Why Processing Rage at Work?

Processing Rage is a 6-week online program to help attendees cultivate skills around navigating anger through a politicized framework. Anger shows up in all types of relationships and in varying degrees and forms such as irritation, frustration, disappointment, and defensiveness. It is an emotion that often emerges when difference in perspectives and practices lead to conflict in interpersonal dynamics. Anger also emerges as an appropriate response to injustice, harm, or rupture and is further complicated when power dynamics are present, either among individuals with varying social locations or in relationships between individuals and institutions.

Because anger is the emotion that says, “something is not right here, something needs to change,” an embodied understanding and practice of intentional anger processing is necessary for navigating conflict, differences, boundaries, and communication. Processing Rage will help attendees not only understand how power dynamics and societal narratives around anger perpetuate violent and reactive behaviours, but attendees will also cultivate skills in processing their own emotions and choosing how they mobilize their anger in productive and intentional ways. These priorities can look like shaping organizational change or rebuilding relationships and connections through difference.

Unprocessed and/or reactive anger in organizations and work settings often leads to defensiveness, passiveness, and/or explicit harm. Because difference and conflict are bound to emerge in relationships, including and especially the workplace, folks who cultivate the necessary skills will be able to process their own emotions with intentionality, choicefully respond to frustrating situations or situations of difference, and communicate effectively what needs to be said/changed with the relevant people involved. For organizations that value social justice, it will be really helpful for folks to cultivate these skills in order to minimize harm, especially when in relationships with folks of marginalized communities, both in and outside of the organization.

Given the inseparable connections between anger, conflict, and communication, we highly encourage employers to financially support their team members in participating in Processing Rage as professional development training. We have two options: a cohort-based program and a self-directed program. We generally recommend the cohort-based program as it is much more comprehensive with a bigger focus on skill-building and opportunities to strategize around specific scenarios which can be made more relevant to workplace situations.

Here is a letter for leaders, managers, and employers who are curious about supporting their team members in their participation through Processing Rage.