For clients who experience anger and struggle with expressing themselves in healthy ways, I help them process what is going on in their life that they believe is feeding or causing them to feel angry and help them uncover what is at the root or core of their anger. I work with clients to help them improve their coping skills and learn how to express themselves in a more assertive, safe, and respectful way with others who may also be involved in conflict with them, and help them recognize when it is time to let go and walk away from the object or source of their anger.

I understand that anger is a secondary emotion. That anger is the result of a range of primary emotions such as sadness, anxiety, or loneliness. People struggling with angry behaviors can feel stuck and hopeless. Anger reactions can occur due to specific triggers, or seemingly out of the blue. I help clients identify their anger patterns and break unhealthy cycles that have made personal and professional life difficult. Using a combination of anger management tools, cognitive and dialectical behavior therapies, I guide clients to a life free of anger outbursts and more emotional control.

When working with clients who struggle with managing their anger in healthy and constructive ways, I like to first educate them about feelings and the process of emotion regulation. Because anger is a secondary emotion, I strive to help my clients to understand what they are experiencing underneath their anger, and work with them to address that, which can be a helpful and effective way for them to experience their emotions in a more healthy and appropriate way. I also like to teach coping skills so that my clients have more healthy ways of addressing their anger in the moment.

My approach to anger management includes a thorough psychiatric assessment, as well as ongoing self-monitoring with an anger journal. Clients learn to recognize their own unique early warning signs of anger [self-talk, physical cues] and high risk situations that evoke anger. Clients learn coping skills including relaxation, coping self-talk and assertiveness training.