Everyone feels angry sometimes. Anger is a normal and healthy emotion and can be helpful at times.
For example, anger can help us focus, it is instinctive and can allow us to respond quickly to threatening situations. It can also help us stand up against mistreatment and stay safe and defend ourselves in dangerous situations. There are many different reasons why we may feel angry.
However, when you are not able to control your anger, it becomes a problem and can damage your relationships.
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Common Causes of Anger
- Being treated poorly or unfairly by others
- Difficult life experiences
- Feeling scared or fearful
- Traumatic childhood or upbringing
- Physical pain from an injury or an illness
Signs When Anger is a Problem
- Feels like the anger is out of our control
- Frequent and persistent negative feelings
- Causes problems at work or at home
- When it is hurting and scaring the people around you
- Causes a sense of feeling overwhelmed
- Turns into violence and destructive behaviours
- Causes us to yell and raise our voices
- Being inflexible and not compromising with others
- Getting in trouble with the law or other authorities
- Lack of awareness of their emotions
- Inability to empathize
- Getting into arguments and ongoing conflicts
- Substance abuse or addiction/using drinking and drugs to cope with negative emotions
Anger can be difficult to manage. Anger management therapy is a type of counselling which helps clients take control of their anger and develop healthy coping methods or strategies. Taking the step towards anger management and finding those methods or strategies help individuals in several areas.
There are many benefits to anger management therapy, with the most notable being an improved quality of life.
Anger management therapy is a very effective intervention to improve relationships, work life, home life and parenting skills. Individuals who seek help for their anger problem will notice an improved sense of well-being, self-esteem and improved relationships.
What is Anger Management Therapy?
Anger management is a type of therapy that can improve the way you manage your emotions and interact with others. It is about taking control and developing coping strategies and skills to help deal with communication and conflict in healthy ways. During anger management therapy sessions, individuals are empowered to get in tune with all of their emotions. When it comes to anger, participants become aware of their emotions and develop strategies for reducing anger.
The strategies, coping mechanisms, and overall techniques learned in anger management also help to reduce any possible violent, destructive, or abusive behaviour.
At Toronto Family Therapy & Mediation, our Anger Management program involves a detailed and individualized approach. Through our anger management therapy program, families become empowered, enriched, and better equipped to handle any negative and intense emotions. Our clients will learn about what causes anger and how to express it.
Court Ordered Anger Management
In some cases, when individuals are facing criminal charges, the courts may order or mandate them to participate in anger management therapy. It is often referred to as court mandated counselling, or court ordered therapy. Even if not formally ordered, a judge, lawyer or crown attorney may recommend anger management as a proactive step to help mitigate the situation and demonstrate a commitment to change, personal improvement and growth. Counselling can be an important intervention in a legal case, where participation in counselling can help charges get withdrawn and help individuals avoid charges in their future. However, more importantly, if an individual participates openly, it can result in long-term life changes and a positive pathway forward.
The court ordered anger management program from Toronto Family Therapy is delivered by a specialized therapist on our team at Toronto Family Therapy and Mediation. The therapist will provide court-ordered counselling to those facing criminal charges and convictions with an aim to rehabilitate the client, and to reduce the risk of reoffending.
We create customized therapy programs to address the specific charges the client is facing, Each client receives individualized care to help them cope with past trauma, abuse, or mental health concerns. We can work together to create plans for our clients to help them rebuild any bridges that have been ruptured and look forward to a healthy future.
Once therapy has been completed a letter/report or certificate of completion can be provided to the court confirming the clients participation and progress in therapy. Updates and progress letters can also be provided if requested or required by the court.
The number of sessions ranges depending on the clients individual circumstances and the nature of the charges.
Benefits of Anger Management Therapy
One of the main goals of anger management therapy is to change an individual’s outlook, perspective, and coping. When it comes to the things that make us angry, we usually have no control over those things happening. But we can control how we cope. Anger management therapy’s biggest overall benefit, then, comes down to an improved quality of life. There is debate around the best ways to treat anger management, and strong evidence to support the effectiveness of therapeutic intervention for anger management.1
Major benefits of anger management therapy include:
- Better control of negative emotions
- Help manage intense emotions
- Improved relationships in all areas of life
- Better work life or experiences
- Reducing how angry we get and how often
- Improved overall self-awareness
- Better management of any stress
- Improved physical health benefits.
There are many negative health impacts of losing control of angry emotions too often. These include issues which affect almost all parts of the body. Increased anger could lead to increased:
- Headaches,
- Digestive issues,
- Skin issues and rashes,
- Blood pressure,
- Or chance of heart attack and stroke.2
Our Approach to Anger Management
Toronto Family Therapy and Mediation is made up of a dedicated team of experienced professionals. Together, we use a careful and caring approach to all programs and family services, including anger management therapy. Among our team are committed social workers, and dedicated psychotherapists.
Anger management with Toronto Family Therapy includes both elective and court ordered anger management sessions. In these sessions, participants:
- Gain awareness about their anger, including origin and triggers
- Learn to reclaim control over anger and emotions
- Learn how to control outbursts and destructive behaviour
- Learn appropriate techniques to share emotions in a constructive manner
- Reduce feelings of anger
- Develop assertiveness skills
- Learn how anger affects those around us, especially children
- Develop communication techniques and use non-violent and aggressive ways of communicating
Who Can Benefit from Anger Management Therapy?
It is not always obvious when one is in need of counselling or help with managing negative feelings. But there are signs to be aware of within a relationship or family to help identify when you or someone else could benefit from anger management therapy.
Anger management might be right for you or someone you love if you or they:
- Experience frequent outbursts,
- Struggle with stress,
- Experience relationship issues,
- Have become violent or aggressive.
Additionally, a criminal charge or may mandate court-ordered anger management.
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Children and Anger Management
Children need to learn about anger. Sometimes children will resort to kicking, screaming, hitting and breaking things as a way to express themselves.
Contact Us for Anger Management Therapy
It is never too late to take control of emotions. Anger management help can be a life changing experience. Clients often report a significant change in their interpersonal relationships. Emotional control is an empowering feeling which allows us to have more control of all areas of life.
Toronto Family Therapy & Mediation offers a detailed and structured process to help individuals get that power and control back. In turn, our program helps individuals to foster healthier relationships while reducing overall feelings of anger.
Contact Toronto Family Therapy for virtual and in-person anger management in Ontario.
Our anger management program is led by our Clinical Director and supported by a highly trained and dedicated staff.