Anger Management Counselling
“Anger management” is a term that describes various counselling approaches used to help individuals reduce and better manage their anger. Uncontrollable anger can cause many problems in a person’s life. Not only does it often lead to difficult relationships and guilt, but can also create serious problems when a person expresses anger with verbal or physical violence.
The good news is that we know a lot about how out-of-control anger works and have effective therapeutic treatment tools. Patients in anger management counselling often work with various types of techniques or approaches that gives them more choices and helps lessen the damage that uncontrolled anger causes in their lives.
Changing the way we think about anger
The ways we choose to see or think about a particular situation can amplify or trigger anger. Cognitive behaviour therapy tells us that behaviour is linked to thinking. The goal of cognitive restructuring is to change the patient’s behaviour by encouraging changes in the way he or she thinks. This does not mean “brainwashing” the patient into inaction. Instead, I work with clients to identify thoughts or ideas that distort reality or heighten angry feelings. For instance, many people use negative or defeating self-talk that makes them feel powerless and worthless.
These feelings can trigger anger as a perceived method for gaining some control over a situation. Words like “never” and “always” can distort thought patterns. Most of the time these rigid words do not reflect reality. An angry person using these absolute thoughts during self-talk will rarely see the distortion unless he or she has received therapy to replace them with more logical, open-minded thinking. By countering these distorted thought patterns with more logical statements or perceptions, a client can change the way they perceive a triggering situation.
Relaxation Strategies
Therapy can include relaxation techniques to help an individual reduce the anxiety that can fuel their anger. Most patients respond well to tools that use simple relaxation techniques such as visualization and deep breathing.
Deep breathing can help the individual separate himself or herself from the anxieties that cause anger. Taking a short time out from an agitating situation and allowing the body to relax in the calming effects of deep breathing may help a client calm down sufficiently to allow them to engage in stressful situations without struggling with uncontrollable anger.
Visualizing exercises focused on calming, relaxed environments also helps clients find a calm center within themselves. A guided meditation exercise can encourage a patient to learn effective visualization techniques.
Yoga and exercise can also relieve stress, anxiety, and other pent-up negative feelings that add to anger.
Communication Skills
Anger counselling can also provide clients with improved communication skills that allow them to identify and express complicated feelings in ways that avoid escalating to violent words and actions. Anger management therapy can teach a client how to be more aware of the way they communicate with others and what effect this has on escalating or calming a confrontational situation.
This work can help a person communicate their own feelings more effectively and aid in seeing other perspectives instead of habitually rushing to negative assumptions that may not be true.
Triggers that Evoke Anger
Anger management therapy can help a client learn how to be aware of and more effectively manage their feelings. It can also help them to avoid settings and situations that can spark angry outbursts. Triggers can be unconscious and tied to unpleasant or traumatic experiences from our past. Other triggers can be environmental. For example, should someone consistently get angry when they drink, therapy can help with recognizing alcohol as a trigger they could choose to avoid and control.
Choices Anger is a normal, universal emotion. You will find anger in every culture in the world. But if what you do with your anger is negatively impacting your life or relationships, it’s time to consider professional help. Schedule a no-charge consultation to explore how counselling can help you constructively shift your anger.
