What is Anger Management Therapy?

Anger Management therapy is the process of learning to recognise the trigger and signs that you are becoming angry, and taking action to calm down and deal with the situation in a positive and constructive way. Anger Management therapy is equally suitable for those people who over-express anger, and for those who have difficulty showing anger; for those who cannot live without confronting others, and for those who avoid confrontation and cannot stand up for themselves; those who assume the blame for their feelings of anger and experience guilt and shame instead.

How Is Anger Management Therapy Provided?

In our service, Anger Management therapy is delivered in both group and individual therapy settings. This is determined during the initial assessment, in order to maximise the positive effects of therapy. Anger Management therapy includes several steps.

• In cases of anger prone clients the first step is to help you recognise what makes you angry (triggers or catalysts for anger). Here the following questions about your anger are usually very helpful: “What type of people or situations make me angry?”, “What do I do when I am angry?”, and “How does my anger affect others around me?”.
• The next step is a cognitive restructuring process which helps you to identify irrational patterns of your thinking which often lead to emotional outbursts.  It is very important to explore the thinking processes underlying angry reactions.
• Next part is to teach you how to best respond to your anger triggers without being aggressive. You achieve this by learning specific skills to help you manage triggers for anger effectively. This is typically achieved by means of imaginal work, role-play exercises, and other expressive techniques.
• This is followed by relaxation techniques and Mindfulness training to teach you how to how to stay calm and be peaceful when you feel a surge of anger. 
• Finally, the therapist helps you to learn some problem-solving techniques.  Solving problems can make you feel empowered and will reduce the risk of triggering anger or frustration.

In cases when people struggle with expressing anger the most important part of therapy is learning how to trust and express anger, the consequences of “bottling up anger” and healthy ways of expressing anger. Such clients are invited to consider the fact that they are not responsible for how another person feels. People emotionally react to things according to their own personal thoughts and perceptions. Plus, they are responsible for the way they express themselves. they are shown how emotions are not “right” or “wrong.” Emotions arise according to our assumptions about how things are. Our assumptions may be mistaken or skewed, but our emotions will always be true to our assumptions. It is our assumptions that we must question in the process of therapy. At the same, when anger becomes a problem in life, it may be necessary to explore early life circumstances. If anger was used as a weapon of fear or manipulation by your caregivers, the anger was misused. This does not mean anger is negative. The main message of the therapy process is that you have as much right to your feelings and emotions, including anger, as anyone else.

What next?

If you feel that you need to address your anger issues please call, email us, or fill in the confidential contact form on this page. We will respond to your message soon, and we will use all our expertise to help you tackle your issues, and to turn your anger from being your enemy into being your ally.