Anger Management and Counseling in Larkspur, CA.

I do not believe in "anger management". Instead, I believe in being in control of your emotions - including anger. My clients discover how to be in control of their feelings of anger or rage - instead of the anger or rage controlling them. My clients discover how they can feel anger, but then choose more effective and productive ways of expressing themselves - in ways that no longer lead to regret or hurt - but rather in ways they feel proud and good about.

i have extensive experience in this area, having worked with Severely Disturbed Children for five years in a special school setting, and then moving over to work with an adult population who have committed crimes and have been incarcerated in the County Jail. I know the techniques needed to facilitate a person to deal more effectively with angry feelings so that his or her relationships can be repaired and blossom and they can enjoy life to the fullest.

One of the most misunderstood aspects of chronic anger is that it is actually a secondary emotion. Underneath chronic anger is pain from a core wound such as physical or emotional trauma or the victim- persecutor pattern. I will guide you to identify your core wounds and work on healing your inner child while also providing you with tools and outlets to help you control anger reactions with others. You will learn mindfulness practices such as cultivating a relationship with your Higher self, somatic practices breath work practices , as well as communication tools. I also incorporate radical forgiveness work, which is a game changer when it comes to healing anger issues.

Anger is wired into all of us and is essential for survival. It is an intelligent emotion. It can also be incredibly destructive. Most of the time, it is a secondary emotion which means that an unmet need or another emotion is the driving force behind our anger. I will help you to safely identify what is behind your anger and give you tools to effectively regulate it. (I will also help you heal and enhance any relationships previously damaged by your anger.)

Anger has both harmful and healthy/constructive potential depending on how it is dealt with. If you are coming to therapy for anger management, you are probably experiencing anger as interfering with your relationships, your work, or your general wellbeing. Sometimes a propensity towards anger signals that other things may be going on--stress, shame, or other feelings that may be hard to tolerate. In an atmosphere of acceptance and non judgment, we will work with mindfulness to build tolerance for a wider range of feelings, to find ease and to uncover the gems hidden beneath reactive anger.

I help men and teens who are struggling with anger management, transform their lives. You will benefit from psychotherapy by 1) learning to control your emotions in the moment, and 2) reducing your vulnerability to becoming overwhelmed and destructively angry in the first place. Relying on more than 10 years experience working with men, I will teach you how to monitor your state of physiological arousal so that you can intervene before you lose control. I will also help you explore the origins of your anger, in other words, where you "learned" to be angry in the first place. Gradually, you will gain a sense of emotional freedom and power as you increase your control and self-awareness.

Anger is often misunderstood- associated with aggressive or violent behaviors. Anger is actually a powerful "inner" reaction, a life energy that is arising as a protest against mistreatment or pain- sometimes a way to stand up for oneself. Thus, in my work, we learn how to harness the bodily feel and energy of anger- in order to sense its meaning, and to experience its power. From there, we often discover underlying pain, hurt, trauma, fear- which we can also experience and process. We learn to identify triggers for angry reactions- and develop tools to harness this energy, rather than let it act out in destructive ways. Anger therapy is a thus bodily process of healing, restoring spirit.

Anger is one of our fundamental emotions, part of the basic machinery of our mind and personality. In some ways it is a useful tool that helps to motivate and energize us in seeking fairness and justice in the world around us. But this powerful hold-over from our primal history can also be enormously destructive if we lose control of it. If your anger is slipping out of your control and you find yourself saying or doing things that damage your reputation or your relationships, hurt those around you, or otherwise consistently put you on the outside of society's expectations for behavior, you need help to find tools or strategies to change this and I would be happy to help.