Athena DUI Academy offers anger management classes in Athens for court orders, probation and personal goals, taught live online or in person at our office. If a court or probation officer sent you, your order decides how many hours you need and what kind of class counts, so read it first and then call us at 706.215.9661.
Plenty of people also come on their own, because they want to handle stress and conflict better at home or at work. You don't need a court order to enroll.
Who takes anger management classes?
We serve Athens-Clarke County and the surrounding Northeast Georgia area. People take anger management for one of these reasons:
- A court order. A judge made the class part of your sentence or another court requirement.
- Probation. Georgia's Department of Community Supervision says courts may impose special conditions depending on the offense, and standard conditions let your officer direct you to rehabilitative services.
- Personal goals. You, your family or your employer want you to learn better ways to deal with anger.
How to read your court or probation order
The number of hours comes from your court or probation order, not from the school. We can't choose the hours for you, and neither can any other school. Before you enroll, find these five things in your paperwork.
- The program name. Does it say "anger management," "Family Violence Intervention Program," "FVIP," "batterer's intervention," or something like "alcohol and drug treatment"? Each is a different program.
- The amount. A number of hours, a number of sessions or weeks, or just "complete a program."
- The deadline. A date to finish, or a date to file proof, or "within 90 days of sentencing" style language.
- Who gets the proof. The court clerk, your probation officer or both.
- Any format limits. Some orders say "in person" or require a specific provider or a "certified" program.
| If your order says… | It likely means… | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Anger management, __ hours" | A class of that length from a provider your court or probation officer accepts | Call us with the hours and deadline so we can match the class. |
| "Anger management program" with no hours | The court left the length open | Ask your probation officer or the clerk how many hours they expect before you pay for a class. |
| "FVIP" or "Family Violence Intervention Program" | A 24-week state-certified program | Use the Commission on Family Violence directory. Anger management will not satisfy this. |
| "Evaluation and treatment as recommended" | An assessment first, then whatever it recommends | Ask who must do the evaluation; if it's a DUI case, see our clinical evaluation page. |
| "As directed by probation" | Your officer decides the details | Get the requirement from your officer in writing before you enroll. |
If the wording is unclear, check with your probation officer, the court clerk or your attorney first. Our article How long are court-ordered anger management classes? goes into more detail on typical lengths.
Anger management vs. FVIP: the difference, with the rule
If your order says "Family Violence Intervention Program" or "FVIP," anger management will not satisfy it. The Georgia Commission on Family Violence says Georgia's FVIP standards set these programs apart from anger management. Athena does not offer FVIP. Find a certified program in the Commission's directory by county; you may attend any certified FVIP in the state.
According to the Commission, anger management sees anger as the trigger for a person's reaction. FVIPs are built specifically for people who have harmed an intimate partner or family member, and they treat abuse as learned behavior aimed at control. Under O.C.G.A. § 19-13-16(a), a court sentencing someone for an offense involving family violence, or issuing a family violence protective order, must order an FVIP unless it states on the record why one isn't appropriate.
Georgia's FVIP rules, in Department of Community Supervision Rule 105-3-.07, show how different the two programs are:
| Feature | FVIP (Rule 105-3-.07) | Anger management |
|---|---|---|
| Who certifies it | Department of Community Supervision, with the Commission on Family Violence | No statewide certification; your court or probation officer decides what's acceptable |
| Length | 24 group classes of 90 to 120 minutes, one per week; no doubling up to finish faster | Set by your order |
| Intake | Separate orientation that doesn't count toward the 24; police reports, protective orders and sentence conditions collected first | Registration with the school |
| Absences | No more than three | School policy; ask before you enroll |
| Fees | Capped at $60 per class and $120 for intake, with a sliding scale for indigent participants | Set by the school; Athena's is not published, so call |
| Victim contact | Required; the program contacts the victim liaison within five days of enrollment | Not part of the program |
What an anger management class typically covers
Anger management is about practical skills, not blame. The clearest public description of what these classes teach is the participant workbook published by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Anger Management for Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Clients. It's a 12-session, cognitive-behavioral program in the public domain, and its outline is a good guide to what to expect from a course like this. Ask us what your specific class covers when you call.
| Session (SAMHSA workbook) | What you work on |
|---|---|
| 1. Overview | Anger vs. aggression vs. hostility, myths about anger, and the "anger meter" for rating anger from 1 to 10. |
| 2. Events and cues | The events and "red flags" that set you off, and the four kinds of cues: physical, behavioral, emotional and cognitive. |
| 3. Anger control plans | Immediate strategies like timeouts, deep breathing and thought stopping, plus preventive ones like exercise. |
| 4. The aggression cycle | Buildup, explosion and aftermath, and progressive muscle relaxation. |
| 5. Cognitive restructuring | The A-B-C-D model: activating event, beliefs, consequences and disputing the beliefs that fuel anger. |
| 6 and 11. Practice sessions | Working through real situations with the tools so far. |
| 7 and 8. Assertiveness and conflict resolution | The difference between aggressive, passive, passive-aggressive and assertive responses, and a step-by-step conflict resolution model. |
| 9 and 10. Anger and the family | How anger was expressed in the family you grew up in and how that shapes you now. |
| 12. Closing and graduation | Reviewing your anger control plan and receiving a certificate. |
The SAMHSA workbook also spells out group rules that most programs share in some form: no violence or threats, confidentiality, short between-session assignments, and an attendance limit. In that model, missing more than three of the 12 sessions means no certificate. For a closer look at the material, read what you learn in anger management classes.
Proof of completion
The certificate is the whole point for a court or probation case, so handle it carefully.
- Ask what it must show. Most courts and officers want your name, the program name, the number of hours or sessions and the completion date. Ask your probation officer whether anything else is required, such as attendance records.
- Ask where it goes. The clerk, your officer or both. When needed, Athena sends the certificate to the court, probation officer or clerk at no extra cost. Tell us who should receive it when you register.
- Keep your own copy. Keep the certificate, your registration confirmation and any receipts until your case and probation are fully closed. If a record is ever questioned, your copy answers it.
- File before the deadline. A certificate that arrives late may not count, and only the court or your officer can extend the date.
What happens if…
Your order says FVIP and you took anger management
The class won't satisfy the order. Georgia treats FVIP as a separate certified program, and FVIPs send compliance and termination notices to courts and probation. Enroll in a certified FVIP from the Commission's directory and tell your officer right away.
You miss the deadline
Only the court or your probation officer can change the terms of your order. Talk to them or your attorney early, and keep proof that you registered. Because you can't register and start class the same day, give yourself room.
You want to take it online
Athena's live online class is taught in real time with an instructor, not as a self-paced video. Whether that meets your requirement depends on your court or officer, so confirm before you register. See Can you take anger management classes online in Georgia? for the questions to ask.
You miss a class
Each program sets its own attendance rules. Ask about make-ups before you enroll, and call us before the session if something comes up.
Questions to ask your probation officer
- Is my requirement anger management or FVIP, and how many hours or sessions?
- Is there a date to finish, and a separate date to file proof?
- Will you accept a live online class, or does it have to be in person?
- Do you need a specific provider, or any provider that issues a certificate?
- What must the certificate show, and should the program send it to you or to the clerk?
- Does this class also satisfy any other condition on my sentence, such as counseling?
Timeline
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sentencing or probation intake | Get the order in writing. Note program name, hours, deadline and who receives proof. |
| Same week | Confirm anything unclear with your officer or the clerk. Call us with the details. |
| Registration | Register online or by phone. You join the next scheduled class, not a class the same day. |
| During the class | Attend every session; ask about make-ups before you need one. |
| Completion | Receive your certificate; we send a copy to the court or officer when needed. |
| Before the deadline | Confirm the court or officer received it, and keep your copy. |
If you're in Athens-Clarke County
Athens-Clarke County Probation Services supervises misdemeanor probation for the Superior, State, Magistrate and Municipal courts. It's at 110 Bray Street, Athens, GA 30601, phone 706-613-3911, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Municipal Court, which hears county ordinance violations and state misdemeanor traffic cases, is at 325 East Washington Street, Suite 170, phone 706-613-3690. State Court, which hears misdemeanor cases including family violence offenses, is in Suite 425 at the same address, phone 706-613-3200. If your order calls for FVIP, the Commission on Family Violence's directory lists certified programs by county.
Key terms
- Anger management: a skills class that treats anger as the trigger for a reaction and teaches ways to control it.
- FVIP: a Family Violence Intervention Program, a 24-class program certified by the Department of Community Supervision for people who have abused an intimate partner or family member.
- Special condition of probation: a requirement a court adds to a sentence based on the offense, such as treatment or a class.
- Certificate of completion: the program's proof that you finished; the document your court or officer needs.
- Anger vs. aggression: in the SAMHSA model, anger is a feeling; aggression is behavior meant to cause harm.
- Timeout: a basic anger control strategy of leaving a situation before it escalates.
- Protective order: a court order against family violence; issuing one requires the court to order FVIP unless it states why not.
How Athena handles it
Read your order, then call 706.215.9661, Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm, or register online. We'll confirm the right class, tell you plainly if your order calls for a program we don't offer, such as FVIP, and give you current pricing. You join the next scheduled class, live online or in person at 110 Athens West Parkway, Ste. C, Athens, GA 30606. When you finish, we send your certificate to the court, probation officer or clerk at no extra cost, and qualifying students can take class now and pay later through Stripe. Need another court class too? We also teach Georgia's DDS-certified DUI school and the state-approved Driver Improvement course. Our motto is "We Help You Become a Warrior of Wisdom (W.O.W.)."