Anger Management Therapy
If you struggle to process anger and express it in a healthy way, our anger management therapy in the United States can help you take back control of parts of your life that might feel as though they are slipping away. The goal of this process isn’t to stop you from feeling anger. Instead, anger management counseling helps people express their anger in a more constructive way.
Anger is a perfectly normal emotion that everybody experiences from time to time throughout their lives. As part of our fight response, this natural response allows us to defend ourselves from danger. In fact, anger is an emotion that, for most, is highly valuable despite it not being the most comfortable feeling to experience. Anger management therapy can teach you to constructively deal with your anger in a healthy way. As a result, you’ll find it easier to handle tense situations in a more graceful way.
Do you ever notice that after you have gotten angry, you feel a sense of relief? That is because getting angry allows for the tension in your body to be released. This emotion is also capable of helping motivate you towards accomplishing a goal or overcoming a major challenge in your life. Anger also inspires cooperation and problem-solving when expressed constructively.
Unfortunately, for about 22 million Americans, this emotion does more harm than good.
Symptoms of an Anger Problem
Some people are unable to manage their anger. That does not make them bad people, rather it shows that there are skills they need to learn in order to help control this emotion.
Millions of people have anger management problems. Many of those individuals also struggle with more prominent issues, such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance use disorder, bipolar disorder, grief, and trauma.
- Lack of patience
- Being highly critical, even to the point of belittling
- Blaming others for your behavior
- Irritability
- Having a “short fuse”
- Seeming to have two sides to your personality (e.g. Jekyll/Hyde)
- Shutting down after getting angry
- High blood pressure
- Others complaining about feeling like they are walking on eggshells around you
- Struggling to express emotions in a healthy manner
- Being physically violent or aggressive towards others due to uncontrollable anger
- Substance abuse or addiction
- Getting into a lot of arguments or throwing tantrums
If you are exhibiting any of these symptoms, especially in a cyclical pattern, there is a chance that you have anger problems. Furthermore, many of these signs and symptoms indicate a more serious underlying mental health condition or emotional issue that needs to be addressed. After all, the roots of anger can include anything from addiction to mental illness and grief. Although your natural reaction to stressful situations may be to lash out inappropriately, working with an anger management therapist might be good for you.
Anger Management Group Therapy
You may have come to the realization that you have an anger problem, but are not sure what to do about it. This is completely normal. However, it is imperative that you obtain the care you need in order to get in control of your anger and stop letting it control you.
Anger management therapy can help you learn how to manage your anger so that it stops interfering with your life. While anger management counseling sessions may occur on an individual basis, group sessions are far more popular and effective. In a group setting, you will meet regularly with others to work on accomplishing the goal of overcoming your anger problem.
What to Expect from Anger Management Therapy
Depending on the group that you are participating in, the length of your treatment plan can last for a few weeks to a few months. With anger management therapy being rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy (a form of therapy that helps replace negative thoughts, beliefs, and emotions with positive ones), this treatment does not usually last for too long, as CBT has been proven to be highly effective over a short period of time.
- Identify what triggers your anger
- Determine stressors agitate your anger
- Learn how to recognize your physical and emotional signs of anger
- Figure out how to decipher between logical and illogical thinking patterns
- Develop coping strategies to help calm yourself down
- Practice effective communication
- Learn how to express your emotions in a healthy way
Being in a group setting when doing these things is proven highly beneficial. As a result, participating in anger management group therapy is a popular option.
Dealing with your anger alongside others can provide you with a strong sense of support and comfort. It can also afford you the opportunity to share your experiences and learn from the experiences of other group participants. When anger therapy is done in groups, it gives participants a chance to act out certain situations and put to use newly learned coping skills.
How Anger Management Works
Therapy is a safe space where people can express their emotions in a controlled and professional environment. In doing so, therapists are able to help people recognize what triggers their anger, how to become aware of their emotions, and how to control their anger using healthy coping mechanisms.
In many cases, anger issues stem from past events or as a defense mechanism. Either way, therapists who specialize in anger management help people discover how their body responds to anger and how to identify how angry they are getting. At the same time, patients learn constructive coping skills that reduce stress and help control anger.
- Meditation
- Impulse control
- Self-awareness
- Breathing techniques
- Relaxation strategies
- Support groups
- Long-term counseling
- Stress-management therapy
By participating in an anger management class, you can learn how to stay calm, control your reaction to anger, and implement therapeutic strategies that will help resolve issues more effectively.
Moreover, if you suffer from co-occurring disorders, such as depression or drug addiction, our facility has mental health and addiction experts on staff to help address those disorders as well. After all, there’s no point in only treating an anger issue if it comes from an underlying problem, as getting to the root of any condition is crucial to the healing process.
What Kind of People Go to Anger Management Therapy?
There is a major misconception that men make up the vast majority of Americans who struggle with anger problems. In reality, both men and women are at risk of experiencing anger issues. If you enroll in anger management therapy in the United States, do not expect to be in a room filled with only men.
Furthermore, don’t expect your groups to be made up only of drug addicts, criminals, and uncouth individuals. This is another misconception of the types of people who struggle with anger. It does not just affect one type of person. Instead, it is something that can impact anyone. What you can expect to see when you go to anger therapy are individuals who are ready to take control of their lives.
Do You Need Help Coping with Anger?
If you are not dealing with anger in an effective manner, it can cause serious negative impacts in your life, as well as the lives of others. Help is available. Contact our mental health professionals today to learn more about our wide range of treatment programs in the United States.