Anger Management Counseling in Maumelle, AR—Counselors and Coaches

Richard knows he has a problem. He feels anxious all the time, and his children are rarely happy to see him because they never know when they’ll do something that makes him fly off the handle. He’s even been struggling to keep his temper in check at work. Richard would benefit from anger management counseling.

Maumelle Anger Management Counseling

Everyone feels angry at some point. There’s nothing wrong with anger; sometimes, anger can even feel cathartic. It allows us to release pent-up emotions and express thoughts we’ve been holding back, and it’s much healthier to release those feelings than keep them bottled inside.

Some may feel angry more frequently than others, and that’s also normal. It becomes a problem when that anger is frequent or destructive. Frequent or destructive anger can lead to personal problems, issues at work, and it can also affect your health. If you’re experiencing problematic anger, counseling can help. At Thriveworks Maumelle, we are trained in helping patients understand the root cause of their struggle with anger. Once that cause is identified, we work with patients to process those causes and develop strategies for coping with anger-inducing situations.

About Anger

If you’re struggling with anger, it can seem all-encompassing, like a monster you can’t control. But, anger is just another emotion, and it’s one that can be experienced in a range of intensities. At one end of the spectrum is mild irritation, and at the other end is rage. Anger doesn’t just affect the mind; it can affect the body as well. It can cause high blood pressure, a racing heart, and even nausea. Adrenaline and other hormones also increase, because anger is actually a flight-or-fight response in the nervous system. This response is activated when our body is trying to protect us from a situation it perceives as a threat. In some ways, when we’re angry we are truly unable to control what we say or do, because we’re so focused on protecting ourselves from the “threat” (Mills).

Despite our natural inclination to act in a way that’s protective of ourselves, with anger management skills learned through counseling, it is possible to develop skills that enable us to calm down and think before we act or speak.

Causes of Anger

People often immediately think of external influences, such as slow traffic or a rude person, when asked what makes them angry. The truth is, what makes each person angry is a result of the experiences they’ve had, and everyone has had different experiences. Therefore, what makes one person spitting mad may not impact another person at all.

Thriveworks Maumelle counselors will work with you to figure out what’s at the core of you anger struggles. Perhaps there’s an unresolved issue in your past that, when the memory is triggered by something, spikes your temper. This includes trauma of almost any kind, particularly abuse. You may have been raised in a household where arguing and fighting were frequent, and so you normalized that behavior. Whatever the cause of your anger, at Thriveworks Maumelle we are committed to helping you find relief from your unrelenting anger.

Do I Need Counseling?

If you think you might need counseling for anger, the chances are that you do. But, a good rule of thumb is to consider your relationships: are they being negatively impacted by your anger? If so, give us a call. Thriveworks Maumelle counselors can assess the intensity of your feelings, how often you experience anger, and how you express it. From this assessment, we can determine where you fall on the spectrum of anger expression. If what we find is concerning, we will work with you to determine what’s triggering your temper and how to respond more appropriately to those triggers.

Anger Counseling

Each person will have a different treatment plan based on the assessment of their counselor. But, common goals of anger counseling include learning to recognize what triggers anger, learning to respond calmly, and developing relaxation techniques.

Sometimes anger is a response to the need to be assertive. Our counselors can teach you how to remain calm while asserting yourself appropriately. Anger counseling isn’t meant to prevent anger completely; instead, it’s meant to teach new ways of addressing situations that cause anger so the outcome can be a more positive one.

Steps to Remaining Calm

Counseling is an important part of the long-term solution for inappropriate anger, but here are a few tips you can use immediately if anger arises (The Mayo Clinic):

• Close your eyes and breathe deeply for a moment. The situation will benefit from pausing to think before you speak. Though this may be difficult to implement, it’s one of the most powerful changes you can make.
• Put yourself in “time-out.” Sometimes all you need is a moment to consider how you want to respond. If you know something stressful is about to occur, allow yourself just five minutes to breathe calmly. Journaling about the situation may also help.
• Develop relaxation skills. This can be almost anything positive—a walk around the block, petting a dog, a hot bath—whatever helps you to feel calm.

Thriveworks Maumelle Anger Management

If you have ever worried about your anger levels or the way you respond to stressful situations, counseling can help. Thriveworks Maumelle counselors are trained in dealing with the whole spectrum of emotions, including unhealthy responses to anger. So many people have been helped, so don’t wait any longer—we want to help you, too.

Give us a call today to get on the road to a calmer you.

Thriveworks Maumelle—501.628.9066

Further Reading
The Mayo Clinic. “Anger management: 10 tips to tame your temper.” MayoClinic.org
Mills, Harvey, PhD. “Physiology of Anger.” 2005. MentalHelp.net