The Anger Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Deal with Anger and Frustration

Description

Fully revised and updated based on reader feedback! This second edition of The Anger Workbook for Teens includes brand-new activities to help you understand and interact with your anger, and tips for managing it in constructive ways. Does your anger often get you into trouble? Do you react to situations and later regret how you behaved? Does your anger cause problems with other people? If so, you aren't alone. Between family life, friends, social media, and the pressures of school, there's no doubt that it's stressful being a teenager. And while anger is a natural human emotion, different people handle it differently. Some hold in their anger and let it build, some lash out with hurtful words, and some resort to fighting. If you've noticed yourself beginning to take out your frustrations on the people you love most--your parents, brothers or sisters, and friends--it's time to make a change. This second edition of The Anger Workbook for Teens includes brand-new skills and activities based in clinically proven treatments such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you deal with negative thoughts without losing control. You'll find out what's triggering your anger, look at the ways you react, be more aware of your thoughts and how you interact with them, and learn skills and techniques for managing anger without losing your cool. You'll develop a personal anger profile and learn to notice the physical symptoms you feel when you become enraged, then find out how to calm those feelings and respond more sensitively to others. Once you fully understand your anger, you'll be better prepared to deal with your feelings in the moment. As you begin the activities in this workbook, it's perfectly normal to feel angrier at first. That's because you are being asked to really notice and examine the things that make you angry. But with practice, you'll learn to handle frustrating situations in real life and more effectively communicate your feelings. Most importantly, you'll learn the difference between healthy anger--the kind that can motivate you to make positive changes--and problematic anger that leads to negative consequences. Change isn't easy, but with the right frame of mind and set of skills, you can do it. This book is designed to help you understand how both your mind and body respond to anger, and how you can handle this anger in more constructive ways.

Raychelle Cassada Lohmann, MS, LPC, is a national board-certified counsellor and licensed professional counsellor. Lohmann has worked as a school counsellor at middle and high school levels, and has helped hundreds of teens deal with feelings of frustration and anger. She has participated in extensive research on anger, and specializes in individual and group counselling for anger management. She is author of The Anger Workbook for Teens and Staying Cool...When You're Steaming Mad, and co-author of The Bullying Workbook for Teens. She also writes the Psychology Today blog Teen Angst and is an expert contributor on www.rehabs.com and www.sharecare.com. Julia V. Taylor, PhD, is author of Salvaging Sisterhood and Perfectly You and co-author of G.I.R.L.S. (Girls in Real Life Situations) and The Bullying Workbook for Teens. Julia has worked as a middle and high school counsellor and has a passion for empowering girls to stand up to unrealistic media xpectations, take healthy risks and cultivate meaningful relationships. Visit her online at www.juliavtaylor.com.

"The Anger Workbook for Teens is a great resource that uses developmentally appropriate interventions teens can follow, and practical yet sensible tools to promote impactful change. I highly recommend this workbook for teens looking for a way to manage their anger and communicate more effectively. This workbook is an essential resource for counselors, parents, and teachers." --Natalie F. Spencer, PhD, LPC, NCC, assistant professor at North Carolina A&T State University, and author of Mindful Practices for Helping Troubled Teens--Natalie F. Spencer, PhD, LPC, NCC "A super teen-friendly and highly effective guide for teens that is packed with quick-and-easy activities for teens to calm down and problem-solve when anger and other overwhelming emotions come their way. I highly recommend this essential book to every teen, parents of teens, and school systems." --Jeffrey Bernstein, PhD, child, teen, and family psychologist; and author of 10 Days to a Less Defiant Child, Mindfulness for Teen Worry, and the Letting Go of Anger Card Deck--Jeffrey Bernstein, PhD "Anger may be our most misunderstood feeling. Anger is 'too muchness'--too much stress, too many stimuli, too-intense feelings. Raychelle Lohmann has written a wonderful book on anger. She does a terrific job of showing how anger is an important, legitimate feeling and signal. But she does more. Her accessible, user-friendly workbook allows readers to consider the behaviors and actions related to anger, and to enhance their self-reflective capacities and interpersonal skills. This book is a treasure." --Paul C. Holinger, MD, MPH, professor in the department of psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL; and faculty and former dean at Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute--Paul C. Holinger, MD, MPH "Healthy relational connection is what brings joy and satisfaction to living. Very often we allow being 'emotionally upset' to rob us of the opportunity to recover relational connection. Anger is a human emotion that if left unchecked, unaddressed, and unprocessed can bring relational hardship and very little relational satisfaction. The Anger Workbook for Teens provides an effective tool to deal with anger and frustration. It's extremely practical and leads to developing new habits and capacity to process the very human emotion of anger. Let Raychelle Lohmann guide you to identify triggers, stay calm in the moment, and express your feelings." --John Steigerwald, pastor, and executive director of the North Carolina Boys Academy--John Steigerwald "Schools teach advanced calculus and physics, yet mostly pass over teaching the skills essential for emotionally healthy living. Alas, snide, angry retorts can wreck relationships with friends and colleagues. Explosive anger outbursts can undo loving couple and family relationships. To build a firm emotional intelligence foundation for launching into adulthood--maybe even before entering high school--filling out the fun exercises in The Anger Workbook for Teens should become a required rite of passage. An engaging read, with interactive exercises that ensure real learning." --Susan Heitler, PhD, clinical psychologist, blogger on www.psychologytoday.com, and author of the self-help book Prescriptions Without Pills--Susan Heitler, PhD "This second edition of The Anger Workbook for Teens offers creative, interactive, and practical activities for all teens to work through their vast range of emotions. Each activity invites the reader to reflect on their experiences and who they are as they navigate this critical developmental stage of life. The workbook provides a supportive outlet for teenagers, and even highlights realistic and 'doable' coping strategies and skills for teenagers to incorporate into their daily life. I would highly recommend any teenager, parent, counselor, administrator, and anyone who cares about teenagers to consider reviewing the book and working through the activities." --Angie Smith, PhD, LPC-S, LPC, NCC, associate teaching professor and coordinator of college counseling programs at North Carolina State University, and coauthor of Developing Online Learning in the Helping Professions--Angie Smith, PhD, LPC-S, LPC, NCC "This workbook is a true gift for teens who are frustrated and want to express their feelings in healthier, more positive ways. Lohmann's exercises increase self-awareness and build confidence to communicate better and handle anger constructively." --Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD, developmental psychologist and author of Tomorrow's Change Makers--Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD