Anger Management and Counseling in Hempstead, TX.

I approach counseling for anger and anger management from a Cognitive Behavioral perspective. This means that we would work together to identify your thought patterns that fuel anger, recognize the actions you take when angry, and explore the emotions (fear, sadness, disappointment, shame, embarrassment, to name a few) that exist alongside your anger. Anger management counseling may also include developing patterns of thinking that are more helpful to you, practicing activities that help relieve your anger, and processing the emotions related to your anger.

Anger is a very normal emotion. Everyone experiences anger especially if we are threatened or mistreated, however if anger becomes too extreme, it can really disconnect and damage relationships and keep you from having a productive life. Therapy can help you manage your anger and help you communicate effectively what you really need so you are taken seriously.

In my experience as an EMDR therapist, I pay close attention to the links between past and present. I’ve seen time and time again how unhealed emotional wounds resurface and come out sideways. While anger management can provide helpful strategies, they don’t get to the heart of the issue. Often, anger is what we see on the surface, but the real problem is what’s underneath the anger. Negative beliefs like “I’m helpless,” “I’m out of control,” and “I’m a failure,” start to bubble up, and anger comes to the rescue. It can get us in trouble, but at least it gets the blood pumping. With research-proven EMDR therapy, I help men heal anger at its source so it doesn’t have to be managed.

Anger doesn’t have to equal rage. We can learn how to express angry feelings in ways which don’t cause fear in the people around us. Sometimes our feelings for a person are more possessive than loving. We can use humor in the form of sarcasm, masking our anger instead of sharing our feelings in a healthy way. It might feel like we go from 0-100 on the anger scale quickly, but it is a process similar to dominoes falling one after the other. If we can learn to recognize the process that occurs and slow it down in our mind, we can make better choices and express our feelings without the trauma, emotional and even physical damage that rage and anger inflicts on ourselves and those around us.

Explosive anger expression can be an addictive cycle which damages or breaks relationships. Anger ranging "black out rages" to chronic irritability takes a toll on the one who is angry and those who love and care for him or her. Anger is a normal, healthy, appropriate emotion at times. When it takes charge and causes additional suffering, it is time to seek help. If loved ones indicate it is a problem, then it is time. My approach includes a belief that there is a reason someone is deeply angry. We will look at the root of the problem as well as use cognitive-behavioral and self-management strategies to intervene in physically and emotionally harmful behavior. Please call.

My approach revolves around helping clients gain a deep understanding of the root causes and triggers of their anger. I provide a supportive and non-judgmental space where clients can explore their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors associated with anger. Through evidence-based techniques and strategies, clients will benefit by learning healthier ways to express and manage their anger, enhancing their communication skills, and ultimately regaining control over their reactions.

Managing our emotions appropriately is a skill that is learned. This skill takes time, but with continued dedication and education, you will be on a track to positive emotional mental health. We teach you to understand your triggers and to minimize any negative outbursts. We do however understand that strong angry emotions can get the best of us regardless of our efforts to avoid triggers. We help you learn to manage your emotions while in the moment without responding in ways we regret in the future.

Grey Matters International and the work of Kevin J. Fleming, Ph.D approaches issues of anger management in a very humane yet fresh perspective. You see, anger is a normal emotion but it is the valence (intensity) as well as the coupling choice of what one does with this that is the problem. Telling someone to "not" do it or modifying behavior with a trite psychological plan that only breeds a compliant response is not the way to change anger. Brainwave optimization is a new cutting edge technology that allows one to rewire circuitry responsible for reactivity driving the anger. Contact Grey Matters International, Inc now at kevin@kevinflemingphd.com or 877-606-6161.

As a culture, we do not do well with healthy expressions of anger. Often we are raised to suppress it and then we have limited practice at dealing with big emotion. There is a spectrum of healthy aggression- to keep us safe and to maintain boundaries- and rage- our body's strategy for safety. Anger management is about applying the right "dosing" to maintain boundaries yet not fracture relationships or suffer other losses. I am able to help you learn to regulate your body to be able to apply the appropriate "dose" to be effective and not destructive.