Anger Management
Introduction
Anger Management treats our natural displeasure or dislike when frustration begins to act as a secondary response due to sadness or irritation. There are many who suffer from full-blown rage and impaired thinking which can lead individuals to do and say dangerous things. This is not only a state of mind but a physiological response. It hikes up your heart rate and blood pressure with the intent to work as a survival mechanism – although, it can become a predominant form of thinking and behaving. Anger Management helps treat those who suffer from extreme 'fight or flight' behavior. Although anger is a primary emotion, an increased amount of functional survival responses can be detrimental to personal relationships.
Goals of Anger Management
Treatment toward anger focuses on finding the root cause of the behavior. Those who suffer from this response often have a subconscious issue built up which they've neglected. In turn the response has turned into an anger outlet which may reveal itself in various scenarios. The goal of Anger Management is to eliminate the response and provide the client with mechanisms that help them remain calm. Through meditative techniques and learned behavior the individual will understand how they can control aggression and understand what is being inflicted before acting out.
When is Anger Management Used?
Anger Management counseling is used when the patient is no longer able to control their response. At times this may result in violence or the destruction of personal relationships. The amount of anger varies in each client and some responses may be inherited, learned or the result of a suppressed event. It is used when either the client or their peers can no longer deal with the damaging behavior. How long it lasts may depend on how they adopt learned relaxation strategies. If the reaction is the result of a traumatic event sessions may last longer for the purpose of framing the patient's cognitive frame and treating the underlying issue.
How Anger Management Works
The counselor will first diagnose the client and outline how certain events or actions control their aggravation. By first identifying the activities the therapist can look at what the cause of the anger is before focusing on any management tips. The first step is teaching them how to recognize the warning signs that they are becoming angry before the behavior reaches an uncontrollable level. They'll learn how to focus on the sensation and how it makes the body feel because this will relieve the depth of the anger. Breathing techniques are learned as well. The client will understand how to perform slow breathing from the abdomen which provides their lungs with more air. Proper breathing helps to counteract the buildup of tension.
The client begins to learn how to use their senses and relieve tension by stretching or managing muscle constriction. When the individual experiences anger in some situations, they'll learn how to take a moment and think about its importance in relevance to what is actually happening. By learning whether or not the behavior is worth their anger they'll also gain awareness toward the reaction and question what the response stems from. The therapist will work with the patient to help discover unresolved issues and move forward so that any underlying frustration can be resolved. By recognizing the frustrations at an early stage it gives the client time to settle and learn how to express their needs instead of lashing out. It is an acquired skill to cope with anger and unlearn negative responses which are often a product of repressed irritation.
Ultimately Anger Management counseling teaches the patient how to identify emotional triggers. Session teaches them how to deal with feelings in a favorable manner instead of in a way that ends up ruining their relationships. Feeling angry is normal although the use of anger in a violent manner can lead to troublesome consequences and difficulty in relationships. Therapy may be performed in an individual or group session. Many choose to attend Anger Management classes instead of one-on-one treatment. Through reassurance, understanding and self awareness the individual will begin to see how their issues are affecting their lives so that they can deal with the anger in an effective manner. The length of the sessions will depend on whether or not health related conditions are the cause of the behavior. The sessions will compliment any other medical treatment occurring which is why it is necessary to notify the psychotherapist if there are other health conditions being treated.
References
Anger management classes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ajnovickgroup.com/anger-management-frequently-asked-questions.aspx
Anger management. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anger-management/MY00689/DSECTION=what-you-can-expect
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