Anger Management Expert to Appear on Radio Talk Show

Dr. Ari Novick, president of the AJ Novick Group will be appearing on a popular east coast radio show in the coming weeks. Dr. Novick was selected after the host of the show actually participated in one of his anger management programs. After completing the program, he was so impressed that he asked if Dr. Novick would be willing to discuss the Century Anger Management model, which Dr. Novick is the co-founder of as well as discuss how anger management classes work. The general public is often misinformed about what is involved in taking an anger management class and what one should expect to learn. Dr. Novick will explain the "8 Tools of Anger Control" in detail as well as answer questions from callers.

More on this exciting interview will be posted in the coming weeks.

For information on anger management classes contact Dr. Ari Novick at 949 715-2694

Eight Practical Tips for Reducing Stress Triggers

Eight Practical Tips for Reducing Stress Triggers:

By Ari Novick, Ph.D.

(1) Take time off – Take a vacation or a long weekend. During the work day, take a short break to stretch. Walk, breathe slowly, and take a day off and go to the beach, and relax.

(2) Manage your time – Set realistic goals and deadlines. Plan projects accordingly. Do “must do” tasks first. Schedule difficult tasks for the time of day when you are most productive. Tackle easy tasks when you feel low on energy or motivation.

(3) Set limits – When necessary, learn to say “no” in a friendly, but firm manner.

(4) Choose your battles wisely – Don’t rush to argue every time someone disagrees with you. Keep a cool head and avoid pointless arguments altogether.

(5) Use calming skills – Learn not to act on your first impulse. Give your anger time to subside. Anger needs to be expressed, but it is often wise to do something that takes your mind off the situation. The break allows you to compose yourself and respond to the anger in a more effective manner.

(6) If appropriate, look for less stressful job options – But first, ask yourself whether you have given your job a fair chance.

(7) Take control of what you can – For example, if you’re working too many hours and you can’t study enough, ask your boss if you can cut back.

( 8) Don’t commit yourself to things you can’t or don’t want to do- – If you’re already too busy, don’t promise to decorate for the school dance. If you’re tired and don’t want to go out, tell your friends you’ll go.

Ari Novick, Ph.D. is Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a certified anger management provider for both adults and adolescents. Dr. Novick is also an adjunct professor of psychology at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology. His corporate website is www.ajnovickgroup.com and his innovative online anger management class is available at www.angerclassonline.com

On-site Anger Management Training and Classes for Employees

The AJ Novick Group has been a recognized leader in the field of anger management since 2003. We have provided on-site trainings in anger and stress management to numerous corporations and agencies over the last 5 years. Often times human resource staff or decision makers at companies do not know when it might be appropriate to bring on an expert to provide an on-site anger management training. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when trying to figure this important question out:

1. Has there been a history of inappropriate behavior by an employee(s)?
2. Has your company ever provided an educational training in anger management for risk prevention?
3. Do you have just one or two employees that need anger management, but you do not want to single them out?
4. Are you worried about a lawsuit or legal action from a victimized employee?
5. Will an on-site anger management training be helpful?

Anger management training provided at your company should be an educational experience for all who attend. These trainings are aimed at teaching skills in a variety of areas with the goal of improving relationships among employees, increasing moral, and improving the growth of ones company or workforce. Here are some common skills taught by the AJ Novick Group's on-site trainings:

1. Skills in effective communication and listening
2. Empathy and social awareness training
3. Introduction of ways to handle volatile people and/or situations
4. Introduction of ways to diffuse hostile people
5. Anger management and conflict resolution training
6. Skills in improving impulse control and judgment
7. Stress management training
8. Expectation management
9. Use of EAP programs and adjudicative resources
10. Basic crisis skills training
11. Learning to identify hostile situations and people (warning signs)
12. Introduction to calming techniques, cool down's and time-outs

Our on-site anger management training and classes can be offered in a variety of formats and range from 4 hours to 2 full days of training. All participants will be assessed prior to participating as well as at the end of the training. This assessment will help identify areas to improve as well as strengths and weaknesses as group or team.

For those that would rather have their employees take a corporate online anger management class as either a preventative measure or as part of a disciplinary action, we also offer this option.

