Anger Management

What is it and when should I get help?

Anger is a healthy emotion that most of us feel consistently and can be both protective and toxic to our relationships, careers, and sense of self.  While most emotions are felt predominantly inside our bodies, anger is often expressed outwardly through physical and emotional aggression and is very scary to see and experience even as the aggressor.  While the feelings which trigger angry reactions are often understandable and easily accepted once people cross certain verbal or physical boundaries there can be significant repercussions.  Often people displaying intense anger are really going through difficult times and are in need of support, but instead are punished because of their actions.

In my work with anger I focus on feeling identification.  Anger is considered a secondary emotion in that it is fueled by other emotions, for example a client’s anger with their boss could be fueled by their difficulty with a particular work task in this case covering up confusion.  Another client’s anger could be fueled by the death of a beloved family member covering up a deep sadness.  While healthy anger is necessary to protect ourselves in a world which is not always safe, if your anger is causing you to lash out at the people around you and about which you have received consistent negative feedback you might want to look into addressing it in therapy.  Please note that just because someone else was made uncomfortable does not mean your anger was inappropriate, if you are unsure if your response was too much talk to a close friend or family member whom you trust to get feedback on if you might want to address it with a professional.