Daily I am visited by the angry. Their expressions of rage are cries for help; however these are not innocent cries. As angry cries ring out, a trail of emotional and physical destruction litter their path. Somehow society tend to ignore the small droplets of destruction until incidences like the Virginia Tech massacre and the killing at NASA remind us of the horrendous price that anger can exact.

I mourn the lost of life in these senseless tragedy. As I struggle to understand this devastation, I have so many questions. How did this happen? Could it have been prevented? What role if any did anger and trauma play in this incident? What interventions may have possible helped? How can the anger management community be of more assistance to stem the growing problem of anger?

I now turn to my anger management colleagues across the country. We must do more. We must become more visible (write more, speak more). Improve your training in stress management, emotional intelligence, and communication skills. Increase your knowledge of the connection between trauma and aggression. My ultimate desire is that professionals specifically trained in anger management become a force for change in the way destructive anger is identified and treated. We must assist society in finding viable ways to treating the angry. This is our obligation. In the midst of this painful tragedy, it is clear that we CANNOT ignore the angry…


Carlos Todd, LPC, NCC, CAMF

President of the American Association of Anger Management Providers

Carlos Todd is an Anderson and Anderson Anger management provider in North Carolina

www.angerhurts.com
www.angeronmymind.com
www.aaamp.org
www.andersonservices.com
www.anger-management-resources.org