Anger Management and Counselling in Madoc, ON.

Nobody wants to be angry and upset themselves or others. Anger is sometimes about current issues that need to be resolved through a good action plan. Other times it is due to deeper issues that need to be worked through. Anger is often a symptom of previous upsets or issues in our lives that caused us pain in some way. We will process those upsets through discussion and unique exercises created for you as homework or to be completed in session until they are worked through.

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.

Having a short fuse and getting angry easily is often symptomatic of a lack of emotional regulation and being overwhelmed by stressors. When we understand our emotions and seek to dial down the intensity rather than supressing or trying to change our emotional state, we can make better decisions and avoid "hulking out." Together, we can explore causes and preventative approaches to stress management, build emotional awareness (including how other emotions sometimes present as anger), and self soothing strategies to feel more prepared to handle whatever life throws at us.

If anger is starting to affect your relationships, your career, or even your health, you’re not alone and it doesn’t have to stay this way. I work with individuals across Toronto, Oakville and beyond who are ready to take control of their emotions and find healthier ways to respond. My anger management therapy focuses on understanding where your anger comes from, learning strategies to control it, and transforming that energy into something constructive. Whether you prefer in-person sessions or the convenience of online therapy, my approach is always personalized, empathetic, and completely confidential.

If you struggle with managing anger, you may also be struggling with other issues as well. Anger is the response that others see to the hurt, pain and frustration underneath that is wreaking havoc in both your physical and emotional worlds. The most effective way that we can manage anger is to begin to understand it, and address these underlying problems. Anger does not allow for us to live the way that we want to; it takes over the moment that we become triggered. We can regain control of our reactions once we deal with those underlying issues. Together we will take a nonjudgmental approach in exploring how anger has impacted you, and the behaviours that you want to move towards.

DBT can be a game changer for clients wanting to regulate difficult emotions. A comprehensive and integrated model that uses skills training techniques to support individuals in achieving emotion regulation, stress tolerance, achieving mindful practices and improving interpersonal relationships. DBT has initially been proven in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), clients at risk of suicidality, and para-suicide behaviours. However, this treatment can also help clients with anxiety, depression, and other presentations that formed roots from invalidating environments.

Anger has been seen as something scary we should control or suppress. Yet it carries important information about our boundaries, needs, and ethics. In my work with anger, I draw on ideas from Karla McLaren, who sees anger as a signal that something in our lives requires attention or protection. Integrating elements from ACT, DBT, IFS, and somatic regulation strategies, I help clients learn to recognize what their anger is communicating and how to respond to it constructively. Rather than reactivity or pushing it away, clients develop skills to understand anger’s message, set healthy boundaries, and communicate more clearly in relationships of all kinds.

All human beings feel and express anger, and thus anger itself is not necessarily bad or good. It's a normal emotion which can sometimes be harnessed to motivate us towards our goals. At times, unhelpful thinking patterns make us vulnerable to being triggered into angry behaviors impacting our relationships and well being. There are many useful tools available to help address the causes of anger, helping clients to understand themselves and their motivations better. Better understanding often translates into more control and an increase in emotional regulation.

In my experience of conducting the Men's Anti-violence groups, I can help with "self-regulation" of negative and highly charged feelings of anger and resentment, both in intimate family and work-related areas. My focus is to help people with a "hot-temper" or "short-fuse" by identifying and isolating feelings that may originate and reside in negative family dynamics where "injustice" and unfairness often are at the root of such "pent-up" unexpressed feelings. Or, you were "not allowed" to express such natural and valid feelings. Effective new "habits" are learned as are ways to "control" this reflexive and impulsive behaviour. I have seen positive and healthy change come about as a result.

Anger can feel like an emotional experience that we have no control over. In therapy, you can explore the root causes of anger and how it impacts your life, your experiences, and your relationships. You can learn skills to effectively respond to anger, ground yourself when feeling angry, and de-escalate when anger is impacting your relationships. I work with individuals, couples and families. Book a free consultation to explore if we are a good fit for therapy.

Anger is an emotion that often comes up when we feel threatened, provoked or feel resentful about painful experiences. It is a normal emotion like any other. Imagine it to be a source of energy, and we need to find the safest way to diffuse, transform and use that energy efficiently. I can help you understand, manage and self-regulate your angry feelings, and that will empower you to better control angry reactions and turn them into solution focused responses.

Anger is an emotion like any other emotion. When channelled in a healthy way, anger can be a great motivator, and it can be an appropriate response to injustice. On the other hand, anger can be very destructive. Anger pushes people away, it alienates those who are close to you, it controls others (and yourself), and it can be abusive. Anger is typically the way we have learned to express deeper emotions, our core emotions. These emotions include: hurt, sadness and fear. If you attend one-on-one counselling with me or one of my associates, you will learn the following: communicate your core feelings; recognize your body warning signs; change your thinking; and relax!

Understanding the roots of your anger can go a long way to empowering you to respond in ways that best suit the situation, leaving you feeling satisfied and content, rather than reacting in ways that feel the most relieving in that moment but leave you regretting your behavior, long after the event. I can help you learn to express your feelings more appropriately and take back the power that anger has had over you in the past.