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

by Raychelle Cassada Lohmann PhD, LPC, Julia V. Taylor PhD (Foreword by)

Overview

Do you often find yourself in trouble because of anger? Do you react to situations and later regret how you behaved? Does your anger cause problems with other people? Are you tired of letting anger control you?

Between family life, friends, 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, some resort to fighting, and some just explode. 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 may be time to make a change.

The Anger Workbook for Teens includes thirty-seven exercises designed to show you effective skills to help you deal with feelings of rage without losing it. By completing just one ten-minute worksheet a day, you'll find out what's triggering your anger, look at the ways you react, and learn skills and techniques for getting your anger under control. 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 and never lose your cool.

The activities in this workbook will help you notice things that make you angry, handle frustrating situations without getting angry, and effectively communicate your feelings. Most of all, these activities can help you learn to change how you respond to anger. Change is not 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, how you can handle this anger constructively, and relaxation techniques for dealing with anger in a healthy way, so that you can not only control your anger, but your life as a whole.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781572246997
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	12/02/2009
Series:	Instant Help for Teens Series
Edition description:	Workbook
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	377,034
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Raychelle Cassada Lohmann, MS, LPC, has worked in middle school and high school settings as a professional school counselor. She has done extensive research in anger management and specializes in individual and group counseling for anger management.




Foreword writer Julia V. Taylor, MA, is author of Salvaging Sisterhood, G.I.R.L.S.(Girls in Real Life Situations), and Perfectly You. Taylor has worked as a middle and high school counselor and speaks nationally about relational aggression, body image, and other teen issues.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Introduction 1

Part 1 Identifying and Understanding Anger

Activity 1 What Is Anger? 4

Activity 2 Anger Myth Busters 8

Activity 3 Your Anger Profile 12

Activity 4 Keeping an Anger Log 16

Activity 5 Understanding Family Patterns 20

Activity 6 Your Body's Response to Anger 24

Activity 7 Gauging Anger 28

Activity 8 Identifying Your Anger Triggers 33

Part 2 Anger Dynamics

Activity 9 Fight Flight, or Freeze 38

Activity 10 Emotions and Feelings 42

Activity 11 Master of Disguise 47

Activity 12 Observing Thoughts 50

Activity 13 Thought Distortions 53

Activity 14 The ABC Model of Anger 57

Activity 15 Stages of Anger 61

Activity 16 Weighing the Options 65

Part 3 Communication Skills

Activity 17 Same Thing, Different View 70

Activity 18 More Than Words 74

Activity 19 Good Listening 78

Activity 20 Words Matter 82

Activity 21 Filtering Responses 87

Activity 22 Social Media and Anger 91

Activity 23 Criticism and Compliments 95

Activity 24 Being Assertive 98

Part 4 Handling Anger

Activity 25 Keeping Perspective 104

Activity 26 Getting the Facts 108

Activity 27 Coping with Conflict 111

Activity 28 Handling Anger Constructively 115

Activity 29 Taking Responsibility for Your Actions 119

Activity 30 Distancing Yourself from Anger 123

Activity 31 Using Anger for Positive Results 127

Part 5 Coping Mechanisms

Activity 32 What Matters Most 132

Activity 33 Relaxation Techniques 135

Activity 34 Mindful Escape 139

Activity 35 Releasing Anger Symbolically 142

Activity 36 Anger Outlets 145

Activity 37 Anger and Exercise 148

Activity 38 Expressing Anger Creatively 151

Activity 39 Laughing with Anger 157

Activity 40 Freestyle Writing 160

Part 6 Closure

Activity 41 See How Far You Have Come 164

Activity 42 Anger Certificate 167

Interviews

Lohmann resides in Cary, NC; Taylor resides in Charlottesville, VA.

Editorial Reviews

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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