Free Anger Management Classes: Where to Find Them and What Counts

This is the fork in the road.

• You just want to get better at handling anger. Good news: almost everything you need is free. Skip to free ways to learn the skills.
• A court, probation officer, diversion program, employer or school told you to complete a class. Then "free" is only half the question. You also need a class that the person who gave you the requirement will accept, with proof they can check. Start with where free court-ordered classes come from.

If you have an order and money is tight, these are the honest places to look. None of them promises a free seat, but each is a real door to knock on.

1. Your probation officer, diversion officer or case manager

Start here. Officers often know which local programs cost nothing, which have a sliding fee, and which ones they will accept. Some departments run or fund their own groups. For example, Virginia's Department of Corrections lists an eight-session anger management program based on SAMHSA's model, with priority for people on probation, and it needs a referral from a counselor or probation officer.

2. Your public defender or court-appointed lawyer

If you have a public defender, ask them. They see the same orders every week and often know which local classes are free or low-cost and which ones the judge accepts.

3. County, city and nonprofit groups

Some local governments and nonprofits run free anger management groups. Past examples include a city-run weekly class in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and free 12-week workshops from an independent living center in western New York that gave completion certificates to people who attended all 12 sessions. Programs like these come and go, so treat any listing you find as a lead to call, not a sure thing.

4. Health centers with a sliding fee

Federally funded community health centers must offer a sliding fee scale based on income, and they cannot turn people away because they can't afford care. Many offer behavioral health services. A group or counseling visit there may cost little or nothing. Ask if they run an anger management group and whether they give a letter or certificate when you finish.

5. Medicaid and community mental health centers

If you have Medicaid, a clinic that takes it may offer counseling or a skills group at no cost to you. Community mental health centers often serve people with low income, too. This is counseling, not a class, so ask your officer first whether counseling sessions would meet your condition.

6. 211 and the NAMI HelpLine

Dial 211 or visit 211.org to ask about free or low-cost anger management groups near you. The NAMI HelpLine (1-800-950-6264, or text "NAMI" to 62640) can point you to local mental health resources and free NAMI support groups. NAMI groups are peer support, not anger management classes, and they don't give certificates for court.

If nobody needs to see a certificate, you can learn a lot without spending anything:

• SAMHSA's anger management manual and workbook. The U.S. government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration publishes a 12-session anger management manual and a matching participant workbook. Both are public domain and free to download from SAMHSA's online store. Many group programs are built on them.
• The VA's AIMS course. Anger and Irritability Management Skills (AIMS) is a free online course from the Department of Veterans Affairs. It's built for veterans but open to anyone, and you build your own anger control plan as you go. The VA says plainly that the site gives no certificate of completion and is not designed to meet court requirements.
• Our free techniques guide. Anger management techniques walks through 20 skills with steps: the anger meter, timeouts, breathing, the STOP skill and more.
• Our free printable worksheets. The anger management worksheets include an anger log, a trigger list, a timeout plan and a personal anger control plan.
• Mindfulness practice. A few minutes a day trains you to notice anger earlier. Our guide to mindfulness for anger has exercises with steps and timings.

Search for free online classes with a certificate and you'll see a lot of offers. Read the fine print. Here's what free courses often leave out:

A "free certificate" ad can also mean the opposite of what it sounds like: the certificate is free because the course itself is sold. Neither is wrong, but you should know which one you're looking at.

For general anger management, there's no national or state list of approved classes, free or paid, so no provider can honestly promise that every court will accept it. Your court or officer decides whether a class counts. Some free local programs are accepted by their local court, often because the court or probation department works with them directly. That's the best kind of free option, and your officer is the person who knows about it. For the full answer, read Is online anger management court approved?

One exception: if your order says domestic violence program, batterer intervention program (BIP or BIPP), or "from the approved list," a general anger management class won't count, free or not. Those programs have their own state or county lists.

Asking feels awkward. It's normal, and officers hear it often. Use these steps:

1. Read your paperwork first. Note the exact words (anger management, impulse control, domestic violence program), the number of hours or weeks, and the deadline.
2. Ask in writing if you can. A short email or text is easy to save.
3. Say the money problem plainly. "I want to finish my anger management class on time, but I can't afford most programs. Do you know of a free or sliding-fee class you would accept?"
4. Ask about format. "Would you accept an online class, or does it need to be in person or live?" Our guides on online vs in-person and live vs self-paced classes explain the differences.
5. Ask what proof they need. Certificate only? Hours on the certificate? A letter from the facilitator?
6. Save the answer. If the answer is yes, keep it with your paperwork.
7. If you're running out of time, tell your officer or lawyer before the deadline, not after. Asking for more time is better than missing it.

Good Standing Courses offers self-paced online anger management classes from 4 to 16 hours. They are a paid course, not a free one, so we don't list them as a free option on this page. They include an enrollment letter, a server-logged timer, a final test and a certificate your officer can check on our verify page. Court-accepted in most jurisdictions; acceptance is decided by your court or officer, so check with them first. Educational course, not therapy. See how the classes work →