Latest trends in anger management referrals

As an area of specialization, anger management is moving into the mainstream of American thought. On the advice of Rev. Jessie Jackson, Michael Richards has entered into an anger management program to address issues associated with his publicly displayed outrage. Medical Quality Assurance Boards are referring physicians on weekly bases from all over the country to Executive Coaching/anger management programs for inappropriate aggressive behavior toward patients or ancillary staff.

Popular Talk Shows, such as Greg Behrendt, Dr. Keith Ablow, Dr. Phil, and even Penn & Teller have presented segments featuring anger management on their shows. This represents the growing public awareness of anger management as a legitimate intervention for persons exhibiting problems in managing anger.

Licensed Mental Health Providers including Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Clinical Social Workers, and Marriage & Family Therapists are rapidly acknowledging the need for consultation and referral of angry patients to Certified Anger Management Facilitators. An interesting variation is for clinicians to refer their client or patient for an Anger Management Assessment before deciding whether to refer the client to an anger management class. This is a good practice, because it serves to rule out clients who may not benefit from anger management, clients who may not need anger management, or clients who may not be motivated to change.

The assessment includes the following components:
• Anger Management and Anger Control
• Fear Management or Self-Defeating Communication Patterns
• Communication Styles
• Assertive Communication
• Passive Communication
• Stress Management
• Empathy/emotional intelligence
• Change Orientation (motivation to change)

It has been documented that a scored assessment, such as the Anger Management Assessment, is vital to determining and enhancing academic achievement, relationship success, professional achievement, and positive personal change.

Skill Enhancement Component
The Anderson & Anderson skill enhancement consists of the following four units:
• Anger Management
• Stress Management
• Communication
• Emotional Intelligence

Each skill enhancement module consists of approximately 4 – 5 hours of interactive learning activities, DVDs, listening activities, and post assessments. The Client Workbooks, “Controlling Ourselves and “Gaining Control of Ourselves” contain all of the exercises as assignments.

The curriculum is made more interesting by the use of companion DVDs, CDS, Videos and experiential exercises and quizzes.

For more information or to enroll, contact our office at 310-207-3591 or visit our website at www.andersonservices.com.

Anger Management Client Assessments

Anderson & Anderson is now offering anger management assessments for clients referred from other mental health providers as well as EAPs and managed health care companies.

It is apparent that many clinicians recognize the need for specialized assessment and intervention for clients suffering from anger and stress. We are receiving client referrals from Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Clinical Social Workers and MFTs for anger management/executive coaching. Therefore, we have decided to formally announce our interest in providing assessment, intervention and/or consultation for clients of Mental Health Clinicians experiencing problems managing anger and stress.


The assessment includes the following components:

Anger Management and Anger Control
Fear Management or Self-Defeating Communication Patterns
Communication Styles
Assertive Communication
Passive Communication
Stress Management
Empathy/emotional intelligence
Change Orientation which is motivation to change


It has been documented that a scored assessment such as the Anger Management Assessment is vital in determining and enhancing academic achievement, relationship success, professional achievement, and positive personal change.

A print-out of the client’s level of functioning in these areas along with the scale scores will be provided to each client and sent to his or her Psychotherapist upon request. (With signed releases) This assessment is computerized.


The Cost: $250.00
For additional information or to make a referral, contact our office at 310-207-3591.

New Advertising Rates for Anderson Websites

New advertising rates for the Anderson websites


You may now advertise directly on both of the Anderson & Anderson Websites as well as the website of the American Association of Anger Management Providers.

List of rates:

All Anderson & Anderson Providers with Multiple Locations will now pay $49.00 per month in advance for each site in excess of their initial site.

Advertising space is now available on the Home Page of www.andersonservices.com under Anderson & Anderson Provider Spotlite. Each provider can write his or her own ad and pay $150.00 for a three month period. Ads in this section are averaging 1000 hits per month. We can provide the stats for each ad monthly.

Anyone can place a google ad on our either www.andersonservices.com , www.aaamp.org. Or www.anger-management-resources.org. Simply go to either site and click on: Advertise on this site which appears at the bottom of each google ad section on our websites.

On our new Anger Management Resource Directory website at www.anger-management-resources.org, you can place one free listing for your practice and your own enhanced listing/ad on this site for $49 per year.

You may advertise on the website of the American Association of Anger Management Providers, www.aaamp.org for a three month period at a cost of $50 per month.


For additional information or to place and ad, contact Ben Arntz at 310-207-3591.


