Everyone feels anger – it’s just an emotion after all – but not everyone has significant consequences as a result of the behavior they exhibit when they’re angry. Learning to control anger can seem impossible but there is help out there in the form of anger counseling.
The purpose is not to get rid of anger
Many people fail when trying to control their own anger because their goal is to stop feeling angry. The reality is that this is an unreasonable expectation. The goal shouldn’t be not to feel angry – it should be to learn how to deal with anger.
Learn where the bad behavior stems from
Anger counseling is a personalized experience and the right treatment plan will vary for each individual. However, it often begins by assessing anger levels, the frequency with which a person feels angry, and the ways a person deals with that anger.
Steps are then taken to take a closer look at the causes of the anger. Is it based on internal feelings or external situations? Do memories bring it up? When a counselor can understand why their client is feeling anger they can help them dig deeper to address those causes.
Keeping clear goals in mind
Having goals is an important part of counseling. The goals of each individual will depend on their situation and expectations but some common anger counseling goals include recognizing things that trigger anger, learning how to respond to these triggers, and noticing and acknowledging situations in which the individual didn’t react logically when they got angry.
Part of a counselor’s job is to teach their clients that dealing with their anger doesn’t mean they most roll over and put up with whatever others throw at them. Instead, clients learn healthy ways to assert themselves and make their needs known. At Thriveworks Counseling & Coaching we can provide personalized assistance to clients who need help reducing the consequences of the behaviors they exhibit when they’re angry.
