Mark Purcell, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
Mindfulness for Teen Anger
By Mark C. Purcell, MEd, PsyD
& Jason R. Murphy, MA
A Workbook to Overcome Anger & Aggression Using MBSR & DBT Skills
Mindfulness for Teen Anger
By Mark C. Purcell, MEd, PsyD
& Jason R. Murphy, MA
A Workbook to Overcome Anger & Aggression Using MBSR & DBT Skills
"This is not a book—it is a life raft, a survival kit, and a refuge."
—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!... It’s 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
"Through down-to-earth stories and practical exercises and skills, one can learn to transform anger into deeper understanding and peace. ”
—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
"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
"This is an immensely useful resource for both psychotherapists and clients. 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
“Mindfulness for Teen Anger is truly directed at a teen. It talks to you, not at you like so many other teen workbooks."
—Susan M. Howe, LMFT, licensed marriage and family therapist and director of transitional age youth services at Edgewood Center for Children and Families
"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. Highly recommended.”
"This book is so much more than just an anger management workbook; it is an instruction manual for social and emotional health.”
Discover the Roots of Your Anger
Calm Intense Emotions
Resolve Conflict & Get Along with Others
Do you ever feel so frustrated with school, friends, parents, and life in general that you lose control of your emotions and lash out? You shouldn’t feel ashamed. Being a teen in today’s world is hard, but it’s even harder when you’re unable to keep your cool in stressful situations. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make positive changes in your life.
Using proven effective mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), Mindfulness for Teen Anger will teach you the difference between healthy and unhealthy forms of anger. Inside, you’ll learn how to make better choices, how to stop overreacting, find emotional balance, and be more aware of your thoughts and feelings in the moment. You’ll also learn skills for building positive relationships with peers, friends, and family.
As a teen, the relationship skills you learn now can help you thrive in the future. With a little help, and by cultivating compassion and understanding for yourself and others, you will be able to transform your fear and anger into confidence and kindness.
Praise of Mindfulness for Teen Anger
“This is not a book—it 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
“This is an immensely useful resource for both psychotherapists and clients. [Purcell and Murphy's] 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
“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. It’s 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 today’s 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 book—one 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
About the Authors
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. Murphy’s 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.
Guided Meditations
These guided meditation audio recordings are available to assist you in developing your mindfulness practice. Follow this link for additional guided meditations from Mindfulness for Teen Anger.
5 Minutes. By Mark Purcell
Breathing in the Moment Meditation
15 Minutes. By Jason Murphy
15 Minutes. By Jason Murphy
Recommended Readings
Purcell, M (2015) Pathways of Resiliency and Risk Among Youth Exposed to Chronic Community Violence. Journal of Psychology and Social Studies.
Purcell, M. (2006) Surviving Inner-City War Zones: Trauma and Resiliency Among Urban Youth Exposed to Community Violence. Doctoral Dissertation, California Institute of Integral Studies. San Francisco, CA.
Eismann, E. & Purcell, M. (1992) Dreamwork with children and adolescents in group therapy. Journal for Child and Adolescent Group Therapy.
Purcell, M (2009). DBT Skills Group Training Manual. Unpublished Treatment Manual, Edgewood Center for Children and Families. San Francisco, CA. (Primary Author)
Purcell, M (2009). DBT Skills Group Workbook for Teens. Unpublished Treatment Manual, Edgewood Center for Children and Families. San Francisco, CA (Primary Author)
Common Permanency Planning Core Training for Child Welfare Workers (1999). New York State Child Welfare/Child Protective Service Training Project. (Contributing Author).
