Anger Management Counselling Calgary

Anger isn’t always destructive; in some situations, it can be useful. It helps us see when others are treating us disrespectfully or unfairly. It prepares our bodies to avoid an immediate threat. And it motivates us to stand up for ourselves when we need to. 

But when anger becomes problematic, it damages our relationships, reputation, and careers. 

Self-awareness is an important part of managing anger. Not sure if you need anger management classes? To find out, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you get into regular arguments with your partner, family members, or friends?
2. Do you find it hard to manage anger in stressful situations?
3. When you’re feeling angry, are you unable to think of anything else?
4. Do you often say or do things in the heat of the moment that you later regret?
5. Is your anger causing problems with work or school? 
6. When you experience anger, how do you react? Does your temperature rise? Do you clench your jaw and fists? Does your vision get blurry? 
7. Do you feel like your anger goes from 0 to 100 when something goes wrong?

Did you answer “yes” to a majority of these questions? If so, your anger is significantly affecting your life and relationships. You can get a handle on anger management issues through counselling.

Can you recall what you did the last time you got angry? You may have made a rash decision seconds after your temper flared. With anger management therapy, the focus is on handling that anger in a healthier, less destructive way.

You’ll also become more aware of what triggers your anger. Learn which events and signals cause your emotions to rise, and calm yourself down before you make a hasty decision. 

Anger dictates our behaviours for us. It pushes us to raise our voices, lose our patience, and overlook what our rational mind is telling us. Through anger management therapy, you can learn how to stay in control of your emotions.

Anyone who feels like they’re losing control of their thoughts or actions can benefit from therapy. 

Anger affects life in so many ways. It’s a normal reaction when something doesn’t go as planned, when we feel disrespected, or when we can’t get the outcome we’ve tried so hard to work for. 

But anger isn’t always directed at other people; sometimes, we get angry at ourselves. This, too, can express itself in unhealthy ways, including self-harm and substance abuse. 

Anger management can help you build a better relationship with yourself and the people you care about. It’s a way to stop your emotions from controlling your mind and instead, use logic and reason.

If you’re willing to work on your self-control, separate your actions from your emotions, and calmly communicate your feelings, try anger management! A large analysis found that 75% of people who took anger management therapy noticed an improvement. 

Counselling empowers you to challenge belief systems and thought patterns that are no longer serving you. You can change your mindset to better cope with anger.

Sometimes, the littlest things can set us off, and our anger isn’t proportionate to the event that caused it. Once you dig deeper, you learn that your emotional responses and anger issues are part of a bigger picture.

Here are a few ways you can learn to manage your anger:

• Recognize triggers. In real life, things happen in a moment. But in therapy, you’ll learn to look back and better understand why you reacted the way you did. By becoming aware of your triggers and how you respond to them, you take power away from them.

• Be mindful of your emotions. How are you really feeling? And what’s making you feel that way? Sometimes, we feel angry because we’re hurt, don’t feel heard, or don’t get what we want. Being aware of that anger and what’s causing it is the first step to controlling it.

• Find conflict resolution strategies. It’s inevitable: Sometimes, we disagree with other people, whether it’s with our partner, boss, or parent. Anger gets in the way of resolving conflicts, but through therapy, you can learn to stay cool, calm, and collected. And when your emotions are running too high, you can learn to step away until you’re in a better state of mind.

• Alter the way you think. If your thought patterns feel fixed, don’t worry—with therapy, you can learn to challenge your thoughts and reactions. You can recognize when your thought patterns aren’t helpful or rational and reframe how you perceive things.

• Learn how to calm down. This can be done through deep breathing, taking a cold shower, and/or visualization techniques.

The right therapy for you will depend on what you’re looking for, what you’re dealing with, and which practices resonate most with you.

One popular approach is cognitive behavioural therapy. The concept behind CBT is that to change your behaviour, you need to change how you think. With CBT, you can identify thinking patterns that are destructive to you. Break bad habits and replace negative thoughts through CBT.

Another is dialectical behaviour therapy. This is especially useful for people who want help regulating their emotional responses. DBT helps you communicate effectively with those around you, regulate your emotions, and be more mindful of your thoughts. Not only will you learn these techniques, but you’ll discover how to implement them in your life.

During your consultation, we can determine which treatment will be most effective for you.

The main goal of anger management counselling is to help you learn to manage your anger in healthy ways.  This may include recognizing triggers, becoming more mindful of your emotions, exploring conflict resolution strategies, altering your thought patterns, and learning how to effectively calm down.

Anger management therapy is one facet of individual counselling and can be contextualized within a larger framework.  It’s built around each patient's individual needs and may remain focused solely on anger management techniques or might explore related issues such as self-harm, substance abuse, and more.  

Three popular approaches for anger management therapy are CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), DBT (dialectical behavioural therapy) and ACT Acceptance Commitment Therapy.

During your first anger management counselling session, you can expect to begin building a relationship with your therapist and creating a roadmap for moving forward.  It’s a good idea to come prepared with some ideas of what you’d like to discuss.

There’s no way to know exactly how many sessions will be right for you.  Together, you and your therapist will decide how frequently you’ll meet to ensure progress.

Yes.  An important aspect of anger management counselling is learning proven techniques that can help you to control your anger in healthy ways no matter where you are. 

Yes!  No matter the reason, if you prefer to access anger management counselling services remotely by phone or video instead of in person, One Life can accommodate.

Most major insurance plans cover individual psychological counselling.  If you plan to use insurance for your sessions, please let One Life know when you book your first appointment.

All of One Life’s counsellors are fully qualified.  If you’re interested in a specific type of anger management therapy, let us know so we can connect you with the right counsellor.