Anger Management Counseling Techniques To Control Rage
Content Warning: Please be advised that this article mentions substance use, violence, and other potentially triggering subjects. Read with discretion.
Anger can be a powerful emotion with the potential to affect anyone, regardless of their personality. It might have several causes. For example, some people may feel angry after misplacing the television remote, missing a deadline at work, or discovering damage to their property. At times, anger can be a secondary emotion to other emotions like fear or disgust.
This guide examines anger management counseling and how licensed therapists can benefit those living with overwhelming anger, hostility, or rage. You can also learn anger management techniques designed to control and cope with distress.
What Is Anger Management Counseling?
Talking with a trained psychologist may help you determine if you would benefit from ongoing anger management therapy. In addition, a mental health professional may help you safely explore events causing you to feel anger. One of the benefits of anger management counseling is that you will feel better after each session.
There are many forms of anger management therapy. For example, you can try one-on-one sessions or group classes, online or in person. Talk to a therapist and research your options to choose the most suitable type of therapist for you.
Who Can Benefit From Anger Management Counseling?
Anger is a normal human emotion. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines anger as "an emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone, or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong" and notes that anger can have positive effects, like promoting healthy emotional expression and problem-solving.
However, anger may not offer benefits when it's intense or long-lasting and interferes with your daily life, health, or relationships. If any of the following experiences apply to you, you might choose to consider anger management counseling:
You get angry quickly or for reasons you later realize were insignificant.
Your anger negatively affects your relationships.
Those around you have raised concerns about the frequency or level of your expressions of anger.
You have tried to manage anger with substance use.
You are experiencing physical symptoms like headaches, high blood pressure, a lowered immune response, or tightness in your chest.
You are experiencing emotional symptoms like irritability, stress, depression, anxiety, or feelings of guilt.
You catch yourself contemplating ways to act on an old grudge or "get back" at someone.
You have experienced uncontrolled anger to the point that you have become aggressive or violent toward someone else.
If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), roughly 75% of individuals receiving anger management therapy have found improvements. In addition, online therapy may be a suitable choice for those facing anger challenges. An internet-based format might be ideal for those who don't want to fight traffic or be on a waitlist for sessions.
Several studies suggest that online treatment may effectively reduce overwhelming anger in adults. Online sessions can also help individuals learn new cognitive skills for managing their anger while giving them a safe, unbiased environment to discuss their intense emotions.
Benefits Of Anger Management Techniques
The techniques you learn in anger management counseling have the potential to affect many areas of your life. In addition, anger management techniques might offer several positive effects, such as:
Helping you become more aware of what prompts your anger and how you react to those events
Equipping you with coping strategies to use when confronted by a situation that makes you angry
Developing your self-control so you can delay your anger and use the coping mechanisms you've learned
Improving your overall physical and emotional health
Helping you rebuild current relationships and form healthy relationships in the future
In anger management counseling, you can learn emotional control, self-care, and relaxation techniques. A few standard techniques may include breathing exercises and imagery.
When you experience intense anger or rage, your mind might become clouded with thoughts and urges you struggle to control. Anger management counseling can redirect you toward realistic and optimistic channels of thought. You may also realize that the situations that bring about your anger can be responded to in new ways.
Communication is emphasized in many anger management therapies. Individuals with anger management concerns sometimes turn to damaging means of self-expression when they struggle to talk about what's troubling them. For this reason, therapy sessions often include practice for open communication about underlying emotions and causes of anger.
Below are a few approaches you might learn through anger management counseling:
Physical Activity: Expressing and using angry energy by running, dancing, walking, or exercising.
Releasing Tension: Whether through crying or journaling your angry thoughts, you can learn to act on anger or aggression in ways that don't cause harm.
Expressing Yourself: You might try channeling your anger into creating a work of art. An artistic outlet for your emotions can be a comforting, quieting release.
Finding A Listening Ear: Someone willing to listen nonjudgmentally, like a trusted loved one or a licensed therapist, may help you talk through your emotions.
