Anger Management and Counseling in Manhattan Beach, CA.

Are you notorious for your hot temper? Do you have a short fuse, or find yourself getting into frequent arguments and fights? Explosive anger can have serious consequences for your relationships, your health, & your state of mind. Let’s work together to prevent your anger from hijacking your life. In session, we’ll work together so you can gain insight into the real reasons for your anger. I can introduce you to some effective anger management tools, so you can learn how to express your feelings in healthier ways. I can help you learn to express your emotions without hurting yourself or other. Once you do this you’ll not only feel better, you’ll also be more likely to get your needs met.

I help people struggling with anger management by working with them to develop awareness of their anger experience in their body and mind and how it is impacting their body. I help you learn and practice strategies for regulating your body and mind so you do not lose control of the anger. I help you to learn healthy communication of anger, and the development of conflict resolution skills. I support you in exploring issues of transference from past relationships and experiences that may be contributing to your strong feelings of anger in present circumstances and relationships. We create safety, increase positive expression of anger, and reduce or eliminate sources of anger when possible!

Free 30 minute zoom call - Anger is a powerful emotion AND it's an energy we feel in our bodies. Generally, stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are running through Anger can tell us that something isn't right in the current moment. It may also be the result of childhood trauma. When unresolved, this anger continues into adulthood. There are many ways that anger can be addressed - through changing thoughts & beliefs, learning to express feelings & needs and using brain science and nervous system education, clients can learn to calm & soothe themselves or what is called, "regulate the nervous system"

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.

Anger management can be helpful when emotions feel so strong that they are are to control. Learning Impulse control and mindfulness skills can be helpful to manage Anger. I offer Dialectical Behavior Therapy to focus on the ways to improve Distress Tolerance and improve your ability to think before you act. Working through the skills and increasing your emotional regulation can be very helpful for Anger Management.

Anger is a legitimate emotion in response to injury or for self-defense. But if survival defenses are out of conscious control, it is then considered lack of impulse control. Your anger by passes the rational part of your brain and you react instantly without thinking or choosing how to react. In order to interrupt that automatic reaction, you must slow it down. Do that by taking deep breaths until you have calmed down and are able to make a rational decision of how to react.

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.

I aim to help my clients gain a better understanding of their emotions and how to manage them. My practice specializes in anger management and provides tools and techniques to help people maintain stable emotions, stronger relationships, and better communication. I also offer psychoanalytically informed counseling, which helps clients gain insight into their unconscious thoughts and behavior. With my understanding of the human mind, I am able to provide my clients with the support they need to make positive changes in their lives.