Anger Management and Counseling in Durham, NC.

My goal with clients with anger issues is to extinguish the emotion. How to do this varies with clients but can involve finding substitute behaviors for expressing anger, creating consequences for the anger, or finding rewards for controlling the anger. It is also important to understand the function of the anger in a relationship. If anger is a distancing mechanism, for example, then the client needs to find alternative ways to find more "space" in his life and a partner might also need help becoming more independent. One must use care, however, not to blame the victim when anger is an issue in a relationship. Yet another approach to managing anger is through insight: as did Jung.

Struggling with excessive anger is lonely. By the time most people are willing to admit that the problem is out of control, they have deeply hurt the people closest to them. Relationships have ended, or may be about to end. The cost of doing nothing is much to high. Many practitioners focus on teaching strategies and tools for managing anger reactions. In addition to those things, I also recognize that anger is a secondary emotion.

A lack of ability to manage one’s anger can have devastating effects on a person’s life, to include intimate relationships, parenting, work, and friendships. Clients often present frustrated with themselves for this inability, but feeling unable to change what feels to them like an automatic response and a normal response to stress and annoyances. At Lepage Associates we help people recognize managing anger is a skill, and like all other skills it can be leaned with guidance and hard work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been the preferred method of treatment for anger for decades. Cognitively, clients are taught to become more aware of when and how their anger develops by identifying

Anger can sometimes help you be assertive in important situations. However, if you consistently express your anger in ways that negatively affect your relationships and self-esteem, you may have an anger management issue. In therapy, clients learn about the underlying reasons for their anger and ways to self-soothe and validate their own experience. With more self-awareness, clients are able to express their feelings with calm, clarity, and greater sensitivity to others. We can work together to feel less on edge, so you are more approachable and experience greater satisfaction in relationships.