Leaning On Your Support System: Reaching out for help can be challenging. However, loved ones may help you feel supported and loved with your challenges.
Writing It Down: If you feel uncomfortable speaking directly to someone, journalling might help. You can document any experiences of anger or rage on paper, as well as the lessons you've learned in therapy.
Considering Your Words: Learning to be precise with your words may help you clarify the path to a constructive solution. If you often use absolute terms like "always" or "never," you can learn to use specific, neutral terms.
Meditating: Meditation or mindfulness practices may allow you to step away from your anger and assess how you want to respond.
Letting Go: Anger might persist after an inciting incident has stopped. Letting it go might free you of these feelings, allowing you to focus on positive areas.
Avoidance: If possible, you may find it helpful to avoid situations and individuals that cause anger or rage.
Counseling Options
Whether you're experiencing frequent bouts of rage, simmering anger over past events, or both, you're not alone; anger can be a natural and healthy emotion at times. However, if your anger leads to behaviors that impact your health or relationships, you may benefit from seeking help via in-person or online anger management therapy.
Through online therapy, you can choose between phone, video, or live chat sessions with a licensed therapist precisely matched to your needs. In addition, recent studies have found that internet-based interventions are as effective as in-person therapy in treating anger and aggression.
If you're interested in counseling online, you can try a therapy platform like BetterHelp. The mental health professionals at BetterHelp are experienced in treating anger management issues, and there are over 30,000 therapists available to offer support.
Takeaway
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below are several frequently asked questions on the topic of anger management.
What Is The Best Type Of Therapy For Anger Management?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a popular therapy that can target anger issues and help clients implement anger management techniques. Anger can be a symptom of a broader mental health issue or an independent concern. However, it often comes with unwanted perceptions, thought patterns, or behaviors.
CBT addresses each concern and can allow individuals with anger concerns to determine the source of their anger, develop healthier strategies, act more effectively, and appropriately respond when anger occurs.
Does Counseling Help With Anger?
Although extreme anger is not a diagnosable mental illness, it may indicate mental health challenges or emotional control difficulty. Counseling can help people tease out the source of the anger and develop coping mechanisms and strategies to combat it and respond to situations in more productive ways. In addition, you do not need to be diagnosed with a mental illness to speak to a therapist.
Anger is an emotion, and as such, it can have its place in an individual's life. Counseling may not work to eliminate anger from your life entirely. Anger can be necessary and helpful. However, it may be problematic when anger grows out of control, negatively impacts an individual's life, or has led to violence and harm. In certain types of therapy, anger may lead the client and therapist to a specific diagnosis, like eating disorders or personality disorders.
How Much Does Anger Management Therapy Cost?
Anger management therapy costs may depend on the duration of treatment, the severity of symptoms, the willingness of insurance to pay, and the amount of money that might be paid out of pocket. Insurance deductibles for mental health services range from $20-$60 per session, with out-of-pocket costs of around $100 to $200 per session for in-person therapy and $60 to $90 per online therapy session.
Therapy may last a few months or less if anger issues are minor. If more severe issues are at play, or several issues are involved, like eating disorders or anxiety disorders, you might face six to 12 months of sessions or more. Contact a therapist for an evaluation to determine the exact price of anger management therapy.
What Are The Signs Of Anger Issues?
Both emotional and physical signs may be present with anger challenges. The physical signs of anger might involve the following:
Headaches due to a clenched jaw
Frequently clenched fists
Tension in the back and shoulders
Muscle aches
Sweating
Shaking
A sensation of heat flooding the body
High blood pressure
Grinding teeth
Although these physical symptoms may be similar to anxiety, the causes can differ. Nervous sweating might feel clammy and induce shivering, while angry sweating might be caused by heat and blood rushing to the skin.
The mental and emotional signs of anger commonly include the following:
Irritability
Difficulty resting
Difficulty focusing on anything other than anger
Guilt
Overwhelm, rage, or frustration
These feelings may be expressed toward others or turned inward. They may wax and wane throughout the day or come on without warning or a discernible cause.
