Anger Management and Counselling in Nanaimo, BC.

Anger is a normal healthy human emotion. When people allow it to get out of control it can turn destructive, it can lead to problems at work, personal relationships, and the overall quality of life. I like to think of anger using the metaphore of a hammer. You can do a lot of things with a hammer. You can build things and you can tear things apart. The hammer is just a tool just like anger can be a tool. Anger isn't the problem, it's what you do with it. I help people learn the skills they need to use their anger and the underlying hurt and feelings of injustice to make positive choices that lead to positive relationships and experiences.

Anger can often feel so overwhelming that it causes you to do things you later regret. Not knowing what came over you, there are many unanswered questions: why do I keep doing this? why can't I stop myself? Sometimes, alcohol, substances, or other addictive behaviours lead to this anger, making it more difficult to control. As an addiction counsellor, I help clients overcome addictions leading to anger issues so they can regain a sense of control, rebuild relationships, and gain clarity about how to move forward. If you are unsure where to start, send me a message and I can help. If I'm not the right fit, I can connect you to the right support so you can start gaining back control, today.

A response to life's events falls upon a continuum from neutral to highly-reactive. At times anger, Gandhi called it "Righteous Indignation," is necessary to respond to injustices or inappropriate behaviours. However, uncontrolled, inappropriate anger is destructive to one's self and others. Mindfulness and Metta (Loving Kindness) meditations are excellent tools to deal with anger. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) also called Tapping, along with skillful use of affirmations can help to cool the fires of anger. The benefits of anger management lead to a regulating of emotions and thus a gaining of peace of mind, positive relationships, career and family security.

Anger often stems from feeling so many emotions all at once. You lose a sense of control. You go from 0 to 100 in a blink of an eye. By getting angry you’re attempting to regain control that’s presumed lost. But instead, you’re full of guilt and shame. Feeling angry and reacting in anger, is simply exhausting. I’ll help you learn how to regain control, in a healthy way.

People can stop struggling with their anger by learning to let go of angry thoughts, feelings and behaviours and start focusing on living the life that they have always wanted. Mindfulness strategies can help people to learn how to notice their angry feelings without the angry behaviour that is so often tied to them. By making a commitment to invest in those areas of life that matter the most, people can gain control over their lives and repair the relationships that get harmed along the way. Let me guide you through problem anger to something that feels more fulfilling and meaningful.

Anger, although a completely healthy human emotion, can also turn destructive and become a powerful unpredictable emotion. Expressing anger in an assertive non aggressive way, making clear what your needs are and to get them met respectful of both self and others is imperative. Working together to determine the underlying cause of the anger. earning how to calmly and respectfuly have these needs met, learning relaxation, problem solving and better communication skills are what is needed to be learned. Unexpressed anger can cause hypertension, high blood pressure and depression as well as highly explosive behaviour. With committment these new skills can be learned.

It sucks to be angry and loose control of our emotions. Anger can have a devastating impact on the people we love the most. I will support you in addressing the emotions, trauma and pain underneath anger and learn to identify your triggers and patterns. I will teach you tools to address your stress and help you learn to better deal with your emotions. Learning to communicate our needs in a way that will be received is also a part of how I address anger issues.

We all experience difficulties from time to time in managing our emotions. We feel anger, frustration, anxiety and irritation. When not properly managed we may experience stress, burnout, and feel unsatisfied with life. Our relationships and parenting skills may suffer. Sometimes this is due to us having too many issues to deal with at once, lack of supports in our lives; and when not taught to us, a lack of skills or resources to cope. Seeking the support of a counsellor can help. I have facilitated anger management workshops, and provided one on one counselling to teach coping and management skills. As a former Forensic Therapist, I am qualified to provide court ordered treatment.

Through groups and individual counselling, we use cognitive behaviour therapy to help clients learn about the cues and triggers connected to anger outbursts. Awareness of one's experience of anger is the first step to making change. After this, we work on new responses that are more effective than uncontrollable anger. If this is something you would like to work on then Island Clinical Counselling has solutions to your difficulties.

Anger management involves more than just identifying triggers; I can help you get beneath the anger, turning off the "auto-pilot" and transforming anger at its root, before it becomes destructive. With effective tools like CBT, Mindfulness, Internal Family Systems Therapy, I can get you the skills you need to you slow down interactions and respond rather than react. I have extensive experience and training in anger management; for several years I ran the Solicitor General's Relationship Violence Program, teaching ready-to-use skills to deal with anger.

Have you found that anger has started to ruin relationships, interfere with your job, and negatively impact your life? Anger has a way of spreading and infecting day-to-day interactions. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. I work with many people who are controlled by their anger. Typically, anger is influenced by other underlying causes. In counselling, we will work together to learn new coping mechanisms to limit anger while also looking at what is causing anger. If you want to take the next step, reach out to me, and we can begin to change how you react to anger.