Whether dealing with the tantrums of a demanding two-year-old, or the hostile, rejecting rage of a distraught teenager seeking greater independence, dealing with a child's anger is one of the most frustrating and challenging tasks faced by a parent. While some children learn constructive strategies to manage anger, many learn ineffective ways that may lead to more severe emotional and behavioural difficulties, such as underachievement, depression, interpersonal conflict, and, in extreme cases, even violence. In Healthy Anger, psychologists and anger expert Dr Bernard Golden helps us understand how children experience and express anger and how parents can help them to manage this complex and charged emotion. Rather than just examining the child's disruptive behaviour, Golden focuses on parent-child interaction, teaching parents constructive ways to respond to the whole child. Anger, Golden explains, is a natural emotion that is distinct from behaviour that is aggressive. He emphasizes that anger does not occur in isolation, but rather in the context of individual needs, attitudes, perceptions and emotions. Golden helps parents work with their children to identify the causes of their anger, and then to implement strategies for coping in a healthy way. He gives parents constructive guidance for helping to understand "child logic", talking about anger and forgiveness, responding to escalating anger, rewarding good behaviours, and recognizing those children and teens who need professional help. Throughout the book, Golden includes clear, step-by-step instructions for exercises and tasks that will build coping strategies and build problem-solving skills for managing and channeling anger in healthy ways. Healthy Anger is an accessible and comprehensive guide for parents, teachers, and clinicians who work with children and teens.

"Golden presents a useful model to help parents manage their children's and teenagers' ire. Through its different components, the author explains how children and teens, by way of self-reflection and communication, can gain a better understanding of their needs, wants, expectations, and emotions Exercises are offered to help one get in touch with emotions, to relax, and to listen to self-talk."--Library Journal "At first, Healthy Anger seems like an oxymoron. But Bernard Golden helps us understand how anger can be not only normal, but essential to healthy growth--if we know how to guide and control it. And Golden shows us in plain, easy steps how to help our children do just that."--Myrna B. Shure, Ph.D., author of Raising a Thinking Child "Healthy Anger is a comprehensive sourcebook of practical information for parents. A vital message in this book is that anger does not need to lead to violence. Highly recommended."--Charles E. Schaefer, Ph.D., Professor, Psychology Department, Fairleigh Dickinson University "Golden confirms what I have long suspected--the origins of adult 'toxic' anger reside in childhood. I found the discussion of 'child logic' and shame especially helpful. I will be a better anger therapist for having read this book!" --W. Doyle Gentry, Ph.D., author of Anger-Free: Ten Basic Steps to Managing Your Anger "Most approaches to anger management and treatment attempt to teach people to eliminate anger or express it differently. This usually results in people bottling up their anger and holding it in. This eventually fails and the person explodes. Healthy Anger stresses the ubiquitous nature of anger and the adaptive functions it serves. The experience of anger can help people identify a problem in their environment that they need to address. This book teaches parents to help their children evaluate their environment and their emotional reaction to it. Golden's writing style is clear and crisp, and the book's inclusive nature will help parents to help their children."--Raymond A. DiGiuseppe, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, St. Johns University

Bernard Golden teaches in the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, and is a therapist in private practice, offering workshops to teachers, mental health professionals, parents, and adolescents. He is a co-author of New Hope for People With Bipolar Disorder and lives in Chicago.