George Anderson, MSW, CAMF, BCD
www.andersonservices.com
www.aaamp.org
www.anger-management-resources.org

Michael Richards needs Anger Management

Inappropriate displays of anger and rage occur in public very frequently. When explosive situations arise, such as Michael Richards’ tirade, often the listeners or victims are left with no means of recourse, because it is up to the perpetrator to seek help voluntarily. In work situations, complaints can be filed with the Human Resource Department. In driving situations, a complaint can be filed with the local law enforcement.

Anger is a normal human emotion. It is a feeling of displeasure that usually shows itself in a desire to fight back at its supposed cause. When intense anger occurs, it can affect the ability to think clearly (cognition). All too often, people act out violently or aggressively as a result of their anger, as evidenced by Mr. Richards.

Anger is a problem when it is too intense, occurs too frequently, lasts too long, leads to aggression, or destroys relationships with others. In Michael Richards’s situation, it appears the anger was too intense, led to verbal aggression, and severely strained his relationships with others, including his professional colleagues.

Since anger is not a pathological condition, counseling, psychotherapy, or alcohol rehab is clearly not the proper way to address it. What is needed is an assessment by a Certified Anger Management Provider and intervention. The Anger Management Assessment consists of a Map which determines the client’s level of functioning in four areas: how well he recognizes and manages stress and anger, how well he uses assertive communication, and to what extent he is emotionally intelligent or empathic.

Following the assessment, the client should be assigned a workbook with content including exercises to develop skills in the four areas mentioned above. For high profile clients such as Mr. Richards, it is best for the sessions to be provided in a one-on-one, executive-coaching format.

There are several credible national lists of trained anger management providers listed on the internet. They include the following:
http://www.andersonservices.com/providers.html
www.anger-management-resources.org
www.aaamp.org

George Anderson, BCD, CAMF

Scope of Practice for Certified Anger Management Facilitators

Licensed Marriage and Family Counselors are permitted to provide counseling and psychotherapy within the scope of their practice as determined by the Board on Behavior Science in California. Licensed Clinical Social Workers are also legally allowed to provide a wide range of interventions including counseling, psychotherapy and consultation of a non-medical nature. Psychologists can provide psychological testing, counseling, psychotherapy and other non-medical interventions related to the treatment of nervous and mental disorders.

In the absence of state law, though, there is technically no scope of practice for trained anger management providers. However, it is in the best interest of all non-licensed psychotherapists who are providers of anger management to be informed of the limitations of what a certified anger management facilitator should and should not do.

As the result of complaints to the Department of Consumer Affairs’ regulatory agencies in California, several anger management providers are under investigation for providing counseling without a license. As the major provider of anger management facilitator certification in the nation, I take our responsibility as professional providers seriously and will do everything possible to cooperate in this investigation.

In this regard, I would like to make it clear that anger management is neither counseling nor psychotherapy. Anger management providers are trained to conduct an assessment for each client’s level of functioning in: recognizing and managing anger and stress, communications, and emotional intelligence. Following the assessment, the anger management facilitator is trained to provide classes to help the client develop skills in those four areas. Therefore, the scope of practice is limited to teaching classes pertaining to the management of anger, either in groups or individual/executive coaching settings.

Finally, I encourage all consumers and providers to report any apparent violation of the aforementioned, implied scope of practice for certified anger management providers in California.

In order to protect consumers, we must regulate ourselves.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF
Diplomate, American Association of Anger Management Providers
Fellow, American Orthopsychiatric Association
http://www.andersonservices.com/
www.anger-management-resources.org

Don't Let Elections Result in Anger

by Ben Arntz

Politics can be quite polarizing, often turning the most mild-mannered citizens into raging proselytizers. Differences in political opinion can escalate into name-calling, backstabbing, and extreme pettiness--and that's just the politicians.

Elections are inherently stressful for voters, dividing up the country into separate groups with "us versus them" mentalities. Close races leave a large percentage of voters disheartened, dissatisfied, and/or angry. When these negative feelings accumulate and add to life's other stresses, the result can be an explosion of anger. It is important to constructively address these feelings in a safe environment before outbursts occur.

During this most recent election, it has become clear to me that the most persuasive political debators (on every level--from high-profile campaigners to the barroom orators) are those with highly developed emotional intelligence and assertive communications skills. Anger management courses using the Anderson & Anderson model are designed to develop and enhance these skills, in addition to addressing the aforementioned buildup of stress and anger.

For more information on anger management courses in an area near you, please click here.

