What to expect when attending anger management classes?!

What to expect when attending anger management classes?

My fiance came to me and expressed concerns that he may need anger management. His work history is less than perfect because of his angry outbursts and behavior on the job. He is in the process of finding a new job but now his anger issues are taking place in our home and I do not want the situation to escalate out of control. I agreed to accompany him when he sees a counselor but I want to know what to expect. Sometimes I can express myself better through writing, so would it be a good idea for me to keep a log of his behavior to discuss with the counselor? Has anyone else ever attend couples counseling for something similar to my situation?

First off congrats to you and your fiance for dealing with this issue BEFORE you get married and props to him for seeking out help for something that no doubt effects his day to day job performance and future promotions!

My answers to you; do not keep a log of "his" behavior. Keep a log of your own behavior and the reactions you get along with how you feel and what your thoughts are when the anger comes up. This will not only help you communicate to him how his anger and acting out affects you but it will also help the counselor in recognizing what your part in the situation is.

Depending on what type of program your fiance is participating in your role could be very different. If you are doing an anger management class or couples class then expect a portion of the program to be educational and the other part experiential (like where you guys a talking about things and practicing new ways of communicating and relaxing). If this is what you are doing or what HE is doing then your role may not be very large and you may want to read some books about anger management so when he tries new behaviors or communication tactics your not reverting to old behaviors too and undermining his attempts.
If you are doing straight up couples counseling/ psychotherapy then I would expect a counselor to meet with myself and my husband together once, and then each of seperate once and then on the fourth session to lay out some sort of treatment plan for continued sessions. The counselor will probably collect information about your histories (health and mental health), substances you use (this is really important to be honest about because it could be a part of the problem), and what phase of life problems/ issues you guys are dealing with. Then they will ask questions about what has made you seek this out NOW, why has this behavior just become a serious problem now and finally what each of you does and how you each deal with it.
Since this anger "problem" isnt just affecting home life and it sounds like its affecting his work life pretty seriously I would expect that he would be seen more individually then you and you would be seen more for support and so you could learn how to support his new behaviors.
Best of luck to you both and again, good work exploring this prior to your marriage!