DREWALIKAKOS M.S.

ANGER MANAGEMENT

Anger can mean many things. In terms of Religious, definition to name a few, anger in Catholicism is counted as one of the seven deadly sins. In Hinduism, anger is equated with sorrow as a form of unrequited desire. Anger in Buddhism is defined as: "being unable to bear the object, or the intention to cause harm to the object." Outside of religion it has even invaded the public in forms of entertainment such as the movie Anger Management. Continuing on we understand anger is an emotion related to one's perception of having been offended or wronged and a tendency to undo that wrongdoing by retaliation. Living in major metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia and even it's surrounding suburbs can also pose many problems most likely you deal with anger in one form or another each and every day. There are, however, ways to avoid conflict and ease anger you may be experiencing of feeling.

How to avoid conflict:

• Do not use sarcasm
• Do not raise your voice or yell
• Stay calm while talking
• Engage in dialogue and negotiation only
• Do not intimidate
• Acknowledge the role of previous experiences and people as part of the elements that can lead to conflict
• If the conversation escalates, separate yourself from the situation

Ways to resolve the conflict after it has taken place:

• Take some time to think about how the conflict began
• Try to determine the true source of the conflict and work this through your mind
• Once you have determined solutions to the conflict, contact the other party to meet
• Establish a calm state
• Engage in dialogue and negotiation
• Try to avoid raising your voice in the conversation
• Try to avoid sarcasm in the conversation
• If the conversation escalates, separate yourself from the situation
• Your goal should be to resolve the conflict

At our facility we have an anger management program which offers a group therapy for older adolescents and a group for adults. This is a program centered on forensic issues and it provides an alternative to the Criminal Court system. Spousal abuse, domestic relations and criminal behaviors rare treated here.

The group cost is $40.00 a session and is based out of West Chester Pennsylvania. It is a cognitive based program. An attempt is made to identify underlying disorders such as ADHD, Bipolar and drug and alcohol disorders. Alternative behavior is taught and processed as well as role playing and coordinating treatment for underlying issues such as; AA and Psycho Pharmacy.