Anger Management and Counselling in Waterloo, ON.

Anger is a normal and natural human emotion, but if you are finding your anger is too intense, lasts too long, or is too frequent and/or causing you to behave in ways that you regret or is causing damage to your relationships, you likely have problem anger. I help clients with their anger through an integrative approach, combining psycho-education, Cognitive Behavioural, Psychodynamic and Somatic approaches to help you understand the nature of your anger and how you can better manage angry feelings while also using the more positive sides of anger to bring powerful change in your life.

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 normal and healthy emotion and we all get angry from time to time. However, when anger turns destructive and/or self-destructive and brings problems into your personal and professional life, you need to seek support to learn how to manage your anger better. In the process, you will learn how to relieve the symptoms and recognize the signs of anger, increase your confidence and self esteem level, enjoy stronger and healthier relationships with your loved ones and coworkers, learn how to express yourself and your emotions with confidence and without anger, and live more balanced life both mentally and emotionally.

Getting therapy for anger management with us will be beneficial because you are offered a safe and supportive space to explore the underlying causes of anger and learn effective strategies for managing it. Therapy can help individuals develop self-awareness, identify triggers, and learn healthier ways to express and cope with anger. You'll be offered tools and techniques to help regulate your emotions, improve communication skills, and build healthier relationships. Additionally, therapy can address any underlying issues, such as past trauma or unresolved conflicts, that may contribute to anger.

Anger management is about anger understanding first. Why are we angry? I will help clients' seeking assistance with anger by creating a safe space to explore the anger, to process it, and understand it. We can't seek to manage it if we don't understand what is really happening for us. Through pattern exploration of experiences with anger, we can process and navigate the emotion and work together to manage it.

Anger can be such a frustrating emotion sometimes leaving us feeling shameful for even feeling that way. Men and women are often taught different messages about anger as they are growing up, impacting our experience and delivery of anger as an adult. Anger is a real and valid emotion, but how we express it can sometimes lead to problems. The benefit of working with me is that the emotion of anger does not intimidate me and I am willing to go to those heights with you so that you can learn new ways to express your anger. Heights such as using a kickboxing bag if it will bring you the breakthrough that you have been searching for. Your success matters to me and I know we can figure this out!

Anger management refers to a series of techniques that can be used to cope with intense emotions. Deeper clinical work focusses on the origins of the maladaptive aspects of intense anger and strives to increase insight to develop functional responses to the stress, frustration and disappointment feelings that often underly angry outbursts. Assessment of anger often also looks into possible comorbid depression, anxiety or substance use.

Understanding the triggers of your anger and how you manage your emotions in different settings is beneficial to learning ways to feel as though you are in charge of your actions. Body signals are usually the first thing we notice with anger, and together we can develop a plan on how to recognize your thoughts, feelings and body cues to control the anger and maintain and build healthy personal and work relationships.

We start by identifying your anger triggers & things you have to be angry about. We identify your anger style, including behaviours you engage in when angry. We identify where anger happens in your body & work to help you start to see clues when your anger is starting to manifest. We help you improve your emotional language and vocabulary. We identify new ways you might react to anger. We will explore together your anger process, including analyzing instances when you were angry, the thoughts you had, the related feelings, & the behaviour you engaged in as a result. We will talk about "anger up, anger down," identifying the things you say to yourself that either increases or decrease anger.

No one WANTS to be angry. Anger is a secondary emotion - meaning, it's a symptom of another emotion that you are dealing with through anger. Often when we feel an emotion that is too overwhelming for us to manage, we react with anger, which lets us avoid that original emotion. Managing your anger will mean that we explore what that original emotion is, help you to identify what caused it, and how you can tolerate it without utilizing anger. Sessions will also allow you to express your feelings in a safe, supportive environment, without judgment, perhaps for the first time.

Our experiences of anger vary greatly. While I don't offer therapy services for anger management, at Psychotherapy Collective, our online clinic, we have many therapists who offer support for clients seeking help with anger. Visit our website to schedule a free 15-minute consultation with a therapist who specializes in anger management https://www.psychotherapycollective.ca/areas-of-focus/anger

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.