Tips for Managing Employees at Work

Indications of Anger in the workplace are often subtle and unrecognized. It can be as mild as unspoken resentment against a co-worker or manager, and as overt as verbal or physical abuse of fellow employees. When anger progresses to the point of disrupting work or making the work environment unpleasant, anger among individuals in a company needs to be recognized and addressed.

The two key words in the preceding sentence are 'recognized' and 'managed.' It's essential for managers and supervisors to recognize subtle signs of anger in all forms. In particular, it's important to know when anger is proceeding beyond a normal stage of frustration to anger or rage. Most mental health professionals agree that anger is a normal and inevitable human emotion. Anger is considered problematic when it is too intense, occurs too frequently, lasts too longer, is harmful to self or others or leads to verbal or physical aggression. When the expression and self-management of anger is not properly handled, however, anger becomes potentially disruptive and counterproductive to individuals and the company as a whole. Inappropriate expression of anger damages morale and impacts the bottom line.

Managers and supervisors should be on the lookout for signs of stress, irritability, resentment, frustration and overt antagonism among employees. Signs of anger include: arguments or physical confrontation among employees (often instigated by one employee in particular); employees who 'get back' at others by undermining their activities (often without telling others of their anger); employees who criticize others constantly; and employees who become surly, spiteful, irritable or withdrawn.

Be sure to examine the stated reasons of an employee's anger. It's unreasonable to think that all employee anger is unfounded and illogical. Managers should examine situations and employee relations within the organization to determine if sources of anger are indications that real problems exist and that changes truly need to be considered. Anger management is not limited to line staff; instead, it is an intervention which is useful to anyone interesting in improving his or her interpersonal relationships.

When an employee is overly angry or aggressive, supervisors should meet with the individual and try to find out what is the cause of frustration. Unexpressed and uncontrolled anger can result in difficulties between employees, disruption of workflow and health problems within the individuals harboring angry feelings. When appropriate, anger management classes on-site should be made available for the entire workforce. This can best be accomplished by contacting a Certified Anger Management Facilitator for an on-site class. A list of Certified Anger Management Professionals can found by visiting the website of Anderson & Anderson at http://www.andersonservices.com/ .

The role of the Anger Management Facilitator is to explain that anger management is a course which teaches skills in recognizing and managing stress, anger, techniques for mastering assertive communication and increasing emotional intelligence/empathy. The Anderson & Anderson anger management model begins with as assessment of each client which is a simple Map to determine the level of functioning in managing recognizing stress, anger, styles of communication and the degree of emotional intelligence as well as motivation to change. The anger management class can be provided in a group format or on an individual basis especially for managers or supervisors.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF
http://www.andersonservices.com/
http://www.anger-management-resources.org/
--- Anderson & Anderson is the first global provider of anger management facilitator certification.

Prevention of Workplace Violence

By Robert A. Evans, Ph.D.

Preventing Workplace Violence

While training in anger management can be very helpful in preventing workplace violence incidents or even minimizing their effects, there are a number of other things an employer can do.

One of the best ways to prevent workplace violence and avoid law suits is to guard against some common mistakes employers make. These errors typically surface after an incident, but then it’s too late. Let’s look at some of the issues.

Negligent Hiring: An employer may be found liable for damages and injuries caused by an incident of workplace violence if the courts deem that the perpetrator was hired negligently, i.e. without a sufficient background check, if that background check would have exposed the possibility of dangerous behavior.

Negligent Training: An employer may be found liable for damages and injuries caused by an incident of workplace violence if the courts deem that the perpetrator was not trained sufficiently to do his or her job safely, i.e., a police officer who shoots someone because he or she does not have sufficient training in the use of a firearm.
Negligent Supervision: An employer may be found liable for damages and injuries caused by an incident of workplace violence if the courts deem that the employer could have stopped or prevented the incident if the or she had supervised the perpetrator more closely and known about the threats and other dangerous behaviors taking place.

Negligent Retention: An employer may be found liable for damages and injuries caused by an incident of workplace violence if the courts deem that the employer knew of the perpetrator’s dangerous behaviors and was negligent in not terminating his or her employment.

Protecting Your Organization Against Liability.• Regularly remind your employees of your organization’s workplace policies

• Stay alert for any changes in your employees’ behavior or interactions

• Create an atmosphere that encourages trust and confidence between you and your employees

• Document unusual behavior and warning signs in detail

• Don’t hesitate to intervene EARLY when you notice an employee’s performance or behavior deteriorating

• Discuss with management your concerns about conflicting or ambiguous organizations policies


--Dr. Evans is an Anger Management Facilitator certified by Anderson and Anderson.
--- Anderson & Anderson is the first global provider of anger management facilitator certification.