Seeing a Therapist for Anger Issues

Your therapist can help with anger issues. Anger is a natural response to any threat, and it is important for survival. However, anger becomes a problem if you cannot control it well. It then causes you to do or say hurtful things. If you want to know how seeing a therapist can help with your anger issues, here are the details.

What anger management therapy is

Every person gets angry sometimes. Some people find it difficult to control this emotion. Uncontrolled anger worsens into persistent anger and rage. Unsavory outbursts can result in physical harm to oneself and others. It can also affect the quality of life and the relationships the person has. Anger management can help people suffering from overwhelming surges of anger.

This type of therapy cannot change the person. It cannot even change the person’s situation. Instead, anger management can help the individual recognize the triggers for getting angry. The individual can then learn techniques to cope with them better. Anger management can help reduce stressful situations. A therapist helps the person express feelings in a healthier form and enhance self-control.

Different types of anger management

A mental health professional can use different approaches in treating anger. DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) can help people with frequent or intense anger. The patient can regain firm control of emotions. This can happen through distress tolerance, emotional control, and mindfulness. Effective communication in any relationship is also a focus in this approach.

CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is a common approach in anger management. It can help the patient understand anger triggers. As a result, the therapist can help the patient cope with stressful situations. CBT also aids in changing how the person feels, behaves, and thinks when angry. The therapist’s goal is to make the patient more in control. Calming the patient down is also a major goal.

Psychodynamic therapy can help the therapist examine the main roots of the patient’s anger. The person’s response to anger is also important in this approach. The therapist can help the patient spot and then correct the bad patterns. Family therapy is for patients whose anger often projects toward family members. It can help the patient work with the family. This approach can help them resolve their issues and improve their communication.

Techniques from the therapist

Many people use anger and yelling to get their points across. This habit may come from childhood experience, in which the one yelling got what they wanted. Anger management can teach the patient to change this thinking. The patient could then stop using angry yelling as a form of communication.

A mental health provider can teach the patient how to diffuse anger. This involves sharing techniques on how to practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing. The patient could also learn how to check and change attitudes. Restructuring thought patterns could also help the patient deal with anger triggers better, prompting compassion and apologies.