About this course

Learning Objectives

• Explain what angry feelings are good for.
• Explain to clients how to use the mantra "Anger is a Stop Sign."
• Explain how couple clients should design a Exit/Calm down/Re-entry routine to prevent anger escalations.
• State how the "Best Possible Light" series of two questions help clients understand the goal of their anger and find a better alternative for accomplishing it.
• Demonstrate the 'Feelings First" therapy guideline for where to focus in treatment.
• Explain how to reduce clients' feelings of resentment with a visualization procedure for transforming resentment to compassion.
• State four myths that exacerbate angry feelings.

Learning Levels

• Beginner, i.e., therapists-in-training
• Intermediate and advanced: individual therapists aiming to add couple therapy to their competencies.
• Practicing couple therapists aiming to expand their toolkit of couple therapy interventions. .
• All levels of therapists seeking to expand their methods of treating anger.

Target Audience

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Susan Heitler

  Dr. Heitler

  Dr. Heitler first opened her private practice as a clinical psychologist almost 50 years ago. From her Denver office, in addition to treating both individual and couple therapy clients, Dr. Heitler has written 6 books, journal articles, plus over 300 psychologytoday.com blogposts that have garnered over 26 million reads.

  In response to her innovative perspectives, Dr. Heitler has been invited to speak on her treatment methods in most states of the US plus on almost every continent including Europe, Australia, China, India, and throughout the Middle East. In Lebanon she was chosen as the keynote speaker for the first-ever gathering of the Arab Psychological Association.

  Dr. Heitler's contributions have focused particularly on the importance of win-win conflict resolution skills for sustaining individual and also couple and family emotional health.

  Dr. Heitler's writings have earned high praise, starting with her first major book, From Conflict to Resolution, a book reviewed in the British Journal of Psychiatry as "a modern refreshing book . . . A highly commendable read for all therapists, particularly those striving to practice in what they hope is an integrative way" and by a practicing therapist in Alabama as "the best clinical psychology book I have ever read."

References

• Heitler, S. M. (1990). From conflict to resolution: Skills and strategies for individual, couple, and family therapy. New York, NY: Norton.
• Heitler, S. (1997). The power of two: Secrets to a strong & loving marriage. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
• Heitler, S., & Hirsch, A. (2003). The power of two workbook. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
• Heitler, S. (2016). Prescriptions without pills: For relief from depression, anger, anxiety, and more. New York, NY: Morgan James Publishing.
• Frazier, S. N., & Vela, J. (2014). Dialectical behavior therapy for the treatment of anger and aggressive behavior: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 19(2), 156-163.
• Bjureberg, J., Ojala, O., Berg, A., Edvardsson, E., Kolbeinsson, Ö., Molander, O., ... & Hesser, H. (2023). Targeting maladaptive anger with brief therapist-supported internet-delivered emotion regulation treatments: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 91(5), 254. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000769
• Greenberg, L. S., & Bischkopf, J. (2023). Anger in psychotherapy: To express or not to express? That is the question. In Anger, Aggression, and Interventions for Interpersonal Violence (pp. 165-184). Routledge.
• Short, D. (2016). The evolving science of anger management. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 26(4), 450. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/int0000059
• Lee, A. H., & DiGiuseppe, R. (2018). Anger and aggression treatments: A review of meta-analyses. Current Opinion in Psychology, 19, 65-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.04.004