Anger Management and Counselling in London, ON.

When anger and rage is out of control it is important to reach out for support. I help clients with developing a better understanding of anger in order to regain control. Below the surface of anger often exists other unresolved emotions and experiences that we may need help navigating. As we begin to better understand ourselves and the reasons that anger becomes activated, it is possible to develop the skills and self-awareness necessary to feel more calmness. It is possible to learn how to navigate life’s stressful circumstances without the destructive impacts of unmanaged anger.

Events in your life do not cause you to be angry. Anger is your response to those events, and I can help you change your response by changing your thinking! I can help you deal better with underlying stress. I can teach you relaxation methods, and I can teach you the techniques of mindfulness to lessen the hold of difficult thoughts and feelings have on you.

I have spent hundreds of hours working with clients who struggle with managing anger/rage. There are specific, step-by-step techniques that can be taught, that are very effective at helping people deal with this issue. Based on reports from clients I have worked with, I have found that if clients are committed to their process, most people make significant improvement within 6-12 sessions. Drawing from polyvagal theory, AEDP and mindfulness techniques, clients can learn healthy ways to manage and experience their anger.

Anger is an essential emotion. It lets us know what is important. Sometimes, the intensity of anger can be upsetting. Anger management is more about anger awareness. Learning how to manage intense feelings is helpful in both family and work environments. By becoming aware of seemingly insignificant triggers, you can avoid an very significant outburst. Counselling can help you transform anger as the enemy to anger as your ally.

My work with anger management is usually with men. And in my experience, they are usually experiencing covert depression (you are feeling depression, but you express as anger and don't realize that is what you are doing). Men will often use anger as a shield from the shame and stigma that many men feel about sadness. I will work you with on identifying, feeling, processing, and communicating emotions so that we can deal with the real issues under the anger. I'll also provide skills and tools to help you to regulate your emotions.

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.

I have worked in a group setting with men who have power and control issues. I believe in safety in families, and compassion for all. The work starts with taking responsibility for our actions and the effects they have on others. I believe people are capable of change and therapy can be an invitation to growth in responsibility, empathy and behaviour change. I would address the emotional root of the problem and help you understand why anger leads to aggression.

Anger is a normal and important emotion that provides us with clues about emotions, thoughts, experiences, and behaviours that need to be explored and understood. Anger is a secondary emotion which means that there are often softer more vulnerable emotions that lie beneath the experience and expression of anger. In the context of a safe and non-judgemental counselling relationship, you can begin to explore the roots of your anger, understand how your anger has likely acted to protect you in may situations, and learn new strategies and tools to express all emotions, including anger, in a more effective and helpful way.

After four decades as a therapist, I find anger management is still not fully understood. Yes you need to manage your anger. But it’s early childhood experience which has hurt you - hardened you to avoid, dismiss or shove inside any anger: both the Constructive as well as Destructive types. That becomes a false shortcut - as feeling inside for which is which in the moment is a key to healthy assertion. Balance is what we need. In the model I use for working with anger, you can learn first to shift what tends to happen in a present unhappy situation. We’ll then help you distinguish how your past started that pattern. You’ll be able to balance yourself, both in anger and conflict resolution.

Anger is a natural emotion that everyone experiences and should not be viewed as negative but an essential emotion to understand who you are. When anger starts to impact your life negatively it is typically displayed in the way you manage behaviourally and mentally through situations. In therapy, the individual will determine the triggers for the anger, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and record their successes. In essence turning a lion into a kitten.

A.M. is mainly a misnomer: “anger” is a natural emotion and normal response to real or imagined injury/threats. It can support our making and keeping essential personal boundaries. Such anger is usually short-lived. Anger that results in impulsive harmful abusive acts and lasts, is better described as rage. Rage stems from severe early life traumas: extensive abandonment, need deprivation, violence, sexual abuse, chronic chaos, likely combined with individual vulnerability factors. Some programs and self-help may not successfully address rage.Depending on degree of self-awareness, motivation, capacity for self-regulation and taking responsibility, this problem can be helped by psychotherapy

Emotions can run deep and overwhelm our system. Anger, in particular, is one what tends to come fast and flood our system. Anger is often learned in our early life and we hold onto the lessons of this. The good news is that we can unburden ourselves from the hurt anger is often holding which can free you from this cycle. If anger is impacting your life, we can help. Contact us and we can work with you to start this change.

In my approach to managing anger and emotional regulation issues, I work with the individual to understand how childhood experiences and unmet needs contribute to the presenting issues. Through this understanding, we can develop new communication methods so you have new tools to address your concerns. I also encourage my clients to develop a strong sense of self-compassion so they can learn to forgive themselves when old patterns emerge, which can then provide guidance on what the person needs in their life.