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"I have found the course to be very helpful"

About: Thurrock Services / Inclusion Thurrock Psychological Therapies Service

(as a service user),

I have struggled with controlling my anger for as long as I can remember, and being in my mid 30s, it became a much bigger problem, causing problems with my marriage, parenting, work, and general every day life.

After struggling with anger outbursts, and failing to control it, I sought help from inclusion. I was pointed toward the emotional regulation course. 

Overall, I have found the course to be very helpful. It has given me the tools to not only manage my anger, but to realise that the underlying emotion is actually a different one, and anger is my response. I've got a long way to go in understanding my emotional responses to tough situations, but I feel positive now that I can do that.

The skills that I have learned have caused more emotional issues, in that I am now aware of emotions I had been suppressing, but this is a massive door opener, in that I can now work on this further myself.

Initially I found it difficult to participate in the group, as there was another member I found particularly triggering. This was resolved by my leaving the course until they had finished, and coming back to start again. I am glad I was able to do this, as it was much easier to focus the second time around.

I definitely think that this course is a valuable one to be offered, and I wish I had been able to access it sooner.

There are however, some things I disliked:

Firstly, I was given the impression that the group works better with more participants, which may well be true, I never saw the alternative. However, I found that it was very disruptive on occasion, when a participant would go off on a tangent about something, that might be loosely related to the subject, but ended up being just a worm hole. This happened a fair bit. This can't be avoided if someone just starts speaking, but it wasn't cut off quickly enough, if at all, in my opinion. It is a course, we are there to learn self help skills, and nobody is learning when the tutor/therapist cannot speak about the actually course topic.

Secondly, I didn't like the way the questionnaires were worded. I spent the first 5 months thinking that "upset" meant sad. Sadness is not an emotion I connect with, so I was just sort of guessing the answers most of the time. Perhaps a reword might be considered, or an explanation of the term?

Thirdly, the pace was slow for me. I found it difficult to stay focused at such a slow pace. This is my personal learning preference, and I'm aware that the opposite is true for others, not everyone likes the same pace. This is just my experience.

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Responses

Response from Ricci Pang, Assistant Psychologist, Inclusion Thurrock: Psychological Therapy Service, Inclusion 2 weeks ago
Ricci Pang
Assistant Psychologist, Inclusion Thurrock: Psychological Therapy Service,
Inclusion
Submitted on 26/06/2025 at 15:32
Published on Care Opinion at 15:32


Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughtful and detailed feedback. It’s clear how much reflection and growth has come from your time on the Emotional Regulation course.

I’m pleased to hear that the course helped you gain insight into your emotional responses and provided tools to support you in managing anger. It’s not easy to confront long-held patterns, so your openness to learning and change is commendable. It’s also encouraging to hear that, despite some initial challenges with the group, you were able to return and benefit more fully the second time around.

I also appreciate your honesty in highlighting the aspects that didn’t work so well for you. I’ve escalated your concerns about group dynamics, the pace of sessions, and the wording of questionnaires to the senior team for their consideration. Feedback like yours is vital in helping us reflect and improve the service we provide.

Thank you again for your comments. I wish you continued strength and progress as you move forward.

Warm regards,
Ricci Pang
Assistant Psychologist
Psychological Therapy Service

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