I turned on the evening news here in Baltimore and heard a news alert regarding a murder suicide at a local diagnostic engineering company. The initial news was very sketchy. It reported that an employee had met with his supervisor. At some point later, gunshots were heard and both were found dead in the supervisor's office.
Little is new or novel about this story. We have all heard it repeated many times throughout history. Unfortunately, crisis counseling does not offer any lessons in preventing such occurrences. Rather, crisis counseling is a strategy useful in helping those affected manage their grief following such tragedies.
In contrast, anger management is more likely to prevent tragedies like this from occurring. The United States Postal Service is an organization that has implemented a proactive anger management program. Any employee of the postal service can enroll in a ten-session anger management program during his or her workday without cost. Any supervisor or manager can recommend anger management for an employee who appears to be exhibiting signs of stress or anger. These classes are mandated for recalcitrant employees. The days of going postal are rapidly becoming passe.
Effective anger management classes contain the following components:
An assessment administered at intake to determine the client's level of functioning in managing anger, stress, assertive communication and empathy.
A client workbook with material designed to teach skills in recognizing and managing anger, stress, effective communication and enhancing emotional intelligence.
Professionally trained anger management facilitators are selected to provide all anger management classes.
Following the completion of the course, each client should have a posttest to determine the effectiveness of the course.
Individual Executive coaching should be made available for people who manage others. These classes must be offered on a one on one format.
George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAP
Diplomate, American Association of Anger Management Providers
Anderson & Anderson, The Trusted Name in Anger Management
http://www.andersonservices.com/
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Stressed Out Moms Carry Babies on the Right
Wed Aug 29, 11:45 PM ET
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Can spotting unhealthy levels of stress in a new mother be as simple as seeing which arm she uses to carry her baby?
A new British study suggests that mothers who cradle their baby on their right side may be struggling with extreme stress.
While most new mothers feel some levels of stress during the first weeks and months of their infant's life, the study by Durham University researchers suggests that baby-cradling habits may indicate whether this stress could become increasingly hard to handle and lead to depression. Maternal depression can have a negative effect on a baby's mental and emotional well-being.
And because as many as 10 percent of new mothers develop postpartum depression, identifying warning signs could potentially help health-care providers identify mothers who might be prone to emotional difficulties, the researchers said.
Previous research had shown that the majority of mothers prefer to cradle their baby on their left side, even if they aren't left-handed.
For the new study, published in the August online version of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, the researchers included 79 new mothers and babies who were an average age of seven months. The mothers were asked to pick up their babies and cradle them in their arm. They also completed a survey on their mental state.
According to the researchers, 86 percent of mothers who exhibited no signs of stress or depression in the survey preferred to hold their babies to the left. But, 32 percent of mothers showing signs of elevated stress held their babies to the right.
Lead author Dr. Nadja Reissland, a senior lecturer at Durham University's psychology department, said, "Many mothers don't realize they are suffering from stress, or don't want to admit they are. The way they interact with their child is usually the best indicator of their inner mental state."
"Mums who are stressed often see what their baby does as negative, so they may interpret their baby's crying as being naughty, when, in fact, this is normal behavior. They may even feel the baby is stopping them from living the life they really want to live," she added in a prepared statement.
"These sorts of feelings can have a huge impact on the relationship between mother and baby and on the family as a whole. If this stress develops into depression, then the situation can be even worse," Reissland said.
More information
To learn more, visit North Carolina
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Can spotting unhealthy levels of stress in a new mother be as simple as seeing which arm she uses to carry her baby?
A new British study suggests that mothers who cradle their baby on their right side may be struggling with extreme stress.
While most new mothers feel some levels of stress during the first weeks and months of their infant's life, the study by Durham University researchers suggests that baby-cradling habits may indicate whether this stress could become increasingly hard to handle and lead to depression. Maternal depression can have a negative effect on a baby's mental and emotional well-being.
And because as many as 10 percent of new mothers develop postpartum depression, identifying warning signs could potentially help health-care providers identify mothers who might be prone to emotional difficulties, the researchers said.
Previous research had shown that the majority of mothers prefer to cradle their baby on their left side, even if they aren't left-handed.
For the new study, published in the August online version of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, the researchers included 79 new mothers and babies who were an average age of seven months. The mothers were asked to pick up their babies and cradle them in their arm. They also completed a survey on their mental state.
According to the researchers, 86 percent of mothers who exhibited no signs of stress or depression in the survey preferred to hold their babies to the left. But, 32 percent of mothers showing signs of elevated stress held their babies to the right.
Lead author Dr. Nadja Reissland, a senior lecturer at Durham University's psychology department, said, "Many mothers don't realize they are suffering from stress, or don't want to admit they are. The way they interact with their child is usually the best indicator of their inner mental state."
"Mums who are stressed often see what their baby does as negative, so they may interpret their baby's crying as being naughty, when, in fact, this is normal behavior. They may even feel the baby is stopping them from living the life they really want to live," she added in a prepared statement.
"These sorts of feelings can have a huge impact on the relationship between mother and baby and on the family as a whole. If this stress develops into depression, then the situation can be even worse," Reissland said.
More information
To learn more, visit North Carolina
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