For more information on any of our on-site anger management training or programs please contact:

Ari Novick, Ph.D., LMFT
AJ Novick Group- Anger Management
949 715-2694

Broadcasting Company HIres Anger Management Expert for Key Staff

The AJ Novick Group was recently hired by Trinity Broadcasting Company to provide anger management coaching and training to key staff and personnel. TheAJ Novick Group was selected because of their outstanding reputation and world class service. The AJ Novick Group teaches skills to help improve employees communicate more effectively, resolve conflicts, manage stress and increase empathy, improve judgment and impulse control as well as better manage expectations of self and others.

All corporate coaching uses our acclaimed Century Anger Management model, assessments, and instructional materials. We have also begun video taping role play exercises so participants can visually see what they are doing well and what skills still need to be worked on. Similar to the NFL reply videos, this approach has been highly effective in teaching participants how they are perceived by others by watching their own behaviors and mannerisms.

The AJ Novick Group also offers on-site training in anger and stress management for both small and large corporations. For more information, please contact:

Ari Novick, Ph.D., LMFT
AJ Novick Group- Anger Management

Assertive Communication - An Anger Management Technique

Our client, Aaron, told us that in his family they typically yell at one another to get the point across. Aaron recently got in a relationship with a woman who told him that his anger “scares” her when he gets upset. Aaron’s reply was that he was not upset, this was “just the way I am used to expressing myself when I get upset, this is normal for me”. The reality is that what might be “normal” for you and your family of origin may not be the “norm” is terms of communicating effectively with others. Aaron’s style of communication is aggressive, but he didn’t realize the impact it had on his girlfriend. Aaron had to learn about his style of communication as well as other styles of communication to understand the kind of changes he needed to make. By learning to become more assertive, Aaron felt better, his needs got met more of the time, and his girlfriend no longer feared him when he did get upset.

The way we communicate or the style we use to communicate is often learned from much earlier experiences in our lives when our language skills were newly formed. Think about your family’s style of communication for a moment. Is your style similar to any of theirs? Most of us tend to communicate in a way that was adaptive in the environment we grew up, but problematic in our lives today. For many of us, our style of communication can leave us with unmet needs, unexpressed emotion, and damaging effects on those around us. It is important to understand that there are many different communication styles, yet only one that tends to yield the results we are seeking. Learning to express your primary feelings and needs, clearly, calmly, with good eye contact is what assertive communication is all about.

Good communication skills are an essential ingredient to anger management because poor communication causes untold emotional hurt, misunderstandings and conflict. Words are powerful, but the message we convey to others is even more powerful and often determines how people respond to us – and how we feel toward them.

Because communication is a two-way process, people with good communication skills are good at “receiving” messages from others as well as delivering them.

If you look at people in your life and we also look at your own behavior, you may discover certain patterns of communication. Some patterns are negative and harmful while others are positive and productive.

Frequently persons who have anger problems use harmful ways of communicating to others – harmful in the sense that it disrupts relationships and usually does not accomplish the goals that you intended.

Assertive communication, on the other hand, is a much more effective way to get what you want and what you need without the negative consequences. In short, the development of assertive communication skills will works for you by making you a more effective and less stressed person.

What is assertive communication? Is is a way to communicate so that you convey your rights in a good way. Assertive communication helps people clearly explain their wants, needs, and feelings to other people. It is a way of getting things that you want without violating or offending others’ rights or having to walk away without getting what you want.

Assertive people tell others what they want and need clearly; they have a knack of saying the correct thing at the correct time.

Assertive communication skills are the antidote to harmful and destructive communication patterns.

To learn more about improving your communication skills visit the AJ Novick Group- Anger Management Classes


Ari Novick, Ph.D., LMFT
AJ Novick Group- Anger Management
Anger Class Online- Online Anger Management Classes

Online Anger Management Classes Exclusively for Corporations

The AJ Novick Group launched one of the most innovative online anger management class programs of its kind in early 2006 (www.angerclassonline.com). Since its launch, requests from corporate America has been surging.

“For many employers and human resource professionals, finding an anger management program for an employee can be difficult, time consuming, and problematic for the employee,” says Dr. Ari Novick, founder of AJ Novick Group and Anger Class Online. “Employers need an effective, affordable, and efficient way to train employees without having to massive time away from work,” says Dr. Novick. “We have created an online anger management class specifically for employees that can be monitored by the employer or company representative to ensure successful completion an comprehension,” explains Dr. Novick.

