other classes.

One strand of the Programme deals with mental health and wellbeing. As part of this element, BAAM has been contracted to deliver an eight-week anger management course. This is available free of charge to men who feel that dealing with everyday anger has become increasingly difficult or that anger is affecting their daily relationships and functions.

Mike Fisher, director of BAAM, comments: ‘We live in a society where anger is viewed as an innate and incurable characteristic. However, anger is a feeling – nothing more and nothing less – and we’re born with it in the same way as fear, joy and sadness. The only difference is that anger can be the most volatile, destructive and un-containable feeling of the lot.’

He adds: ‘Unfortunately, anger and other health-related and emotional issues are part of a negative melting pot that is contributing towards reduced male life expectancy. We hope our role in the Southwark Men’s Health Programme will help combat the problem.’

Four Anger Management programmes, each consisting of eight weekly sessions, will take place in Southwark (venue TBC) from 16 June to 4 August 2005; September to November 2005; November 2005 to January 2006 and January to March 2006.

To book a place on BAAM’s anger management programme, phone 0845 1300 286, email or visit http://www.baam.co.uk.

To find out more about the range of topics covered in Southwark’s men’s health programme, phone 0800 013 7755, email or visit http://www.southwarkpct.nhs.uk/menshealth

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About BAAM
The British Association of Anger Management (BAAM) Ltd was established in 1999 and is based in East Grinstead. A privately-funded, professional body of consultants, counsellors and trainers, it is the sole UK centre of expertise for all aspects of anger and conflict management. BAAM assists the general public, children and teenagers, government bodies, corporations, the educational sector, personnel / HR managers, trainers, counsellors and anyone dealing with their own or another person’s anger. It employs three full time and three part time staff.

During the last three years, BAAM has worked with over 6,000 individuals throughout the UK. BAAM’s Mike Fisher has created the ‘Eight Golden Rules of Anger Management’ which teach people to turn temper and passive aggression into a positive force. These rules are revealed in his popular course, ‘Beating Anger’, and his new book of the same title which sold over 4,000 copies in its first month.

About the Southwark Men’s Health Programme
The Southwark Men’s Health Programme is a neighbourhood renewal partnership initiative funded by Southwark Alliance. The project was launched following an expert panel on Male Life Expectancy in May 2004, hosted by the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit’s ‘Places Initiative’ and involving Southwark Alliance, Southwark Partnership Board and Healthy Southwark. It was agreed that methods to tackle reduced male life expectancy in Southwark should include targeted well men’s outreach work, health promotion through the neighbourhood renewal areas, and working with local employers to address the social gradient in ill health and mortality.

For further information please contact:
Mike Fisher, British Association of Anger Management
Tel: 0845 1300 286
Email:
Site: www.angermanage.co.uk