Mark C. Purcell - Mindfulness for Teen Anger. A Workbook to Overcome Anger and Aggression Using MBSR and DBT Skills

Mark Purcell, MEd, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked with youth and families for the past twenty years. Purcell has developed DBT programs for youth agencies and trains mental health professionals in a variety of settings. He is a professor in the department of psychology at John F. Kennedy University and has a private practice in the San Francisco Peninsula.

Jason R. Murphy, MA, is a mindfulness based psychotherapist and meditation teacher who has worked with youth and families for the past twenty years. Murphy has been practicing Vipassana (Insight) meditation since 1994 and is a teacher in that tradition. He is a certified addictions counselor and founder of Mindfulness Recovery Counseling. Murphy has taught mindful awareness in a variety of settings around the United States. Murphys particular focus has been working with youth and incarcerated men and women addressing issues of stress, anger, and addiction. He is in private practice and leads groups and workshops in Santa Cruz, CA.

This is not a bookit is a life raft, a survival kit, and a refuge. Mark C. Purcell and Jason R. Murphy have offered us the most precious gifts possible: tools for finding inner freedom and meditation techniques that will surely lead to a greater sense of happiness and well-being. Mindfulness for Teen Anger is the book I needed as a confused youth sitting in juvenile hall trying to figure out how to save my own life with meditation.

Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx, Against the Stream, Heart of the Revolution, and Refuge Recovery

At last, a nonjudgmental and systematic approach for dealing with anger! This comprehensive and wise workbook offers an array of practical tools and meditations to help understand, work with, and transform our anger. Its geared to teens but truly useful for any age.

Diana Winston, director of mindfulness education, UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center, and author of Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness

This book fills an important gap in the treatment landscape for teens. Many teens have difficulties managing anger and its attendant urges and behaviors, but not everyone has access to the relief that mindfulness and other DBT skills can bring. The idea of an instant help book for teens is a perfect format for todays fast-paced world, and Murphy and Purcell have helpfully broken up complex concepts into easily digestible chunks for any teenager who is even slightly open to decreasing their anger and aggression. Highly recommended.

Esme A.L. Shaller, PhD, director of the dialectical behavior therapy program at University of California, San Francisco, and assistant clinical professor at University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley

Mindfulness for Teen Anger is an important book to help one live better with anger. Through down-to-earth stories and practical exercises and skills, one can learn to transform anger into deeper understanding and peace. This book will be highly recommended to any teen living with anger and hostility who wants to get at its root cause to live a freer and happier life.

Bob Stahl, PhD, coauthor of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, Living with Your Heart Wide Open, Calming the Rush of Panic, and A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook for Anxiety

This is a great book. Anger is a normal part of growing up, but everyone can master skills to cope with such a stressful emotion. This book helps readers understand anger and how to master it. The simple exercises coach teens to develop healthy emotional coping skills. This book is a fabulous resource.

Kellen Glinder, MD, pediatrician and department chair at the Palo Alto office of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Mindfulness for Teen Anger is one of the most comprehensive approaches to adolescent anger I have found. It not only provides practical tools to help teens understand and manage their anger, but goes deeper to help them develop emotional resilience. Using real-life examples and an engaging style, this book teaches teens how to improve their emotional control with strategies ranging from trusting your wise mind and thinking cool thoughts, to practicing guided meditations and assertive communication. This book is so much more than just an anger management workbook; it is an instruction manual for social and emotional health.

Holly Pedersen, PhD, MFT, director of community education and the bullying prevention program at Jewish Children and Family Services in Palo Alto, CA

Mindfulness for Teen Anger is the kind of book I would recommend because it is truly directed at a teen. It talks to you, not at you like so many other teen workbooks. In addition, it gives information and ideas, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions about their actions, reactions, thoughts, and feelings. It is a versatile bookone that could be read and used by teens alone, one that could help parents, one a therapist could use with a teen, one a teacher could use with a class, and the list goes on.

Susan M. Howe, LMFT, licensed marriage and family therapist and director of transitional age youth services at Edgewood Center for Children and Families

After reviewing this book I was very excited about the potential it has to help children cope with and regulate their emotions. It provides a very good source workbook for any teen trying to understand and work through anger issues. The key to controlling anger is in our thinking. The approach in this book helps teens [cultivate] mindfulness, which allows them to pay attention to the present and observe and understand their thoughts and feelings. This awakens them to their experiences in a very pragmatic way. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in helping a teenager cope with anger and aggression. It is practical and understandable, and will provide direct assistance to teens in establishing the thought control necessary to change their behavior.

Joseph J. Cozzo MA, MS, LMHC, president and CEO at Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center

An easy-to-read manual for adolescents dealing with anger problems. There is a great need for a self-help book like this for dealing with anger. A practical and accessible guide.

Omid J. Naim, MD, adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist at Hope Integrative Psychiatry

This is an immensely useful resource for both psychotherapists and clients. [Purcell and Murphys] book provides an excellent explication of cutting-edge knowledge of the mindfulness approach and its value for effective treatment of adolescent issues. We in the mental health profession will be grateful beneficiaries in years to come.

Benjamin R. Tong, PhD, professor of clinical psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies

Publishers Note

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books

Copyright 2014 by Mark Purcell and Jason Murphy Instant Help An Imprint of New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 5674 Shattuck Avenue Oakland, CA 94609 www.newharbinger.com