My Programme Lead and I [worked together] to minimise my anger and figured out what could help me. I just needed some space to breathe.
Horiya was referred to Power2 Rediscover, our 1:1 support programme, to improve her wellbeing. She felt angry most of the time, which presented as outbursts at school and often led to her being removed from lessons.
“I found school challenging because of not being understood or supported properly which made me angry,” said Horiya, aged 13.
Horiya was experiencing a lot of challenges in her home life. She felt overwhelmed and bottled up her emotions because her mum was very unwell.
When Horiya had a tough morning at home and then got into disagreements with her teachers, it brought up intense feelings that she didn’t know how to deal with. This led to shouting and swearing, making it hard for her to communicate well and putting a strain on her relationships.
Horiya needed an outlet to talk and work through the challenges she was facing, and Rachel, one of our Programme Leads provided her with essential support through the Power2 Rediscover programme.
Rachel said, “When we first met, Horiya was very talkative but used this to avoid talking about her feelings. She slowly began to ask me questions as she was curious about how I could help her. From there, she began to trust me and started to open up.”
Together, Rachel and Horiya explored her triggers and shared them with her teachers to help prevent future conflict in school.
Rachel suggested strategies to Horiya’s teachers, like allowing Horiya to remove herself from situations before her anger escalated and discussing her behaviour privately rather than in front of the class.
Alongside this, Rachel helped Horiya to spot the early signs of frustration, introducing reflection techniques that allowed her to identify the emotion she was feeling, why she might be feeling that way and how to practice relaxation to manage those emotions.
As Horiya put these techniques into practice, she realised that her teachers wanted to help her and weren’t against her. Horiya said:
I’ve been able to use my time-out pass which helps me a lot. I just needed some space to breathe before I got angry.
With Horiya feeling much calmer, she communicated better when there were misunderstandings at school and as a result, she didn’t get in trouble as much.
She said, “Some teachers have noticed I am calmer and have seen a difference in my behaviour. I have stopped having as many outbursts and can just get on with my lessons easier.”
Having a trusted adult to talk to outside of home and school was invaluable to Horiya. With Rachel’s support, guidance and advocacy, Horiya learnt to manage her emotions and triggers.
She now controls her anger in lessons and has become a calmer person who talks through making better choices for herself. She communicates more effectively, which has strengthened her relationships with the people in her life.
Horiya said, “[Rachel and I] figured out how to minimise my anger and what could help me. I can talk to Rachel about what has been going on during my week and know that she would not tell anyone else, and I felt relieved after that.”
Some teachers have noticed I am calmer and have seen a difference in my behaviour. I have stopped having as many outbursts and can just get on with my lessons easier.
