Anger Management and Counseling in Piedmont, CA.

Anger is a healthy instinctual emotion. But it can be very destructive if it isn't managed and you are consciously aware and mindful of this part of yourself. Often we have learned to bury our instinctual anger response because our culture teaches us it is bad. Anger can be scary and even life-threatening if it's directed at you. This is a universal response. Often, because we bury our anger or haven't learned how to manage it in a healthy way, it comes out in ways that are incredibly harmful. I can help you have a new, healthier experience of your anger so that you can stay connected to people in your life and keep yourself safe from doing harmful things that could ruin your life.

I have extensive experience working with men who are struggling with their anger management. Oftentimes, such men come to see me because the way they are experiencing and expressing their anger is causing serious damage to their relationships, either at home or on the job. Ironically, such men often feel simultaneously disconnected from and ineffectual in their sense of personal power. I help men access their own vulnerability as a way to start feeling what is behind the ineffective expressions of anger and rage. From there, men can begin to reclaim a more true and embodied sense of their strength and power, one that is far more connected with the heart.

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 can be a difficult emotion to manage. Do you have a "short fuse", go from "0-100 in 20 seconds"? This is typical for people who are struggling with anger management. If you are reading this listing it might mean that you've been thinking about the ways that anger has affected your life and your relationships and are hoping that things can get better. They can. Anger management work requires active participation and engagement from clients, but fortunately, excellent, proven, interventions exist for this issue. Not only will you be better able to manage your anger, but you will feel more balanced overall. I have helped many clients with this issue. Call me for more information.

Think before you speak. Express anger when calm, not in the heat of the moment. Take a few moments to collect your thoughts before saying anything — and allow others involved in the situation to do the same. I teach clients to express frustration in an assertive, non-confrontational way. To state concerns and needs clearly and directly, without hurting others or trying to control them. There are several useful, evidence-based methods to use in the face of unhealthy behaviors such as anger mismanagement. I teach my clients to become aware of these habits, and work on changing them by engaging them in talking about what lies underneath anger which is a secondary emotion.

Anger in itself is not a bad thing. It is a feeling and feelings are there for a reason. You can manage your frustrations without losing control of yourself. In my work with you, you will learn your personal signs and symptoms of anger and catch yourself before you reach that point of no return. "My anger outbursts and destructive behavior seem to come from nowhere!" This is not true. You can learn the root cause, slow it down and have control over your life again. You will learn how to be assertive instead of being aggressive.

I provide individual psychotherapy for anger management. Anger is normal emotion that everyone experiences. It becomes a problem when one expresses anger inappropriately or one lacks the proficiency to express any emotions but anger. I use Humanistic and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) to help my clients understand their anger, improve their emotional experience, and express their emotions in healthy ways. A healthy emotional life is the cornerstone of living a full and successful life.

More than 20 years ago, I had an "Anger Management" problem. I know what it is like to try to keep it under control to only find myself saying cruel things I wish I didn't say. It destroyed a relationship. However, that inspired me to learn how to deal with my anger in a healthy way. I was highly motivated; it took me less than 12 sessions. If you struggle with your anger, we will come up with real strategies that help you pay attention to what is going on in your body so we can prevent the angry outbursts from happening. You may need somebody who can challenge you and keep you in check while at the same time not judging you. Your next step is to call me to make an appointment.

I will help you to understand anger for yourself and to manage it more effectively. I will help you start to recognize triggers, negative self talk and destructive patterns of behavior, to learn practical techniques to calm your self down and to use your feelings of anger to get in touch with your deeper human needs. You will be more authentically empowered with self knowledge, better communication and self regulation skills. Your relationships and health will benefit greatly.

Do you have trouble naming your triggers? When you become angry, is it difficult for you to take a step back and think before you react? I have found that problems arise when a person reacts immediately when angry instead of taking a moment to think about the possible consequences of their reactions. I work to help clients identify the things that make them angry, notice when their anger begins to form, and slow down their reactionary processes once the anger hits.

Clients from various backgrounds take many different approaches to think about, feel and express anger. However, when anger negatively impacts one’s relationships, it is important to explore what is contributing to an unhealthy experience of anger. In my collaboration with clients, we venture out to explore the conscious and unconscious factors that may need to be brought to light, in the context of perhaps other biopsychosocial (biological, psychological or social) factors that may need attention. Clients who learn to understand, better identify and manage their impulses, cultivate insight and explore opportunities to practice developing skills to have an improved sense of self-mastery.

Anger can feel like an all consuming reaction to something other may have done to you intentionally or unintentionally. However, we always wind up on dealing with the aftermath of our anger when we didn't even feel like we were in control of the situation. If this is happening, we will working on developing anger management strategies. We will identify those common words or behaviors that set us off and try to better understand our anger in the beginning stages. This will allow us to start establishing and using coping strategies that will put us in control. Ideally, these techniques and strategies will help improve our relationships with those that we want to spend time with.

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.