anger management therapy - be in control of your anger

Everybody experiences Anger from time to time, as it’s a normal human emotion and there is a place and a time for it. In the short term, a short fuse or ‘letting off steam’ can be effective. Shouting at your kids might seem like a good strategy if it results in them doing their homework. 

However, Uncontrolled Anger is a different matter which can result in significant health effects such as high blood pressure and increased risk of heart disease, as well as social disharmony among partners, family members, friends, and colleagues. 

Anger is considered a secondary emotion. A secondary emotion is an emotion that is fuelled by other emotions. When a person is feeling angry, they are also feeling other emotions that are causing them to feel angry. Someone will feel anger when they are hurt in some way. Especially when feeling emotional pain, it is easier to express anger than it is to express hurt.

The goal of Anger Management Therapy is to reduce both your feelings and the physiological arousal that anger causes. With the learnt coping strategies, this will help you to control your reactions, and help you to turn your anger into a positive effective force for good.

This Therapy is often a relatively short therapy and often 6/8 sessions will be enough to take control of your Anger. 

Anger Management therapy can help by

• Identifing triggers: Knowing what situations trigger your anger can help you avoid them or manage your reaction to them.
• Changing your thinking: Anger management can help you identify and change unhealthy thought patters that can fuel your anger.
• Developing coping skills: Therapy can help you regulate your emotions, control your actions, and develop skills to help you cope with situations that trigger your anger.
• Learning relaxation techniques:  Relaxation techniques that can help you calm yourself down and relax your body and mind. 
• Solving problems: Anger Management Therapy can help you to look for solutions or alternatives. 
• Improving communication: Anger Management therapy can help you express your feelings in a healthy, respectful, or assertive manner, without being aggressive. 

This will depend on each Clients individual requirements.

Any of the following, or a mixture of any of the following can be used:-

· Counselling Skills and Psychotherapy are talking therapy approaches where we talk around the issues, and look back into the past to help focus on the psychological roots of the anger.

· CBT (used in NHS), helps to identify unhelpful or negative thought patterns and change inaccurate beliefs.

· Family therapy helps family members resolve conflict and improve communication. It may be helpful in addressing anger problems directed at a romantic partner and/or children.

Whatever method is used, in the safe environment of therapy I will help to identify the triggers that provoke anger, whilst providing opportunities to practice coping methods. 

Anger often goes hand-in-hand with other problems, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or addiction problems. I can help treat those conditions while also providing coping strategies for managing the anger that goes along with them. 

Ready to get your anger under control? Start by considering these 5 Anger Management tips.

1. Think before you speak

In the heat of the moment, it's easy to say something you'll later regret. Take a few moments to collect your thoughts before saying anything. Also allow others involved in the situation to do the same. If you find this difficult don’t say anything. Just be silent. This moment without speaking will give you time to collect your thoughts.

2. Count down

Count down (or up) to 10. If you’re really mad, start at 100. In the time it takes you to count, your heart rate will slow, and your anger will likely subside.

3. Go Outside

Go outside and be with nature. Look at trees, the grass, the sun and relax

4. Exercise

Exercise can help calm your nerves and reduce anger. Go for a walk, ride your bike, or hit a few golf balls. Anything that gets your limbs pumping is good for your mind and body.

5. Take a breather

Your breathing becomes shallower and speeds up as you grow angry. Reverse that trend (and your anger) by taking slow, deep breaths from your nose and exhaling out of your mouth for several moments.