USM clinic offers help to manage anger

Everyone gets angry at some point in time.

But for those who experience intense, long-lasting anger that can express itself in a dysfunctional way, serious problems can result.

USM's Community Counseling and Assessment Clinic plans to offer an anger management program to help individuals learn to cope with unhealthy forms of anger.

Eric Dahlen, director of the CCAC, said there are three main kinds of anger:

• Excessive anger, characterized as frequent, intense and the kind of anger that can cause problems with others and depression.

• Problematic anger, which is more likely to be expressed in unhealthy ways such as yelling and physical aggression.

• Dysfunctional anger, which can drastically impair one's quality of life.

According to the American Psychological Association, anger can be expressed healthily by "expressing your angry feelings in an assertive-not aggressive-manner."

Unexpressed anger causes the most problems, APA statistics show. It can cause pathological expressions of anger, such as passive-aggressive behavior or a personality that seems sarcastic and hostile. Some examples of this are people putting others down, criticizing everything and making comments.

The most difficult step for a person with an anger problem is to develop a willingness to change the behavior. "The key for many people is realizing that they will be more successful in life if they can learn to manage their anger effectively rather than expecting others to change to suit their expectations," Dahlen said.

CCAC's anger management program is designed to help people deal with unhealthy anger. "Because mild anger serves many positive functions, our goal is not to eliminate anger but to help participants gain control over it so that they feel better about themselves," Dahlen said.

The program consists of two primary components: relaxation training and cognitiverestructuring.

Relaxation training helps participants learn to relax in anger-provoking situations. Cognitive restructuring originates from the idea excessive anger is often caused by the way a situation is interpreted.

"Let's say that another driver abruptly cuts in front of me, forcing me to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting him," Dahlen said. "If I have thoughts like 'He meant to do that' or 'Where did that jerk learn to drive' I become much more angry than if I think something like, 'He must not have seen me.'"

The purpose of the program is to give participants the tools needed to help reduce their anger and handle provoking situations more effectively.

The program is taught by graduate students in counseling psychology who arereceiving specialized training and supervision from Dahlen. Students working in the clinic have prior counseling experience, and their work is closely monitored to insure the highest standard of quality.

Clients are taught on an individual basis. The program begins by identifying triggers of anger and both healthy and unhealthy coping responses.

Dahlen recommends anger management for people who have more frequent, intense and long-lasting episodes of anger than many of their peers, particularly those who suffer from aggression, substance abuse or relationship problems.

The eight-session program is already in progress, but those interested can still contact the clinic to take part. The program costs $20 plus an additional $5 charge for the initial interview.

For more information about any of the services provided contact the Community Counseling and Assessment Clinic at 266-4601.