BY JOE DARGAN
Anger management group therapy sessions are being held every Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the health center until Nov. 1.
All students who have paid ELAC’s health fees, are invited to take part in the workshop.
The program is designed to help students manage anger, stop engaging in violence or the threat of violence, and develop control over their thoughts and actions, while receiving support and feedback from their peers.
Qualified students can call the health center to make an appointment or walk in on a first come first serve basis.
Once a 10-person limit is reached, no one else will be allowed to enter the meeting. A participant can come one time or join every class throughout the duration of the program.
Sessions are led by licensed clinical social worker and Los Angeles Community College psychotherapist Joselyn Geaga-Rosenthal, who began the program almost eight years ago.
“Anger is part of life, but people confuse anger with aggression,” Geaga-Rosenthal said. “Anger is an emotion that can become irritation or annoyance. Behavior is different. Aggression, violence or even verbal threats are behaviors that we can control.”
Over a decade ago. Geaga-Rosenthal said that she was approached to start the anger management group by ELAC’s retired physical education professor, Marilyn Ladd.
“You can’t control emotions. We have emotions because we are human beings. You can’t judge your emotions, but you can judge your behaviors,” Geaga-Rosenthal said. “You can also control your thoughts, because thoughts and hostile attitudes can reinforce aggressive behavior. The course is centered around learning assertiveness and how to address the issue that’s making you upset, in a respectful and effective way.”
Ladd is the creator of the Sexual Assault Awareness Violence Education team (S.A.A.V.E.), formerly known as The Violence Intervention Team, an on campus organization dedicated to shedding a light on domestic violence and those affected by it.
Ladd saw the connection between violence and anger management and thought that Geaga-Rosenthal would be the perfect person to help students address their anger issues.
“She said why don’t you run a workshop on anger management, and I said ‘okay’,” Geaga-Rosenthal said.
The anger management group therapy sessions coincide with the recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is observed during October.