A Peace of My Mind: A Therapist's Guide to Handling Anger and Other Difficult Emotions [Perfect Paperback]

Diane M. Berry (Author), Terry J. Berry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 2007

Anger is the most powerful and destructive of all emotions. Properly handled, anger can motivate and empower us to make changes. Inappropriately unleashed, it can destroy lives and relationships. This manual is your complete reference for how to manage your anger so it does not control you!

Written in an easy-to-read style, by a husband and wife team with more than 20 years' combined experience teaching people just like you how to practice a few simple skills that will change your life!

You will learn: *How to handle difficult and painful emotions in ways that put YOU in control of your reactions. *The concepts of brain function that either enable or prohibit positive responses to emotionally upsetting situations. *Why anger is considered a secondary emotion; whenever we feel it, we have felt something else first that is leading to our response. *Why taking time away from an upsetting event enhances our ability to deal with it in a positive manner. *How and why men and women are different in their responses to anger and a number of other emotions. *Relationship skills that not only bring you closer to your loved ones, but will also lead to a happier, more fulfilling life for all of you. *How to take care of yourself if you find yourself in a relationship with a partner who struggles with an anger problem.

In February, 2008, A Peace of My Mind was selected from among hundreds of books submitted for the Publisher's Markeing Association's Trade Distribution Program, in which a committee comprised of representatives from wholesalers Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Borders, Barnes & Noble and Independent bookstore buyers, sales representatives and other publishing professionals choose the book or books most likely to experience success at the national bookstore level.

In an unrelated competition, A Peace of My Mind was also selected to be a Highlighted Title by Independent Publisher Online Magazine. The Highlighted Title designation recognizes the best of the newly released, independently published titles...reviewed by our editorial staff...These books are honored...for exhibiting superior levels of creativity, originality and high standards of design and production quality, according the the magazine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Finally, a common sense, easy to follow program for coping with that most troubling of all emotions: anger. This guide is a must-read for all those whose anger is causing problems in their lives and relationships AND for those who love them! --Dr. Robert Dickens, Psychiatrist.

For a number of years, Diane and Terry Berry's Anger Management Program has been assisting persons with anger problems in our community to make necessary changes to improve their lives and relationships. My agents and I referred probationers to this program to help prevent further violence and damage to families and relationships. The program has provided a valuable service to our community and now an even larger audience can benefit from the simple wisdom of these important concepts outlined in a straight-forward understandable manner in A Peace of My Mind. --Don Vogt, Former Unit Supervisor, Wisconsin Division of Corrections, Probation and Parole.

About the Author

Diane M. Berry, MSW, LCSW, JD is a former attorney turned therapist who owns and operates a mental health clinic, practices therapy and, for the past 14 years, has been co-facilitating a Men's Anger Management Group on a weekly basis for men convicted of domestic violence offenses. This is Berry's third published work. Her first book, Child-Friendly Divorce: A Therapist's Guide to Helping Your Children Thrive, was published in 2004 and her second, Romancing the Web: A Therapist's Guide to the Finer Points of Online Dating, in 2005. For the past eight years, Berry's co-facilitator for the group has been her husband, Terry J. Berry, MSW, LCSW, also a therapist. He currently facilitates a women's anger management group for the Manitowoc County Human Services Department and is a contributor to this volume.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Blue Waters Publications, LLC; 1 edition (November 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974207853
• ISBN-13: 978-0974207858
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"A native of Manitowoc, WI, Diane Berry, MSW, LCSW, JD started her professional career as a divorce attorney in 1983. She quickly realized that she preferred dealing with the emotional aspects of a breakup to the legal issues involved and headed back to graduate school for her Master's Degree in Social Work. In 1995, Berry completed her schooling and began working as a therapist with clients struggling with the issues of depression, anxiety, stress management and life change adjustments. Divorce, step family adjustment, court ordered anger management and family violence treatment became areas of expertise for her as she was able to combine her experience in the areas of law and social work.

