Anger management classes behind the curtain. There is more to the story.

Recently I had a new client at Daybreak Counseling Services in Gardena come in “just to ask some questions.” He wanted to know what the group was “all about” and what kinds of things we talk about in Anger Management class. This is a great question—What do we talk about?

My general thought to this is that anger management is more then just learning to manage anger. People are more complicated then this simplistic thought. I believe that most people have heard some tips of what to do if you get angry. But we have to go a bit further then just teaching “take a deep breath,” and “count to ten.”

In our group in Gardena we do just this. We go a bit further, a bit deeper. I truly believe anger management is more like emotional management. It is about trying to understand why you get so angry in the first place. I discuss often in class that for something to “push your buttons,” or trigger anger you have to interpret it as a threat….yo8u have to have the button to push. Not everyone has the same buttons so it is of value to try to figure out why you reactions are there.

Anger management is also about creating a happier and healthier environment. When you are taking care of your self, or meeting your basic needs, you will be able to handle the triggers (or stressors) better when they come.

What do we talk about in anger management? While this appears to be a simple question, there is more to the story then just anger. Yes, I teach very specific tools on how to handle anger, but I also encourage thinking about your emotions a bit more. In other words—instead of teaching only how to put out a fire, we talk about how to stop the fire from starting!

Daybreak Counseling Service
http://daybreakservices.com
twitter.com/angryinla
855-662-6437