Description

This program is a 4 week 8 session individualized interactive and educational therapy to diagnosis underlying mood or substance abuse disorders; identify your specific life stressors; identify triggers for your anger; and use cognitive and behavioral tools to control problematic anger.

Often, treatment rushes to focus on either the "stress" by looking (outside) for alternatives to life challenges. Or focuses on interpersonal relationships - the behavior of others - which feeds the clients mistaken belief that others are responsible for their anger. This program focuses on your personal strengths to moderate stressors - while assisting you to control your anger

This approach initially focuses on the underlying mood, substance abuse, or learned behaviors which are at the root of the client's problematic expression on anger.

Then, cognitive and behavioral tools are taught to assist you to take responsibility for, and charge of, your anger.

Who may attend:

  • Those referred by their physician, HMO, or EAP.
  • Those who recognize that their anger is a complicating factor in their mood illness or substance abuse problem.

Clients sentenced to attend by any Court are ineligible, per their insurance contract, from having Court ordered treatment reimbursed by any insurance company. They may elect to self pay.

Understanding Stres... Controlling Anger, Rage, and Aggression

1. Defining Stress, Anger, and Diagnosing Depressive Illnesses

  • Program contact; 8 premises of anger -"how did I get here?"
  • Understanding, diagnosing depressive illnesses

2. Understanding Anxiety, its role in Worsening Stress

  • Anxiety Illnesses; panic; fight/flight reaction. Does this ignite rage?
  • - Defensive reactions and how they contribute to loss of control

3. Bipolar Illness, its role in anger, aggression; Personality Disorders

  • Bipolar Illness, anger, and rage. Role of Family Abuse in Anger and Rage
  • Characterological Problems--long standing, learned modes of mishandling anger.

4. Impact of Alcohol, Drugs on Mood Illnesses, Stress, and Anger

  • Substance Abuse? Self Assessment, Impact of SA on Stress and Anger
  • Diagnostic Summary, understanding your diagnosis, how anger is worsened

5. Stress: Normal vs Excessive. Acute vs Chronic. Impact on health.

  • Stress index, listing, understanding specific stressors
  • Biology and psychology of stress -Stress and impact on anger

6. Biology of Anger, Identifying Personal Triggers; Contract for Control

  • Anger continuum, when is it problematic? Identifying your specific anger triggers
  • How medications work on neurochemistry to assist in control

7. Techniques for Change Part One

  • Techniques 1: Cognitive/Behavioral methods specific to your situations.
  • The Abused's Trinity: Denied anger; passive aggressive expression; Baiting
  • The Perpetrator's Trilogy: Inadequacy; denied rage; defense of aggression

8. Techniques 2: Additional Cognitive/Behavioral Tools, Skills.

Specific contract and plan for you to maintain changes.

Who may attend:

  • Those referred by their physician, HMO, or EAP or minister.
  • Those who recognize that stress and anger are complicating their mood illness or substance abuse problem and self refer.
  • Those in early to late adulthood; both men and women.
  • Those sentenced by a Court to attend an anger management program may elect to self pay. Most insurance companies will not pay for Court ordered treatment and we respect and comply fully with our contracts in this matter.

How the program proceeds:

  • The program is a combination of education and lecture to set the stage for structured group interaction.
  • A Power Point presentation on all topics, with short films, supplements the various topics detailed in the Session Content.
  • A well detailed copy of the Power Point lecture is provided for each participant, in addition to supplemental written material.
  • Self administered scales for Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Illness, Stressors, and Anger triggers to further assist in determining your diagnosis and contributing factors.
  • Group interaction is used throughout as a powerful, often enjoyable, manner to get to understand oneself, and others.

Bill works best with clients who approach treatment actively. Clients who are willing to educate themselves about their diagnosis and issues and supplement individual treatment with education, group, or community resources have shorter, yet long lasting benefit from treatment.