Anger management

Editor,
I am writing this letter so someone can finally recognize and address the significance and importance of correcting an ineffective, incorrect, “broken” Tulare County Educational Anger Management Program.

There is a 13-step anger management set of principles that have existed for over 20 years, and believe it or not our local Alternative Services facility who facilitates the classes locally to clients who are ordered through court to get help for anger issues are ill equipped to effectively long-term maintain anger and depression.

I personally inquired Alternative Services and spoke with a representative who “puts on” these classes and informed them that there is a 13-step anger management set of principals separate from N.A or A.A. that currently exist. I asked them if it was part of their classes and told “No.” I also asked them if they would be interested in implementing the 13 principles in their current classes and curriculum and again told “No.”

How can our local judges, courts and society as a whole expect an individual ordered to attend multiple months of classes at $25 dollars a week on classes without proper curriculum?

Now here are the facts, we know Tulare County is well known and commended for its job well done with its Drug Court Program. Our local judge sees Drug Court clients on a regular basis and strictly encourages the client to know by heart the 12 steps of N.A. steps one through 12 to be recited verbally upon request by judge. Alcohol and drug abuse a lot of the time directly coincide with anger and depression issues.

When someone does not know how to effectively deal with anger and depression, it can and will over time cause an addict or alcoholic to relapse over and over.

With “proper” implementation of a 13-step anger management course we will see a reduction in alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, and violent crime in general.

Wake up Tulare County. A plan without vision is doomed for failure.

Scott Good
Porterville