“I just wanted to say thank you for pouring into our lives. Things have taken a turn for the better thanks be to God. A.. is doing so much better these days. We are acting and feeling like a stable family. W.. and A.. are doing more father son things together like watching the Chiefs games and just hanging out. I dont feel the fear and hostility like before. We just continue to hope and pray for the best and if and when we mess up I just feel like we have resources and tools that can help us and knowing that makes a big difference. God lead me to make that first call to Rusty and Im so grateful and thank ful. You are 2 very special people.God bless you in this holiday season.”
“Jerry Medol has changed our lives in a wonderful way. He is the first of many therapists to deal with the real issues surrounding our teenage son and his interactions within our family. Our son has ADHD and oppositional-defiance tendencies, and has been a parenting challenge since his early days.”
“Jerry provides new, insightful approaches to old problems. He is a warm, empathetic gentleman who puts children and adults at ease, allowing them to feel comfortable opening up with their feelings. He helps others to be honest and accountable for their behavior. He has helped us individually, as a couple and as a family (3 other sons) with techniques for much more positive interactions and a lot less drama in our home. We are so grateful for his intervention.” – BB
“Thank you so much for the insight and skills you’ve given us, and the genuine care you’ve shown for us. We both think very highly of you and hope you realize what a strong and positive influence you’ve had on our lives. I think we’ve turned a corner and that we have wonderful things to look forward to in our lives. We will always remember that you were there at that turning point. ” H. and K.
“I thank you for your support and I often think of our sessions together. Your assistance validated what I also knew. I am a strong, competent, compassionate, and firm leader. My employees have told me my communication skills are exceptional. Several of my adversaries left the company, and once that happened the “door of heaven” opened for me.” Carla
“In 1992, I participated in the Stoppit! program. The program gave me an opportunity to look inside myself, face my fears, and confront my anger. I learned how to identify my needs and wants, and how to communicate them in a positive way. I learned how to take risks in order to grow and heal and I’ve been able to stop the cycle of addiction and abuse.
“Even 15 years later, there are times when I’m confronted with shame, anger, hurt, and fear. All I need to do is stop and breathe, and listen to the lessons I learned.
“The Stoppit! program has given me a foundation to build the kind of life that I want to live.” Gerald Humbert Jr.
“The gifts you gave my husband saved our marriage and allowed him to discover who he is and begin to find peace within himself. . . .I feel compelled to let you know that you have changed our lives for the better in ways most people would never understand; even I am surprised by this empowerment. . . .My husband has taken a new position with which he feels comfortable and challenged by, and we are expecting our first child. I do not believe we would be on this journey had you not provided us the courage and strength to make such drastic changes in our lives. We are happier than we have ever been.” Carrie
“My family is having a hard time accepting how fast I have changed and I’m amazed at how good I feel. I felt so down and so bad for so long. It’s great to realize that I don’t have to control another person. It took a lot of energy to control things to my liking.” Wayne
“I used to be afraid to tell anyone I was unhappy or angry about my situation. I would allow people, particularly my husband, to take advantage of me to the point of abuse. I would repress my anger until I couldn’t stand it any more, then I would overreact to anything I believed infringed on my personal boundaries. My pent-up anger would then surprise and anger other people so much they would retaliate against me. In this way, I left myself open to even more abuse. Anger Alternatives has taught me how to take responsibility for my own needs and wants and to make them known to others in appropriate ways.” Linda
“Rage, what is it? After over a year of counseling, I have learned not only what it is, but how to eliminate it from my life. This has been the most powerful experience of my life.” Ted
“I have been well acquainted with Jerry Medol’s work for 25 years. I first served on the Board of Directors for his Men’s Project in the 1980s, observing Jerry closely as he developed his ground-breaking model for reducing men’s violence and gave them new options for monitoring and expressing their needs and their anger. During these years, Jerry’s work with the Men’s Project justifiably captured national attention. Since then he has expanded his training to include women and a generation of trainers, as well as inspiring a positive empowering men’s movement on a local and national level. Jerry is a gifted teacher, a highly principled wise man, and a sensitive and passionate human being. He brings personal experience, eclectic intelligence and compassion to his work. Jerry’s work has been his passion for over 30 years, and he has touched the lives of thousands.”
Daniel C. Claiborn, Ph.D.
Forensic Psychology Associates, Inc.
www.courtpsychologist.com“Over the years I have had many opportunities to work collaboratively with Jerry in assisting clients as they break through anger and deal with the shame that lies beneath the strong emotion. Jerry is an effective educator, and he has the ability to guide men, women, and children into gaining mastery over reactivity which leads to physical, emotional, and spiritual violence.”
Janet A. Beverley, LSCSW
Janet A. Beverley Counseling and Consultation Services, P.A.
Overland Park, Kansas“Thank you for facilitating your class. I especially appreciate your commitment, I know lives were transformed as a result of your efforts.”
Rev. Bob Barth
Unity Church
Overland Park, Kansas“Thank you so much for a deep, provoking program. I heard many compliments about what you said and how you handled the situations people talked about. I learned something about working with my clients.”
Cheryl W. Intrater
Jewish Vocational Service
Director Career Management Services“Thank you for an awesome evening that you shared with the Adult ADD/ADHD group! I really enjoyed your work and it was obvious that the group connected with you easily and learned so much. I could feel lives being touched and changed in that room from your work. Thank you for giving your time, yourselves and your wonderful gift.”
Laura L. Murphy
Real Families Inc.
www.real-families.com“The power to slow down and respond instead of reacting when I feel anger is one of the greatest gifts I have received from the program. I feel calmer and in control of my emotions most of the time. I am more open about my feelings and I tell people how I feel. I feel personal empowerment when I can catch myself starting to lose control and I stop myself from reacting and I take the time to respond. Before I started the Stoppit! Program, I would yell, slam doors, and if “she really made me mad”, I would throw things. Thanks for creating the Stoppit! Program.” Jose
Testimonial from the
Priests of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita
October, 2013
Rarely does a person think of the word, “gift,” when that person is angry. However, can one learn to see that anger is a gift? This was the challenging question presented to a group of Catholic priests in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas by Rusty Fleischer and Jerry Medol of Anger Alternatives. The day-long workshop, entitled, “The Gift of Anger,” offered as part of the ongoing formation of priests was very well received based upon the evaluations submitted by the priests at the end of the day.
“The workshop presented by Rusty and Jerry not only allowed us as priests to learn better ways of dealing with angry parishioners, but it challenged each one of us to look inside of our own hearts to see if our expressions of anger were healthy and conducive to good pastoral ministry,” said Rev. John Lanzrath, a priest of the Diocese of Wichita. “I enjoyed the entire flow of the day and it allowed us as brother priests to connect in a deeper way with one another.”
Msgr. Robert Hemberger, who currently serves as the Diocesan Administrator in the Diocese of Wichita, has seen the negative effects of anger in the lives of priests and parish families during his forty-three years of priestly ministry. He sought out presenters who could help priests understand how anger isolates and divides families, parishes and communities. “Over the years, I have seen the toxic effects of anger on community. People leave the Church, sometimes blaming the pastor. They leave angry and it spreads. At some point, it needs understanding and healing,” commented Msgr. Hemberger.
Instead of seeing anger always leading to unhealthy behavior, it is possible to begin interpreting anger in a different way so that one can re-direct the anger in a given situation to lead to much more positive results. Anger Alternatives provided the priests attending this workshop the skills to do this.
