The Disappearance of “going postal” Proves That Anger Management Can Work

The popular phrase “going postal” did not go away on it’s own, Los Angeles based Anderson & Anderson, APC played a major roll in significantly reducing person directed violence in the U.S. Postal Services nationwide. Anderson & Anderson, APC is the largest provider of anger management services in the world. Postal Service signs contract with Anger Management Firm (2/29/04)

http://www.postalreporter.com/usps/gopostal.htm

 “Workplace violence has reached epidemic proportions, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, with an average of three or four supervisors killed each month in the United States.

The term "going postal" came into our vocabulary on August 20, 1986, at a post office in Edmond, Oklahoma, when employee Patrick Henry Sherrill, known as "Crazy Pat" to some who knew him, shot two of his supervisors then continued his rampage killing a total of 14 co-workers and injuring seven others.

Ultimately he turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. After this incident, there seemed to be a rash of work-related violence in post offices, hence the term, "going postal."

What motivated Sherrill's action? He believed he was about to lose his job, investigators found. Experts believe the availability of firearms (75 percent of these incidents involve guns) combined with work-related stress, smaller workforce, decreasing wages and the loss of job security are the main contributors to the violence.”

http://crime.about.com/od/issues/a/aa040717.htm

Brief Summary Of How The Anderson & Anderson, APC Anger Management Model was introduced to the U.S. Postal Services in 2004.

Dr. Greg Weisman and George Anderson did a survey of U.S. Postal employees in one unit in Los Angeles that contained 11,000 employees.

Organizational Survey Results:

·      The U.S. Postal Service has been a major employer of military veterans.

·      Many veterans suffer from PTSD.

·      Substance Abuse is common among the 820,000 U.S. Postal Employees.

·      A large number of postal employees suffer from depression that in unrecognized and untreated.

·      Most postal jobs are extremely stressful.

Elements of The Anger Management Program:

·      All managers and supervisors in the unit mentioned above received two weeks of training in simple techniques for recognizing depression, anxiety, substance abuse, stress and poor impulse control.

·      Persons in leadership positions were taught how to appropriately refer employees suspected of needing help in any of these areas to the Employee Assistance Program.

·      Counselors in the EAP were trained and certified in the Anderson & Anderson, APC Anger Model Curriculum.

·      The Anger Management Program was for 10 sessions. It was offered during the employees working hours and was free to all employees.

·      Selected employees were offered an opportunity to take the Anger Management Course but could decline.

·      If the employee’s behavior did not improve, participating in the 10-week course was made mandatory as a condition of continued employment at the U.S. Postal Service.

·      Program participants were assigned a client workbook along with assignments in self-awareness, self-control, social awareness and relationship management along with stress management, communication and impulse control.

Results of the one- year pilot program:

·      The Postal Service reported a savings on 1.7 million dollars for this one unit.

·      There was a reduction of sick-day usage, reduced absenteeism, reduction in accidents, increase in morale and a dramatic reduction of aggressive behavior.

In 2005, The Anderson & Anderson, APC Anger Management Model was implemented in the U.S. Postal Service system wide.

George Andersron, the Anger Management Guru

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