These specialized online anger management classes for employees are timed and every employee is required to pass short quizzes before they are able to move to the next lesson. Each employee is also monitored with an employee “log”. This log will show their progress though the course including which quizzes were passed and how much time was spent on each lesson. It will also show the time they logged in and out of the program. Once the employee finishes the course, a Certificate of Completion will be mailed to the employer. Dr. Novick says, “The employer has the ability to purchase the courses in bundles and assign them to any employee who needs to take a class”.

Corporate online anger management classes are ideal for employees who need an anger management class as part of a preventative skills training or as a requirement of a disciplinary action. “We are pleased to be able to bring to market an innovative product such as this one, and continue to strive to deliver high quality and comprehensive programs to the public”, explains Dr. Novick. For more information visit http://www.angerclassonline.com/Corporate.aspx


Ari Novick, Ph.D.
AJ Novick Group- Anger Management

Want to Learn A Stress Management Technique?

The Freeze-frame Technique for self-soothing

The Institute of HeartMath has developed an excellent exercise called “freeze-frame” which is ideal for self-soothing during your retreat time. The best part is while it only takes a couple of minutes to do it, the results can be quite astounding. The technique is based on the idea that, like movies, our conscious life is made up of up of a series of incidents – or frames- strung together over time. When flooded and overwhelmed, it helps to stop the movie—or freeze just one frame. This frame can be the conflict you had with your partner before leaving to regroup and marshal your emotional resources.

Once you freeze this frame in your mind (you can close your eyes, or not, depending on what makes you feel comfortable), put your hand on your heart and pretend your heart is “breathing” as you inhale and exhale. Make a sincere effort to shift your focus away from you racing mind or disturbed emotions to the area around your heart.

As you relax and calm down, try recalling the feeling of a positive time or experience you’ve had in your life-or a good or fun time you have had.

Now, using your intuition, common sense and sincerity ask your heart what would be a better response to the situation, one that would repair the damage to your relationship. Then, listen to what your heart answers to your question.

Don’t worry if you have trouble recalling that positive time or experience – the technique will help you even if you just feel neutral – instead of positive- during this step.

Believe it or not, recent scientific research is showing that the heart (and also your gut) actually may be able to do some of what your brain does in terms of giving you answers; it may be that your heart actually can function like a little satellite of the brain – and hence may be able to give you some answers – just like your brain does.

The AJ Novick Group is a leading provider of Anger and Stress Management training, classes, workplace programs and products. Dr. Novick is an expert in the field of Anger Management and has written numerous articles for magazines and Internet sites. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. He is the co-author of “Anger Management for the Twenty-first Century”, a newly developed model for Anger Management intervention. For more information on Ari Novick, Ph.D., or the AJ Novick Group please visit http://www.ajnovickgroup.com or http://www.angerclassonline.com

8 Tips for Dealing with Exposive People

Eight tips to communication with aggressive or explosive people:

1. Do not respond in kind. Hostility often begets more hostility. Respond instead with a non-hostile message to defuse people who are behaving in a hostile manner toward you. The classic example of this is in when simple inconsiderate driving or even aggressive driving suddenly escalates into road rage due to two drivers ratcheting up hostility in response to the other's hostile acts, words, or gestures. Please remember that in these and other hostile situations, you contribute somewhat to the outcome by your decision to return hostility or not.

2. Take their upset seriously and validate their feelings. Listen to what they have to say and hear them out; ignoring them or minimizing their feelings will tend to escalate their anger further. There have been untold numbers of workplace violence incidents that could have been averted had supervisors or managers listened with empathy to disgruntled employees rather than responding in an insensitive, or uncaring manner.

3. Never argue with someone when they are intoxicated or on drugs. When someone is drinking or intoxicated, this is no time to try to solve a business, personal or other related problems (especially if you too have had a few drinks). Drinking often impairs judgment, decreases inhibitions (resulting in saying things we don't mean), and distorts your normally astute reasoning ability.

4. Respond to the feelings they are having not the content of what they are saying. Try to hear and respond to the underlying hurt or pain the person is experiencing underneath the angry words. Use statements such as "I can appreciate why you feel that way," or "It sounds like you are very angry right now, many people feel the way you do."

5. On roadway, don't make eye contact with an aggressive driver. This is the secret signal in the animal world to engage in combat and will frequently escalate things, sometimes into "road rage." Just ignore aggressive drivers and stay out of their way.

