Anger Management

Anger management refers to a process in which an individual is open, honest, and direct and seeks to mobilize their emotions in a positive direction. The approach of anger management is to teach an individual the steps that are necessary to manage emotional and physiological arousal that accompanies anger. Anger management allows the individuals to gain the ability to minimize anger-evoking situations, become more capable of expressing feelings in a healthier manner, and improve one’s self-control.

The purpose of anger management is to understand the process of anger is complex and no two individuals will have the same type of anger. It’s important to recognize that anger is an important emotion that every individual will come to know at some point in their life, but it is how they drive that anger which makes the difference between being destructive or creative. Unfortunately, it is impossible for members of society to avoid every topic, situation or person that incites our anger, but it is possible to learn how to control and express your anger in a suitable way. Contact Puglisi Counseling today to learn freedom from anger by one of our clinicians who are certified anger management specialists.

We'll Explore the Roots of Your Anger

Anger is a multi-faceted emotion that can be extremely complex to understand, as it goes beyond simple irritations. When looking at anger from an anger management perspective, we seek to understand several factors at play:

Degrees of Anger: Anger is measured on a scale of 1-10 to mark the varying levels of intensity of the emotion as it arises.
Mind and Body: There is a great connection to be explored between your physical body and brain functioning. Together, we explore the complexity of the human brain and how it works with your physical body when experiencing anger.
Process of Anger: Anger is a 3-part processing involving different stages that leads to the emotional event. To better control anger, there needs to be an understanding of how it develops.
Healthy vs Destructive: Anger can be a positive emotion when expressed appropriately. However, many individuals tend to allow their anger to become intense which leads to destruction.
Individual Beliefs: Our thoughts, feelings and behaviors are connected, and one may influence the other. Developing negative beliefs about your anger can further influence negative feelings and then promote negative behaviors. With the guidance in anger management, you’ll learn to change your mindset regarding the belief surrounding anger and learn to promote more positivity.

Individuals who often experience increased anger responses may have more underlying reasons that influence emotional issues. Anger can be a direct result from experiencing other emotions, such as sadness, anxiety, worry, and fear. The source of these feelings can be suppressed by different circumstances like grief, trauma, addiction, poor relationships, and increased stress. As a result, our mind and body have found ways of developing temporary relief by acting out of anger. Discovering the root cause of the anger can be critical in sustaining lasting control over the unwanted emotions. By maintaining lasting control of anger, we can prevent the damaging effects it holds on:

The goal of anger management is not to suppress or hold in your anger, but rather we seek to help you learn how to express anger in a socially appropriate manner. There are many benefits gained following successful anger management such as:

Increased Energy Levels
Effective Communication Skills
Strengthened Relationships
Improved Physical and Mental Health
Improved Self-Esteem
Increased Happiness

How Does Anger Management Work?

At Puglisi Counseling, our clinicians have specific recovery guidelines when working with anger. Through a combination of therapy and psychoeducation, clients will learn effective anger management techniques. By the end of anger management, clients will be able to recognize the signs of anger and maintain control during situations or circumstances that incite angry feelings.

With the guidance and support of your clinician, you will gain insight into how your body provides the warning signals for when you are starting to elevate to destructive anger. Using a weekly anger log, clients will develop increased awareness of heightened emotions and responses, gain self-observation skills, and be able to track their progress. By keeping a record of anger situations, the client can identify some of the patterns that lead to destructive anger. In turn, with guidance from the clinician, the client will then delve deeper into the source of anger. Once the source of anger has been discovered, the client will have the power to resolve the issues leading to their inability to manage difficult emotions.

Successful anger management therapy develops healthy ways for you to express anger and frustration. Some techniques used in anger management therapy include:

Anger management can take place both in individual therapy and group therapy settings. Both settings can be equally effective in understanding your anger and building the foundation to promote better anger management. Clients can expect different topics to be discussed that often influence anger including relationship issues, parenting, work stressors among other topics. There will be homework and assignments provided that allow clients to specifically work through their circumstances and strengthen the techniques provided in session. The idea surrounding homework and assignments is to allow the individual to practice the newly developed skills in real-life situations, thus influencing better behaviors and emotion control outside of therapy.

Court Ordered Anger Management

There are times when the judicial system may enroll an individual in an anger management course as a part of their probationary requirements. When an individual is mandated for anger management, it is because they have typically been convicted of a criminal offense. These offenses may include but are not limited to:

Puglisi Counseling can offer anger management programs for those that are court ordered in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Who Can Benefit from Anger Management?

Anger management courses and therapy can be beneficial to anyone who finds themselves struggling to maintain control over their emotions. An individual does not need to be court ordered to receive or benefit from anger management. In fact, many individuals voluntarily engage in anger management for a variety of reasons, such as improving their relationships, preventing job loss, and to prevent the progression of mental illness. However, there are certain social groups who may find a significant benefit in participating in anger management, like:

Violent Offenders
People with bullying behaviors
People affected by behavioral changes associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI)
People with behavioral changes associated with posttraumatic stress (PTSD)
People experiencing substance dependency or undergoing recovery
People with cognitive or mental health issues that make it difficult to control anger

While some individuals who attend anger management are court ordered, there are many who seek it out to find freedom from their anger by choice. For anyone who may be interested, therapy is available on an on-going basis.

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