Anger management can take anywhere between 3-20 sessions.
Anger Management therapy allows you to explore the possible triggers and causes of your anger.
In the first few sessions, you'll learn to:
- Identify what situations trigger your anger.
- Think about the thoughts and feelings you have in these trigger situations.
- Begin to change the way you respond to these situations.
- Learn practical anger management skills.
You'll also begin to think about and explore the underlying causes of your anger. This exploratory work can take at least a few weeks.
Sometimes people get what they need after 1 or 2 sessions, but most people benefit if they stick with the process longer.
That's because there are many different anger management techniques to cover, but only some will be suitable for you. It can take a period of trial and error before you find strategies that work for you.
Also, to change, it's not possible to only learn about a technique. You also need to practice it and get better at it over time.
Think about it for a minute.
How long have you been an angry person? Is it likely that change will occur overnight?
Like all change, you will need to put some hard work and effort in, but you will certainly see significant changes over time if you do.
Here's what good anger management counselling should include.
What to Expect from Anger Management Counselling
During Anger Management counselling, you'll start to learn how to use emotions safely and healthily. You will learn how to get your needs met by being assertive and not aggressive, and you'll learn how to spot your frustration early so that you can divert your nascent anger before it's too late.
It's all about getting your goals met in constructive ways. With your new skills, you'll be able to recover from any damage that your anger may have caused you to date.
Attending counselling can be a little intimidating at first, and of course, there are session fees to think about. But if you've had an ongoing problem with anger, it's likely affecting many areas of your life.
I've had people come to me after social services have got involved. Or they've come to me at the point where their relationship with their partner is almost over. In one case, the anger was on the verge of tipping into domestic abuse. In all these cases, we were able to turn things around.
Although all the above clients saw early benefits, the total gains didn't come until much later in the counselling. Significant breakthroughs came around the 6th or 8th session, and clients then continued for a little while after.
In two of the three cases, clients expressed frustration at parts of the therapy. One may have dropped out if he didn't have a partner who was in therapy herself and encouraged him to be patient.
A few weeks later, he had a breakthrough when he realised he could catch his anger early and head off bad outcomes (effectively nipping his anger in the bud) before it was too late.
Is it all just talking?
Although exploring your life as a whole – past, present and future, is an essential part of anger management counselling, talking to your counsellor is not all there is to the counselling process.
Education from the counsellor to the client is also a part. This psychoeducation usually includes teaching about the causes, associated thought patterns and physiological effects of anger and will involve your counsellor sharing worksheets and book recommendations with you.
You may also want to undertake specific anger management exercises such as keeping a journal or thought diary, practising meditation or relaxation techniques, and speaking and communication exercises.
The right mix of these different approaches varies from person to person. All counselling should be tailored to your needs and agreed upon between you and your counsellor. Although talking plays a big part in therapy, there is more to anger management counselling than that. You should discuss other activities with your counsellor if they don't introduce them into your sessions.
Is Anger Management for you?
If you've been struggling with anger for a while and your problems are becoming uncontrollable, then anger management is for you.
If you want to learn about better ways to deal with problems and relate to your family and friends, then anger management could be a life-changing experience.
You don't need to be constantly flipping your lid. You don't need to make your loved ones feel uncomfortable or afraid. You don't need to feel ashamed of your anger and think that you're out of control.
Anger is a normal emotion. It's only an issue when you express it in unhealthy ways. Anger management counselling will give you the tools to manage your anger effectively. It will make you a calmer, brighter person who can be angry in the right way.
Someone who problem solves and gets their needs met without others feeling hurt or trampled on.
What do you think?
Is that worth a few weeks of your time?
As a trained anger management specialist who been seeing clients for anger management for several years now, reach out if you want any help. I teach Anger management in person or online. If you have any questions, please don't hessite to ask. You can contact me on 01733 639 040. Or book a free 15-minute consultation with me through online calendar booking system.
Don't suffer from unnecessary outbursts anymore.
Get the support you need. I promise it'll be worth your time.
