Principles of Empirically Supported Interventions Applied to Anger Management

Abstract

This article applies the Principles of Empirically Supported Interventions (PESI) in counseling psychology to anger management with adults. The review suggests that there is empirical support for cognitive-behavioral interventions generally and for four specific interventions (relaxation, cognitive, behavioral skill enhancement, and combinations of these three interventions). Moderate effect sizes for these interventions were found on targeted anger measures and for all measures combined. The PESI proved to be flexible, multidimensional principles against which to assess counseling interventions and from which to identify what is known and what needs to be learned.