Why Do I Get Angry So Easily?
People can feel angry if they are living with a mental health condition, experiencing stress, or struggling to control emotions healthily. Irritability can be a symptom of common mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, and personality disorders. Those with personality disorders may feel angry due to struggles with identity and safety, and people with schizotypal disorders may experience anger during periods of dissociation or breaks from reality.
Anger is often considered a secondary emotion, often felt in processing base emotions like sadness or fear. Support groups may help people who struggle with anger feel they are not alone in their experiences.
How Do You Stop A Sudden Burst Of Anger?
Deep breathing exercises may effectively calm a sudden storm of anger before it controls your reactions or behaviors. There are many types of breathing exercises, and you may be able to download an app that offers breathing games along with soothing sounds to help you practice breathing on the go.
If breath work is not helpful for your anger, other practices may help cool a swell of anger bubbling to the surface and quell impulse control issues. Removing yourself from the situation, when possible, can be a short-term anger management tool, as it may be easier to process strong emotions without being watched or experiencing a perception of being judged.
Tapping fingers while counting, breaking into a quick burst of exercise, and other physical movements can also help alleviate a burst of anger. These movements take the energy generated by anger and apply it to a more productive, healthier pursuit.
Having accountability partners can also help, whether those accountability partners come from support groups, loved ones, or friends. Support groups may provide the best source of accountability, as individuals in an anger support group can understand how you feel and what you need from a source of accountability.
What Are The Three Types Of Anger?
There are three types of anger often discussed. These include the following:
Passive Anger
Passive anger may be directed inwardly or expressed quietly in an unassuming manner. Passive anger often expresses itself covertly and can include behaviors like spreading rumors, posting online, or making passive remarks. Passive anger might be associated with anxiety and communication challenges.
Aggressive Anger
In direct contrast to passive anger, aggressive anger can look like loud, violent, or unkind direct actions. If it is not acted on, it may show up as urges to partake in aggression toward yourself, others, or objects, whether you do or not. Someone with aggressive anger might belittle others, yell, or throw objects. Aggressive anger might lead to abusive behaviors. However, feeling aggressive anger doesn't make you abusive or unkind. How you react to your anger can make a difference.
If you are facing or witnessing abuse of any kind, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 for support. Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text "START" to 88788. You can also use the online chat.
Assertive Anger
Considered the healthiest of the three ways to express anger, assertive anger is communicated healthily without aggression or passive actions. Assertive anger communicates effectively with others. Expressing your anger in this form might look like physical movements, healthy coping skills, and emotional control.
What Type Of Doctor Treats Anger Issues?
Any mental health professional can treat anger issues. Mental health professionals can include social workers, counselors, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and behavioral specialists. Regular medical practitioners may not be qualified to treat long-term anger concerns. However, they might be able to offer short-term advice or referrals to a mental health provider or local support group.
Does Insurance Pay For Anger Management Classes?
Anger management classes can vary in how they are addressed. For example, some classes might be led by coaches or community members. In addition, insurance may not cover group therapy in all cases. However, anger management therapy as an individual, couple, or family may be covered if your therapist takes your insurance and your insurance company deems it necessary.
Insurance companies may pay if a group course is offered as a therapeutic intervention by a licensed mental health care provider. Check with your policy directly by calling or sending an email. You might also find information on your coverage through your healthcare plan that you may have received when you signed up.
Is There Medication For Anger?
Although no medication is explicitly marketed for controlling anger, some medications can treat symptoms often associated with anger. Consult a medical doctor or psychiatrist before starting, stopping, or changing a medication. Note that BetterHelp does not offer medication prescriptions or advice.
Are Anger Management Skills Related To Stress Management Skills?
Anger management might be linked to stress management if stressors in your life cause your anger. Anger and stress management may be similar in that both often focus on cooling heat in the body and finding a way to target and treat the symptoms of distress. Both might involve breathing practices and mindfulness to ease physical symptoms of anger and stress, including muscle tension, blood pressure, and a rapid heart or respiratory rate.
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