Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #114845                

There is a misconception that I’ve come across that suggests that anger is unhealthy. Client’s often say at the beginning of the therapy process that they want to learn to control their anger, or that they’ve been told that they have ‘anger issues’. Anger can lead to unhealthy and even destructive behaviors, it can be associated with depression or anxiety and can have a negative impact on relationships, but anger is an emotion and is not inherently unhealthy. For some anger is the only way they know to express uncomfortable emotions like fear or sadness. Others may be dealing with anger related to a past trauma or a strained relationship.

 

There are tools and strategies that can help you manage your anger, which is very important. I want to support you in also understanding why you experience the anger you do, what function does it serve in your life and what can you do to alleviate the anger. This can be complex in practice and resolving anger can take time in the therapeutic process. I want to support clients in getting to know, understand and use anger as a map towards emotional well-being.