Jen Shah reveals she took anger management classes in prison

Jen Shah is putting her time behind bars to good use, taking anger management classes and becoming what she calls #ZenJen.

In a statement to Us Weekly, the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star, imprisoned for her involvement in a telemarketing scheme, discussed her anger-management curriculum.

“Through journaling, homework, audio lessons, and the two-hour weekly group sessions/class, I learned more about what anger is, where it comes from, and healthy ways to respond and react that are safe and beneficial,” she said.

The 49-year-old said she’s feeling “healthy” as she uses Rational Self-Analysis techniques to challenge “unhelpful” beliefs and as she realizes the techniques can change the outcomes of “activating” events.

The reality TV personality reflected that she could have used these techniques during her time on “RHOSLC,” the third season of which ended in February.

“Even though class has ended, I will be carrying around my RSA worksheet in case I run into conflict while here,” she added. “Ultimately, I can’t control what others will do, but I can control how I choose to respond and react with the tools I learned in class … #ZenJen.”

In July 2022, Shah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing after being a “key participant in a nationwide scheme that targeted elderly, vulnerable victims,” as U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a press release at the time.

In January, U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein sentenced Shah to 78 months in prison, but the Salt Lake City native has since had her sentence reduced by a year.

On her Instagram account, Shah has been sharing journal entries from Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Bryan, Texas, through her husband Sharrieff.

In one entry, Shah said that she lay awake in her prison bunk one night, thinking that “someone like [her] doesn’t belong” behind prison bars.

“Then I instantly stop myself from going down this self-destructive path of thinking,” she added. “I am here because of my bad decisions. I am here because I did this to myself and there is no one to blame but me.”