Anger Management and Counseling in Annandale, VA.

Are you feeling upset thinking about your life or your career? As your life and career coach I can help you get a plan to help decrease your stress. Together we navigate the path to realizing your ideal life vision. During the coaching process, we work to identify your core values, enhance your strengths, increase your self awareness and to ensure that we find you a life or career plan.

I help clients develop strategies and techniques for managing intense anger or aggressive episodes. These techniques involve learning ways to “cool off” and validate underlying feelings so that they may be communicated more effectively. Generally speaking, difficulty with anger is typically the result of a person having difficulty regulating their emotions.Emotional Regulation is achieving a balanced emotional life where you are neither numbed out from your emotional experiences nor emotionally overwhelmed by them. Achieving emotional balance is done through both talk therapy as well as learning specific concrete strategies for managing your emotional experiences.

Appropriate anger management is a skill that can be learned. Often times, people that struggle with anger management were never given the tools to regulate their emotions. Through exploration of our triggers, understanding and changing the messages we attach to these triggers, and learning to regulate our physiological arousal state, we can successfully implement de-escalation strategies and return to a place of calm. *Please note, I do not work with domestic violence issues although I am happy to provide referrals.

For you to understand where your anger comes from and what triggers it is most important. I do not believe in managing anger. One needs to learn its source and have coaching in how to change the mind-set behind it. Sometimes anger is tied to PTSD and abuse. These must be uncovered with help, then redirected with coaching. Others can't manage your life, you must be taught how to cope through the mine fields of life. I have found that most have been told they will have to live with "pain" and we will manage it for you. I have not found that to be the real case. I see real change in people. We are not to be trapped in anger. So I know there is real hope.

Uncontrollable anger, a bad temper and aggression can lead to significant relationship and career failures. Identifying the triggers that cause one to become upset and learning more adaptive strategies and solutions are the essential ingredients for change. Cognitive restructuring, problem solving, improving communication and relaxation strategies are but a few approaches used in anger management treatment. Working with partners, spouses or family members is also beneficial. At times, medication may be warranted in conjunction with therapy or counseling. We at Ashburn Psychological Services are here to help.

We all experience anger in our lives. I help clients develop healthy ways to experience and express their anger by: • Identifying effective ways to handle anger and express feelings; • Understanding how feelings such as fear, pride and inferiority feed anger; • Transforming negative patterns of thinking, relating and behaving that influence anger; • Learning ways to communicate, resolve conflicts and meet needs successfully; and • Developing a healthy lifestyle that supports a successful life. The constructive use of anger, assertiveness, helps express and preserve our needs, worth, and convictions while considering and respecting the needs and feelings of others.

Our team of therapists can help you face your specific anger management issues and tailor a treatment plan specifically for you. Our team of counselors come from a wide variety of backgrounds, so we're confident we can find you help that's best suited for your unique challenges and goals. Working with us, you'll get results. Please don't wait, we're ready to help you today.

How do you know if your anger is serious enough to need help? A quick answer is if you find that anger is your go-to, knee-jerk reaction to everyday irritants and disappointments, or if your anger is compromising your quality of life, it may be time to talk to someone. My way of working with angry clients is to both search for the causes of the anger as well as figure out concrete, common-sense ways for anger to be managed on a daily basis. Anger itself is not the problem; often it's the management (or mismanagement) of it that brings on a host of other problems. Maybe you have a right to be angry! But wouldn't it be better to be able to express that anger in a way others can really hear it?

Anger is a natural response to hurt and fear but it can cause more pain in our lives if we use it to hurt others, physically or emotionally. Anger that is destructive, usually comes from an old hurt that we are carrying within us. This hurt has been painfully touched by circumstances or by the actions of someone else. First we need to learn ways to stop our hurtful actions by taking a break or walking away. Then, however, we need to turn our attention to the underlying hurt and to bring compassion and care to our own hurt self. You will find that at the same time, you become more compassionate toward other people.