The Angry Self

by Miriam M. Gottlieb
Type: Softcover

"In a time when high-quality anger management and violence prevention programs are in hot demand, Miriam Gottlieb delivers with a superb and clearly written workbook that can greatly benefit therapists in the trenches and the clients they treat. Her book is filled with practical tools that can successfully empower clients to gain better control of their anger. There have been many books written about anger management, but by far The Angry Self tops them all!
— Matthew D. Selekman, MSW author of Pathways to Change: Brief Therapy Solutions with Difficult Adolescents

The Angry Self is a resource for any counselor dealing with a client who has an anger problem, or whose anger is getting in the way of resolving some other problem. It consists of nine chapters, each with a specific therapeutic goal. The chapters are divided into units. A typical unit contains a small amount of explanatory text, a story or two to illustrate the point being made, and an exercise for the client to do.

Although the units within a chapter build towards that chapter’s goal, a great deal of flexibility has been built in to allow the counselor to modify, rearrange, add or delete material without damaging the integrity of the process. In this way, The Angry Self meets its dual objectives of providing a complete anger management program, while at the same time giving the counselor the freedom necessary to tailor therapy to the needs of the individual client.

The Angry Self can be used by the counselor alone, but in some cases it may be effective to give the Book to the client. The client can read a unit and do its exercise as “homework”, and discuss it with the counselor during the next session. Still another approach is to read the material with the client during a session, doing the exercises together.

The major elements used in The Angry Self are:
Explanatory text, used mainly to introduce new concepts.
Stories, used to illustrate the concepts.
Exercises, used to reinforce the concepts and to aid in skill development.