In May of 2000, Berry opened a small mental health clinic, Blue Waters Family Counseling. Acting as Director of the clinic, Berry continues her therapy practice, in addition to facilitating Parenting Through Divorce, Divorce Adjustment and the Men's Family Violence groups discussed in this book.

In 2004, Berry penned her first book, Child Friendly Divorce: A Divorce(d) Therapist's Guide to Helping Your Children Thrive, using materials she had written for the court ordered class she teaches for divorcing parents. In 2005 Berry wrote Romancing the Web: A Therapist's Guide to the Finer Points of Online Dating after finding herself advising one single client after another regarding the practice of online dating. A Peace of My Mind is her third book.

Berry has been married for 18 years to Terry Berry, MSW, LCSW, who works as a therapist for Manitowoc County Human Services. He also co-facilitates the Family Violence groups with Diane and sees individual clients on a limited basis at Blue Waters Family Counseling.

A Peace of My Mind is the Berrys' first collaborative published work but they have plans for books on the subjects of parenting and stepfamily adjustment."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Most Practical Book!, February 4, 2008

By 

Rod Harrington (Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Peace of My Mind: A Therapist's Guide to Handling Anger and Other Difficult Emotions (Perfect Paperback)

A new book on anger management? Sounded like a bore...but what an interesting book it turned out to be. I reached for my yellow marker and read paragraphs to my wife. We talked about them as she worked with Photoshop on her computer.

The chapter on stress is excellent. Anger management depends a lot on stress management. But what is stress? How can we recognize it? How can we best cope with it? These questions are handled in a way that engages the heart. "It's not stress that kills us, it's our reaction to it."

In the chapter, "Battle of the Sexes," a tremendous wealth of helpful information is given on how men and women differ and how we can learn to live with each other. Our minds work differently, we solve problems differently, we speak to each other differently, and we express anger differently. As the authors tell their anger management groups, "The only person's behavior you should be trying to control is your own."

Much of the book is about relationships: communication styles, living together as partners, jealousy, forgiveness. There's a wonderful chapter subtitled "Help For Partners of Angry People." It's going to save some lives.

For me, the chapter, "Calming the Beast Within: The Task of Emotional Regulation," is my favorite. It's right down-to-earth. Events happening to us precede our thoughts, which precede our feelings, which precede our actions. The angry person can learn to intercept his negative thoughts with "replacement thoughts" chosen to defuse and de-escalate his typical feelings and actions. Of course, it's not easy or automatic. But a person can learn about the impact different parts of his brain have on his reactions. And he can learn to get the right part of his brain in gear. So practical.

The authors helped me see that, "Often the angriest person in the room is merely the one with the greatest hurt." Anger is a secondary emotion, stemming from hurt, fear or frustration. I'm not an angry man myself, but so much of this book was for me. I learned a lot--things I can use at home and at work. I hope anything I ever write is as helpful as this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From A Piece Of My Mind To Peace Of Mind, May 26, 2008

By 

Alan Gettis "Author of The Happiness Solution... (River Edge, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Peace of My Mind: A Therapist's Guide to Handling Anger and Other Difficult Emotions (Perfect Paperback)

This very readable book distinguishes itself from other books on anger management through its human quality. The authors understand that those in need of anger management are not terrible people, but are struggling human beings who need to understand their feelings and develop the skills and coping mechanisms to be able to feel and respond differently. If you or someone you care about is having a problem with anger, this is a must read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful in my work, January 13, 2008

By 

Janice Goff-lafontaine "Author of Women in Sh... (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Peace of My Mind: A Therapist's Guide to Handling Anger and Other Difficult Emotions (Perfect Paperback)

I love that this book is so human, and not written like a textbook. I work with helping women who are survivors of sexual and physical abuse to find healing, and also with abusers, and I feel this book is very pertinent and helpful to me in all aspects of this work. It is straightforward and easy to use these tools. They create awareness that can help change lives.