Anger is a normal, healthy emotion — but when it runs out of control, it can damage the relationships and the self-respect we value most. Many people reach out for help precisely because they recognize that power. The aim of counseling is not to erase anger, but to help you understand it and express it in ways that protect, rather than harm, the people you love.
Anger Management
We receive frequent requests for help with anger management, and nearly everyone who asks already recognizes how destructive uncontrolled anger can be. The hard truth is that, despite our best efforts to count to ten or turn the other cheek, we are all susceptible to losing our tempers and hurting ourselves and the people we care about. Anger can be overt, like yelling, or covert, like silent resentment — and either way, the inability to manage it becomes a major obstacle to happiness.
The goal of psychotherapy is to help individuals and couples say everything they need to say without aggression, intimidation or defensiveness. That often involves a fundamental shift in attitude toward ourselves and others. Using therapy to free ourselves from the destructive, constricting grip of anger is a significant step toward emotional health and self-respect, and our network includes therapists with extensive experience helping people move from anger toward empathy and healthy expression.
Arguing and Fighting
Arguing and fighting are defensive behaviors meant to protect us from harm — yet they rarely turn out to be effective or satisfying solutions to relationship problems. In building a relationship, the goal is meaningful connection: to be seen and heard for who you are. That goal gets derailed when interaction shifts toward figuring out who is right and who is wrong, and the relationship takes on an adversarial stance, intensified by name-calling, blaming, criticizing, stonewalling and distancing. Therapy is designed to change both your attitude and your approach to conflict, whether you come as an individual or as a couple.
Work Stress
The stress we carry into work, combined with the stress we encounter there, has only grown for many people. It can feel as if the tables have turned — as though we used to work to live and now live to work, with work life bleeding into home life in unhappy ways. As work takes on an outsized role, we often become immoderate in our personal habits too, neglecting the sleep, exercise and balance we know we need.
Other signs of work stress include feeling anxious, irritable or depressed, along with fatigue, trouble concentrating, loss of interest in work, difficulty sleeping, muscle tension and headaches. Taking work stress seriously is the first step toward putting work back in its proper perspective: an important part of your life, but not all of it. Working with a professional counselor to restore balance and reduce these symptoms can improve the quality of your life and of all your relationships. The American Psychological Association offers practical guidance on recognizing and managing stress.
Finding a Better Way
If anger or stress has been straining your relationships or your health, change is possible — and you do not have to figure it out alone. You may also want to explore communication and assertiveness or anxiety and stress, or browse all of our therapy specialties. When you are ready, get in touch through our contact form.