6. Allow angry people to physically escape the situation Don't block their way or prevent access, or you may be putting yourself in a dangerous situation. Take off the heat rather than increasing the pressure! Don't insist on solving the problem "now" when the other person is in an agitated state.

7. Don't defend yourself by attacking back at them or their character flaws. Defensiveness often escalates anger in the other person and, in fact, is one of the predictors of divorce, according to recent marital research. There is a time to present your side, but not when your partner is unable to hear it due to his or her anger.

8. Don't try to solve an emotional issue with logical arguments. Trying to diffuse an angry person with overwhelming evidence of their thinking errors or mistakes in logic, or facts to the contrary, or reasons for why they shouldn't feel the way they do, or why they should feel differently - usually makes the situation worse.

Ari Novick, Ph.D.
AJ Novick Group- Anger Management Classes
Anger Class Online- Online Anger Management Classes

AJ Novick Group- Anger Management Classes Receive Praise

The AJ Novick Group, a premier provider of anger management classes and coaching, receives praise after reviewing a survey from hundreds of clients. A survey was administered to several hundred participants of the AJ Novick Group's anger management classes over a six month period. During this time, the AJ Novick Group received praise for its comprehensive program, professional staff, and world class anger management model.

The survey was provided to participants of their weekly anger management classes as well as weekend workshops from June 2007-December 2007. While the results were not surprising, it reinforces the continued success of this organization.

For more information on their anger management classes, visit www.ajnovickgroup.com or www.angerclassonline.com.

AJ Novick Group, Inc.
333 3rd Street, Suite 4
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
www.ajnovickgroup.com
949 715-2694

About the Author: Ari Novick, Ph.D. is founder of the AJ Novick Group. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and expert in the field of anger and stress management. Dr. Novick is also a corporate consultant and educator who has presented on-site corporate workshops and trainings to thousands of employees. He is the co-author of "Anger Management for the Twenty-first Century", a highly acclaimed client workbook in the field of anger management. Dr. Novick has been featured in numerous magazine articles and has been a consultant for both the Discovery Channel and Fox television. He is also an adjunct Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine University. For information about his anger management classes, corporate trainings or other related services please visit www.ajnovickgroup.com. To view his online anger management website visit www.angerclassonline.com

Can Anger Management Classes Help?

Anger Management Classes- Can they help?

By Ari Novick, Ph.D.

Anger management has become a huge buzz over the last few years. While the term was coined back in 1975 by researcher and University of California at Irvine professor Raymond Novaco, the interventions have been hard to define. So what is anger management anyway? More importantly, what is managing anger so important?

I have made several observations about anger management classes and anger management coaching over the last few years. One of the first observations I’ve made is the change in view towards anger management from punitive to purposeful. That is to say, I’ve seen a shift in the public view from anger management having a negative connection to it; to anger management becoming accepted as a worthwhile and meaningful educational intervention to help improve ones interpersonal relationships and quality of life.

When I first started seeing clients, especially those that were court ordered, it was viewed as if they were taking a traffic school class. After about two sessions, they quickly realized how amazing anger management classes were to them. First, they got exposed to skills that really were going to help them improve their relationships. Second, many agreed that if they really knew what anger management was all about; they would have taken a class a long time ago. The public perception is changing and it’s about time.

Another observation I have made is that anger management coaching is a wonderful way to teach these skills to those that do not want to participate in a group. While there are advantages to participating in a group, many prefer a one on one format. I have seen a steady increase in requests for anger management coaching and I believe it is party due to business and industry also opening their eyes to alternate ways of helping employees. Many self-referred individual clients also like the “coaching” aspect of learning anger management skills because they leave each session with a new tool; a concrete tangible skill to try and practice at home, work, and with loved ones.

Anger management classes in general tend to teach skills in variety of areas. These skills include assertive communication; empathy and social awareness; how to have better judgment and impulse control; challenge automatic thinking; expectation management; forgiveness; stress management, and skills for staying calm.

Anger management classes and coaching is meant to be short term. Classes are usually 10 sessions but can be customized for more or less classes as needed. Most self-referred clients tend to benefit most from about 10 classes. Those that are referred through the court will usually have their requirement set by the Judge issuing the classes.

Is anger ruining your relationships and quality of life? Are you asking yourself if anger management is right for you? I guess it’s like asking if you should see a doctor for a compound fracture. Most people would not hesitate to see a doctor for a broken arm, a toothache, or a bad back. Why would you want to prolong your ability to learn skills to better your relationships at home or work? Taking an anger management class might save one of your most prized assets from tragedy, you.

