John Elder, MA
Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern, IMF 32621
Certified Anger Management Instructor
Certified Group Process Facilitator
Certified Victims of Domestic Violence Advocate
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Anderson and Anderson Psychological Services for Adults 12301 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 418 Brentwood, CA 90025 (310) 207-3591 Supervisor: George Anderson, BCD, LCSW |
Anger Management
Anger is a natural human response to threat. Anger prepares the body to physically incapacitate an enemy and defend one's own body, family, and boundaries. Anger is like fire, a powerful force--and when it gets out of control, powerfully destructive. The physiological effects of anger are rarely needed in modern society, and we face a public health epidemic of anger gone wrong. Whether violent emotional outbursts or soul-destroying resentments, unmanaged anger destroys relationships, families, and individual health. In the workplace, it causes inefficiency, time lost to sickness and disciplinary problems, and industrial accidents. Most angry responses come from learned habits; the anger management process helps to replace habits of anger with conscious processes that lead to emotional growth, better communication, less stress, and the useful expression of anger.
I am an anger management intern for George Anderson, technical consultant to the movie Anger Management, starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. George Anderson's model of anger management is the only one approved by the California Department of Corrections and is taught in weekly or intensive weekend classes using his workbook, Gaining Control of Ourselves. George Anderson's model of anger management has four primary facets: learning effective communications skills, developing emotional intelligence, managing stress, and managing anger itself. To inquire about registering for classes or purchasing materials, click [here].
[Anderson Model Anger Management Providers] [Anger Management Exercises] [Non-Anderson Model Anger Management Class]
Ongoing Anger Management Classes
These anger management classes in the Los Angeles area fulfill court & employer mandates, and help individuals who wish to decrease the volitility and aggression of their behavior. Students are welcome to join these classes at any time, and should call to reserve their seats.
- Tuesday evenings 6:00 - 8:00 PM
12301 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 418
Brentwood, CA 90025
(310) 207-3591
- 1st & 3rd Saturday of each month, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
12301 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 418
Brentwood, CA 90025
(310) 207-3591
Stress Management
I have taught stress management workshops and incorporate stress management into my anger management work. Stress is a stepping stone to anger. Relieving stress reduces the likelihood of getting triggered into an angry outburst. It also helps reduce the severity of other psychological and physiological problems. I incorporate stress management into psychotherapy. In addition to more traditional psychological tools, I also employ visualization, relaxation, and healing metaphor techniques.
Effective Communication
Much of the upset that occurs in relationships rises out of unskilled communication. We are constantly bombarded with examples of people putting each other down, judging each other, not listening, and trying to get the best of each other. Much of the work I do with families and couples (and parents and children) is aimed at helping them to communicate effectively. This involves listening from the heart, speaking one's own experience without judgement, and, above all, desiring to be in a mutual, non-violent relationship. I offer a communications workshop based on Marshall Rosenberg's excellent Non-Violent Communications (NVC) principles and techniques. I also guide groups through Riane Eisler's excellent book on mutualism and partnership, The Chalice and the Blade, using her guidebook, The Partnership Way.
Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman’s book, Emotional Intelligence, published in 1995, is a basic users' manual for the human psyche. A science writer for the New York Times, he put together research demonstrating that IQ bears little relationship to success or happiness in life. Instead, what he dubbed "emotional intelligence"-- the ability to relate to one's self and to others in a perceptive way, producing desired outcomes--is a much stronger predictor of success. Emotional intelligence is a cornerstone of anger and stress management, as well as effective communication. George Anderson features a number of exercises for improving emotional intelligence in his workbooks Controlling Ourselves and Gaining Control of Ourselves, and the process of examine one's self during an anger management class helps to improve emotional intelligence.
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Last updated: 01/22/2004