Kellevision

Anger and Mental Health Providers

I continue to be appalled by the inability of many mental health providers to deal with anger appropriately.  I first saw this in a county mental health clinic.  The scheduling system was so bureaucratic and dysfunctional that clients were constantly frustrated by spending two hours on a bus only to be told on arrival that their appointment had been rescheduled - without notifying them.  Obviously, this caused some angry outbursts.

Before Raising a Child...

... people should have to successfully train a dog.  Now many people may find this offensive and I realize I am being a bit sarcastic, but really, think about it.  Most of the skills and knowledge that you need to raise a well behaved dog are required to raise a well behaved child.  Now please hear me out before you flame my blog...

"Acting Out"

I always heard the term "acting out" used in regard to children's behavior, but I didn't really appreciate it until I started working with families in a shelter.  Wikipedia defines acting out as "a psychological term meaning to perform an action to express (often subconscious) emotional conflicts. The acting done is usually antisocial and may take the form of acting on the impulses of an addiction (eg. drinking, drug taking or shoplifting) or in a means designed (often unconsciously or semi-consciously) to garner attention (eg. throwing a tantrum or behaving promiscuously)".  However, acting out is not always antisocial and take many different forms.

If You Can Name It, Claim It

I'm not the biggest fan of Alcoholics Anonymous, but they do come up with some good things every once in a while.  "If you can name it, you have to claim it" is one of those gems.  Look at what annoys you most in others, that thing they do that drives you crazy, that thing that sets your hair on fire.  Then look inside.  Odds are, you are guilty of the same character flaw.

The Beauty of Suffering vs. the American Culture

I frequently work with people who are struggling to deal with negative emotions; anger, fear, jealousy, grief.  Our culture trains us to avoid and/or deny negative emotions and we seem to believe that we have a right not to have to experience them.  This belief causes a lot of unnecessary struggle which often manifests itself as "anxiety". 

Walk Through the Fear to Cure Anxiety

I work with a lot of people who are struggling with "anxiety".  I say "anxiety" becomes sometimes what they are actually struggling with is simply fear.  And the anxiety comes from not turning and facing the fear.  Why is that important?