For more information on our anger management classes, please contact Dr. Ari Novick at 949 715-2694 or at AJ Novick Group- Anger Management

About the author:

The AJ Novick Group is a leading provider of Anger Management training, classes, anger management coaching, workplace programs and products. Ari Novick, Ph.D. is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an expert in the field of Anger Management. He has written numerous articles for magazines and Internet sites. Dr. Novick is the co-author of “Anger Management for the Twenty-first Century”, a highly sought after model for Anger Management intervention. For more information on Dr. Novick or the AJ Novick Group please visit www.ajnovickgroup.com or for online anger management classes visit www.angerclassonline.com

Online Anger Management Classes

Online Anger Management Classes can be a valuable alternative to in person classes. This is partially due to the fact that anger management is a relatively new field, and as a result, there are not enough resources. The other issue that many people do not have schedules that permit them to attend a live weekly class because most classes are held in evenings.

In well saturated cities/states such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Houston for example, finding a provider is much easier because the population is large and anger management as a specialty is more well known and recognized.

As an alternative, online classes can help meet the needs of those seeking anger management because they do not have to travel long distances to find a provider and they have access to a quality program from the leisure of their home or office computer.

Quality Online classes should include a didactic learning experience through the use of videos, quizzes, and smartly written content that is user friendly and applicable. Online classes should also be based on a well known curriculum as well as be offered by a provider who also has more traditional brick and mortar classes as well. Skills taught in these classes should include:

* Stress management

* Empathy Development

* Learning to respond instead of react

* Improving self-talk

* Assertive Communication

* Expectation Management

* Forgiveness

* Retreat and think things over

Unlike many traditional classes, which essentially require participants to simply show up, online anger management classes typically require comprehension of the materials in order to progress through the program. Comprehension is based on passing quizzes and exams which require adequate knowledge of the materials presented.

Online classes should be viewed as an alternative to more traditional classes for anger management. It should also be noted that anger management classes are not a substitute for psychotherapy for medical advice. Anger management intervention should be educational in nature aimed at teaching concrete skills.

Ari Novick, Ph.D., LMFT
AJ Novick Group- Anger Management
http://www.ajnovickgroup.com

Ari Novick, Ph.D. is Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a certified anger management professional for both adults and adolescents. Dr. Novick is also an adjunct professor of psychology at Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology.

His corporate website is http://www.ajnovickgroup.com and his innovative online anger management class is available at http://www.angerclassonline.com

Forgiveness: A Key to Anger Management

Forgiving does not mean that you forget the offense
You may never forget (and probably shouldn't) what happened to you, but after forgiveness you can remember it without the emotional pain connected to it.

Forgiving does not mean that you are saying what they did was O.K.
Quite the opposite. We can forgive but still see what happened to you as horrific or unjust.

You don't need to even tell people that you forgive them.
The forgiveness occurs in your heart - not in conversation with them, although in some circumstances you may want to have a dialogue about it. It often backfires if you go up to someone (especially a relative) and say "I forgive you."

This occurs because the offending person often doesn't see himself or herself as the problem. Better to do the forgiveness in your own mind and heart. One exception to this is if you are the victim of a violent crime. Some studies show that it helps your healing if you forgive your assailant face to face.

Forgiving doesn't mean you will automatically trust them again. Forgiveness and trust are two separate issues. Even after forgiveness, it may take a long time to re-build trust, if ever. To instantly trust someone again after they have violated you in some way is not a sign of good mental health or strong self-esteem.

Forgiving doesn't necessary mean you like or love the offender, or even want to be in future relationship with them.
Absence of angry feelings doesn't necessarily create warm, positive, or loving feelings in you for the offender. At best, forgiving may bring you up to neutral in your feelings toward them. It I possible to say to yourself, for instance, "OK. I forgive her but I don' want to have anything further to do with her...ever."

You don't need to forgive all at once.
This is a concept that especially applies to forgiving an unfaithful partner. Dr. Abrams-Spring suggests, "To start, maybe you can only forgive 10%," just open the door and then see how your unfaithful partner behaves.

After a period of time, you might want to open the door a little wider and forgive maybe another 20%, and so on.

Ari Novick, Ph.D., LMFT
AJ Novick Group- Anger Management Classes and training
Anger Class Online- Online Anger Management Classes