Physicians Endorse Executive Coaching for Physicians

To the surprise of many in the Health Care Industry, legitimate, focused executive coaching for anger is experiencing a wider range of acceptance from physiicans than anticipated. The anticipated opposition appears to have been based on the lack of clarity on the part of many as to what is invoved in Executive Coaching for Physicians.

Programs that require a psychiatric or psychological assessment are, in fact, the source of anxiety and opposition from many physician groups. Problems managing anger, stress and/ or assertive communication styles are not pathological conditions. Therefore, an examination for psychopathlogy is neither appropriate nor necessary.

Disruptive physicians are those physicians whose interpersonal relationships may be compromised by excessive stress, anger, lack of emotional intelligence and/or aggressive communication. Hence, whatever assessments are used should be related to determining deficits in managing anger, stress, assertive communication and emotional intelligence.

Doctors are acutely aware of the potential damage to their practices and careers any record of mental illness or history of substance abuse or sexual abuse. It is therefore critical that Physician Well-being Committees, Hospital Administrators and those responsile for referring “disruptive physicians” make certain that the referral source is narrowly focused on the issues related to the defined problems of “anger management ” rather than redefining the problem as mental illness/psychopathology.

The American Psychiatric Association has appropriately determined that anger is a normal human emotion rather than a diagnosable pathological condition. Further, anger is considered by the APA as a “lifestyle issue”. Anger is a problem when it is too intense, occurs too frequently, lasts too long, leads to health problems, impacts interpersonal relationships or results in aggression or violence.

For information on on-site Executive Coaching/anger Management for Physicians, please our website at www.andersonservices.com or contact us at 310-207-3591.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAP
Diplomate, American Association of Anger Management Providers
Anderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Management
http://www.andersonservices.com/
http://www.angertrends.blogspot.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/coachinganger
www.anger-management-resources.org