There’s a perception in our society that extreme anger is a moral failing. In reality, a study of 2,600 people with anger management issues showed 87% of them also had psychiatric conditions.
The good news is, SUN Columbus can help. We offer anger management therapy alongside mental health services to empower individuals to regain control of their emotions and lives.
Anger isn’t inherently bad. It’s a natural, healthy emotion to feel, especially in the face of injustice, unfairness, or pain. Anger can give you the courage to right wrongs, but when dealt with in an unhealthy way, it can negatively impact you and others.
You’ve probably experienced a frustrating situation while driving. Maybe you even yelled something about the other driver. Ohio is 10th on the list of states with the worst road rage, so you wouldn’t be alone in that. Road rage is common, but is still an example of the need for proper anger management, even if it’s usually harmless.
Unfortunately, there are far more serious instances of poor anger management. Sometimes, yelling progresses to physical violence. 2,505 people in Columbus received a domestic violence charge in 2022, and anger was undoubtedly involved in many of those cases.
If your anger is causing harm to you or others, it’s time to consider anger management treatment. It doesn’t have to be as extreme as violence, either – if you frequently argue with loved ones and hurt their feelings, or moments that make you angry ruin your entire day, we’d recommend anger management therapy, too.
Anger management is how you deal with your anger. Some people rarely feel angry at all, and others experience explosive rage when something irritates them. People on either end of that spectrum probably don’t utilize anger management skills that often. That doesn’t make them bad people, but because unmanaged anger can become dangerous, it’s important to develop and practice those skills.
SUN Columbus’s anger management therapy can help you to regulate unproductive, harmful anger, and ensure it doesn’t have a hold over you anymore.
We recommend our outpatient programs for individuals seeking primarily anger management therapy.
In our partial hospitalization program (PHP), you’ll spend your day with us, five days a week, and return home at night. In our intensive outpatient program (IOP) you’ll come to our facility for three hours, three days a week. Both are great options and include comprehensive, individualized therapy to get to the root of your anger and turn it into something more manageable. It’s just a matter of how much time you want to dedicate to therapy, and what your schedule allows.
There are four primary therapy modalities we utilize in both programs to address anger.
CBT is one of the most effective treatments for mental health conditions, and it’s effective for anger management, too.
Through CBT, you’ll learn to challenge irrational thought patterns and behavior. You’ll better understand where others are coming from, and start putting your anger in the proper context. Skills you develop through CBT will also enable you to solve problems instead of letting anger cloud your judgment and will teach you how to relax and calm down. You’ll also pinpoint your anger triggers, and practice ways to react more reasonably next time you encounter one.
DBT is similar to CBT but focuses specifically on extreme emotions. In DBT, you’ll learn to accept the reality of situations and your emotions about them, while working to change your reactions. DBT will equip you with alternatives to blowing up and getting angry with others, and remind you that you do have the power to do something different.
Psychodynamic therapy isn’t offered by all of our therapists, but you’ll probably try it during anger management therapy. It digs into the depths of your psyche and life experiences, unpacking why you act the way you do now. You’ll learn the impact of your subconscious thoughts on your present life, and how to reflect and become self-aware, promoting growth. When you understand more about yourself and why you behave the way you do, it’s easier to change those behaviors and live a more peaceful life.
Group therapy is a core component of all of our programs. Not only will you find support among others working toward self-improvement, but you’ll also listen to other perspectives that can provide new insight into your own life. You’ll learn better communication skills to help you talk through problems instead of falling on angry outbursts as a default, and many other strategies to help you manage stress and emotions in a group setting.
Anger management therapy can transform your life. You’ll have more stable relationships, feel more relaxed, and lower your risk of conditions such as heart disease and high blood pressure, which can increase when you’re frequently angry. With anger management therapy, you’ll find peaceful moments every day, and might even discover that problems and conflict work out in your favor more often than they did when you couldn’t control your anger.
Yes, substance use can make anger worse. Extreme anger can also make substance use more likely.
People who have difficulty controlling their anger often have mental health conditions and/or grew up in a violent environment. Children seeing frequent anger modeled by parents impacts their personality and increases the likelihood of them being angry often, too. It can also cause trauma, and all of these factors make substance use more likely. Substance use is also scientifically proven to correlate with anger.
It becomes a terrible cycle of anger and substance use, and it’s hard to break out of that alone. You don’t have to. SUN Columbus can treat both excessive anger and substance use disorders at the same time, enabling you to find freedom and live life to its fullest.
Sometimes, it’s hard to determine if your anger is healthy or not. Others might have better insight into your level of anger and if it’s harmful or not, but it can be hard to accept other people’s opinions as fact, especially if they’re saying something you don’t want to hear. If you experience any of these things, you could benefit from anger management therapy:
If you’re diagnosed with a mental health condition like ADHD, borderline personality disorder, or intermittent explosive disorder, anger management therapy may be extra helpful. Ultimately, getting anger management therapy can never hurt. If you feel like your anger is interfering in your life and hurting your relationships, it’s time to consider getting help.
Are you ready to take the next step toward conquering your anger? Mental health services at SUN Columbus are available, and we’d love to help.
Do you feel like your anger controls you more than you control it? SUN Columbus is solving unmet needs and is here to empower you to overcome your anger. If you have an undiagnosed mental health condition, we can also address and treat it during your time with us. Just give us a call at 614-706-2786 today.
What therapy works best will vary from person to person, but cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy are common and proven effective for anger management.
It’s hard to control your anger without help. The best thing to do is seek anger management therapy so you can address your anger on a personal level and learn strategies to deal with it.
You can try removing yourself from situations that make you angry, doing something with your hands, exercising, or taking a cold shower, but that will only temporarily deal with anger. Consider seeking anger management therapy to get to the bottom of your anger and cope with it in healthy ways.
The capable team at SUN Columbus has been serving our community for years. Reach out to begin your journey to recovery.
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