Anger Management and Counselling in Burlington, ON.

Anger is a completely normal, often healthy human emotion. But if it gets beyond your control, it can be very destructive in your work and interpersonal relationships and can drastically devastate the quality of your life. Fortunately, anger can be 'managed' which is very different than 'suppressing' it. Unexpressed anger leads to a host of other problems including high blood pressure. However, when we learn how to 'manage' our anger, we can learn to diminish both the emotional feelings and the physiological arousal that anger causes. We can learn to avoid triggers and develop strategies. We can learn how to problem solve, change our thinking and relax our bodies.

Anger is a difficult emotion to control once it gets started. Stopping anger is like stopping a runaway train after it has a full head of steam. Managing one of the most powerful emotions takes preparation, awareness and containment skills. I have personally written the book on the Eight Steps to Conquering Chronic Anger. It is used monthly at our centre in anger management classes. Anger can be conquered!

One of the most common complaints I hear from parents is that their child never listens. “No matter what it is they just don’t hear me. I yell and scream and plead but it’s like I am talking to a brick wall.” Most of the time the way the message is delivered is more important than the message itself. Adults and children alike tend to close themselves off from loud and intrusive tones of voice. I help parents understand that perhaps the best way to get their kids to listen and behave is by first changing their attitudes towards the situation. Engaging in a parenting paradigm shift is a great way to start their journey and I can help with this process.

Perceptions of anger vary based on personal experiences; some of us have experienced it as a destructive force presented through aggression or violence. Whether anger is getting in the way of authentic connection, resolving differences with others, or impacting your overall mental health, understanding it can be a helpful first step in anger therapy, also known as anger management therapy. Schedule a free consultation to see if we are a good fit for therapy.

I believe that anger is an emotion that in and of itself is not wrong. However, the actions that result from our anger can be negative. I help people understand their anger, where it came from, and why they deal with situations the way they do. Once a person has that knowledge, I help them to find healthy solutions to deal with the anger they feel by teaching them body language skills, communication and listening skills, and the freedom that comes from forgiveness.

Anger management counseling can help to identify stressors and learn the steps to stay calm in the face of anger. The goal is to handle tense situations in more constructive and positive ways by reducing the emotional and physical arousal that anger can cause. It will provide the tools to take back your life and resolve the triggers that result in unplanned anger reactions.

If you experience anger management that is interfering in your work or relationships, I offer a variety of approaches to understand not only the sources of anger, but also tailored strategies to help you to change your reactions and communicate your needs in productive ways. Types of approaches that might be used include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), other somatic approaches and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

In 30 years of helping people, I have found that how we handle our feelings is a major contributor to our joy, pleasure and success in life, not just in relationships but pursuing our work and our goals as well. Anger can be a powerful motivator or an obstacle in getting what we want. I have an approach for understanding the healthy purpose of anger, and becoming aware of and in control of your natural physiological arousal process so that your angry behavior can stop getting in the way of what you really want. You can obtain the tools and resources to work with this arousal process, giving you more choices and chances to succeed, rather than letting anger take away those choices.

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.

Anger can be upsetting not only for the one receiving it but also for the one expressing it. Although we can believe that someone "makes" us angry it is usually our own trigger that fires off. We express anger not just because we feel we have a right to be angry but because we use anger as a way of self protection. It says "back off and leave me alone." Understanding your angry pain can free you from it's grip. I have helped many clients with this difficulty through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and inner child approaches that have proven to be successful in the treatment of anger.

Anger is a normal natural feeling at times in ones life, however, it can be paralyzing when it is expressed in a destructive manner. Like most feelings it is never right or wrong to feel angry, but how we behave because of it can be right or wrong. By understanding the underlying causes of anger, an individual can learn a more positive way of handling their negative feelings, which will make one feel better about themselves and their relationships.

Anger is a normal emotion that everyone experiences from time to time. However uncontrolled anger can often create problems within relationships, at work and many other aspects of our life. My goal is to work with you to help you recognize and manage your anger. I will work with you to assist you in understanding what your needs are, and how to ask to have those needs meet in a healthy way. When you understand all aspects of your anger, you will be better equipped to choose an appropriate response, resulting in your needs being heard, understood and met.

Anger is a natural reaction and response to an event that has happened to you or someone else in your life; however, anger can become an issue when it is expressed in a way that can cause issues in your personal or professional life. Together we can discover the unique circumstances in which your anger has arisen and find out what it may represent to you. It could be your unmet commitment, expectation, needs, as well as your worry or fear for someone or something. I will explore with you how you can express it in a safe, constructive way, while allowing you to stay true to your experience.

Anger management is a series of preventative and reactionary steps that help us regulate our emotions. While anger management is about executing these skills, the successful implementation depends on a foundational understanding of what anger is and how it operates in one’s life. Without understanding angers unique roots for each individual, anger management techniques become especially challenging to implement. My approach to anger management involves establishing a foundational understanding of anger by examining personal underlying fears and needs. With this foundation set, the individual is able to integrate a personal understanding of anger consistently with strategies and techniques.