Anger Management and Counselling in Maple Ridge, BC.

Anger is often a reaction to something deeper. It can be experienced as a quick event, from nothing to an explosion, but there is something valuable to understand between these two extremes. In working with anger, I focus on this in between by helping to connect the mind to the body’s experience and what we may notice is going on before anger arises. By building an awareness of what is going on, we can build better ways to understand the reasons behind the response and to intervene in more helpful ways.

Anger can often feel so overwhelming that it causes you to do things you later regret. Not knowing what came over you, there are many unanswered questions: why do I keep doing this? why can't I stop myself? Sometimes, alcohol, substances, or other addictive behaviours lead to this anger, making it more difficult to control. As an addiction counsellor, I help clients overcome addictions leading to anger issues so they can regain a sense of control, rebuild relationships, and gain clarity about how to move forward. If you are unsure where to start, send me a message and I can help. If I'm not the right fit, I can connect you to the right support so you can start gaining back control, today.

I offer counselling for anger management to help clients manage difficult situations. The treatment process is rooted in CBT with a focus on identifying triggers and recognizing body sensations that indicate emotional dysregulation. Developing coping skills and strategies to manage anger and associated emotions can improve conflict resolution, communication, and problem solving abilities while showing individuals how to express emotions such as anger in a healthy way.

Individuals struggling to manage anger can be exhausting and overwhelming; often there is a significant negative effect on others in their life. We will work to uncover where the intense anger is originating from and heal. We will also wok to develop new skills and tools to manage emotional situations in a more positive an effective way. It is also important to work to heal the damage to loved ones whom have been affected.

Do you ever feel so mad that you want to scream or explode? Typically, underneath the emotion of anger is hurt. If we can access the hurt and pain beneath anger, oftentimes, we can uncover what threat anger is trying to protect us from. However, I would like to acknowledge that gender plays a big part in the ability to express anger, as does current circumstances (stress, powerlessness), past history (trauma, abuse), and ineffective learned behaviours. What is key here is that anger is a core emotion, it is healthy to feel and to get to know it. It's just a matter of how you express it towards yourself and others when problems start to arise.

My approach is to use a step-by-step process that follows an evidence based approach: goal setting; self awareness; cognitive reframing; behavioural modification; review of progress. Fundamental to the work is a good therapeutic relationship. That is, we have the collaboration and trust to combine your knowledge of yourself and your situation and my skills and knowledge of the clinical issues to make change happen.

It sucks to be angry and loose control of our emotions. Anger can have a devastating impact on the people we love the most. I will support you in addressing the emotions, trauma and pain underneath anger and learn to identify your triggers and patterns. I will teach you tools to address your stress and help you learn to better deal with your emotions. Learning to communicate our needs in a way that will be received is also a part of how I address anger issues.

Anger can be understood as a secondary emotion. This means that oftentimes, there is another emotion, such as sadness or fear underlying our anger. Anger can feel strong and uncomfortable for many and my hope is that through our work together, clients can learn to regulate their anger so it doesn't feel as consuming in their life. I believe that whatever is under our anger is still important to express and by learning regulation, we can achieve this and ultimately be responsive rather than reactive. We will do this by identifying triggers and building coping strategies as well as connecting with underlying emotions that can bring further awareness and healing.

Many people struggle with anger management. Anger management counselling can help you identify where these feelings are coming from and identify when they are about to happen in order for you to learn to control these strong feelings. Counselling is a great way to tackle these struggles as the therapy is tailored to you and your specific issues while in a confidential, supportive and non-judgemental environment.

I believe anger management ultimately comes down to emotional regulation and finding an alternative way to still express yourself, but in a more safe and effective way. The goal is not to get rid of the emotion, but to work with it before it overcomes you. What is underneath the anger? What message are you trying to get across when you feel angry? How was anger expressed to you growing up? What emotions did you feel safe to express growing up? How did you learn to deal with your anger over the years? These are questions that I would explore and build skills from here to help you reach a better understanding of the processes behind the intense anger that you are feeling.

Anger often stems from feeling so many emotions all at once. You lose a sense of control. You go from 0 to 100 in a blink of an eye. By getting angry you’re attempting to regain control that’s presumed lost. But instead, you’re full of guilt and shame. Feeling angry and reacting in anger, is simply exhausting. I’ll help you learn how to regain control, in a healthy way.