Anger Management and Counselling in Binbrook, ON.

Anger is like a grumpy cat with a tiny umbrella in a thunderstorm - unpredictable, a bit irrational, and often best approached with caution and a sense of humour! If you've been told you have "anger issues", or can recognize that you "lose it" too often, counselling that focuses on anger management can be a big help. When I work with clients on anger management, I assist clients in identifying triggers, exploring underlying issues that are contributing to anger, and developing coping strategies to manage and express anger in a healthier way. The goal is to promote self-awareness, teach assertive communication skills and constructive emotional regulation.

I’ve been helping people lead more intentional lives for over 20 years. I will help you think before you speak, take time to calm down, use humor to lessen your anxiety, and many more tools to get you to reach your full potential. I’m trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, developmental models,and anxiety and depression management. Most importantly, my aim is to focus on you as a distinctive person, with distinctive needs. My goal is to work with you as a unique individual, and focus on YOUR goals.

Anger can be a powerful tool when it is used in the right way. It is a sign of passion and boldness that can be used to achieve great things. Unfortunately, it can also do great harm. Together, we will find ways to harness your drive and use it as a way to help you reach your true potential. Anger should be used for good, not for tearing down. Together we’ll find how you can best use yours.

Anger often comes from a negative place, but for some it is an easy way to express something else that is going on inside. Especially with younger clients, anger management is really about emotion management. With so many emotions it is often difficult to know at a young age how to make sense of everything going on internally. Thus, when I speak with children and youth who are displaying anger, first I seek to discover what it is they are angry about and then help them process the issues and determine if there is really something else they are feeling. Most importantly, I also teach my clients how to recognize different emotions and deal with them effectively.

Anger can be upsetting not only for the one receiving it but also for the one expressing it. Although we can believe that someone "makes" us angry it is usually our own trigger that fires off. We express anger not just because we feel we have a right to be angry but because we use anger as a way of self protection. It says "back off and leave me alone." Understanding your angry pain can free you from it's grip. I have helped many clients with this difficulty through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and inner child approaches that have proven to be successful in the treatment of anger.

Working with emotions is a central feature of my therapy practice. I believe that all emotions serve a purpose and that none are essentially bad. However, that said, what we do with our emotions matters very much and learning to recognize, experience, and accept feelings is an important part of learning how to express them effectively. Understanding that anger is often connected to other foundational emotions such as fear or shame is an important part of the process.

Anger is a natural emotion. In moderation it empowers us, allows us to draw boundaries, and protect our rights. On the other hand, excessive anger has the power to be destructive, damage relations, and affect health adversely. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) can assist with uncovering sources of destructive maladaptive anger and interchange them with more adaptive emotions necessary for emotional needs to be met, alleviate hurt, and begin the process of healing. As a practitioner of EFT, providing vital skills to resolve old wounds and allowing for more effective emotional communication to facilitate unmet needs is my ultimate goal for the client.

I have spent hundreds of hours working with clients who struggle with managing anger/rage. There are specific, step-by-step techniques that can be taught, that are very effective at helping people deal with this issue. Based on reports from clients I have worked with, I have found that if clients are committed to their process, most people make significant improvement within 6-12 sessions. Drawing from polyvagal theory, AEDP and mindfulness techniques, clients can learn healthy ways to manage and experience their anger.

Anger is not necessary an unhealthy emotion. It can give us energy, clarity, and move us toward much needed action. However, when anger becomes habitual it has the power to overtake us and derail our jobs, our relationships, and ultimately, our peace of mind. Anger management therapy is a process which involves self-discovery, emotional processing, stabilizing techniques, and often deep discussions regarding a client's family history and historical processing styles. Yes, anger can be all-consuming, but there is always hope for people who are willing to fight back when their emotions threaten to boil over and consume them.