Anderson Tools Found Helpful in Schools

Training school social workers to lead "talk therapy" sessions during the school day can help teens and pre-teens recognize and begin to overcome mild depression, anxiety and anger problems, research is showing.

Researchers reported results from 45 students who received individual sessions, and 60 who participated in group sessions, with three social workers at two middle schools and one alternative high school in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan.

The therapy sessions were conducted by school social workers who were trained to provide a modified form of a well-established and proven talk-therapy approach called cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT.

Several standardized measuring tools showed significant improvement nearly across the board after students completed the multi-week program. Signs of improvement included better mood and cognitive skills among the depressed students, and decreases in angry feelings toward teachers and improvements in problem-solving ability among those who received counseling for anger issues.

Anderson & Anderson, trusted worldwide provider of anger management and executive coaching services, uses interventions based on the same cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that was used in this study. CBT has proven a powerful tool in many areas of behavioral medicine, including the treatment of depression and anxiety, as well as anger and stress management.

The Anger Journal techniques presented in both Anderson's adult and adolescent workbooks exemplifies CBT's approach to helping people rethink their automatic responses to triggers and stressors, and replace them with more effective behaviors.