Service Description

Most people experience anger now and then. However, if you feel angry often or intensely, anger management therapy can help. “Anger management is an approach designed to help you manage the emotional and physiological arousal that accompanies anger," explains Erin Engle, PsyD, a psychologist at Columbia University Medical Center.

Engle goes on to say, "As it's often not possible to change the circumstances or people that elicit anger, anger management can help you recognize your triggers for anger and learn to cope with them more effectively.” Here's what you need to know about this therapy type and how it can help you live a happier, healthier life.

Types of Anger Management Therapy

Anger is a universal emotion that often arises in response to threat, loss of power, or injustice, says Engle. Additionally, this emotion is not necessarily negative, though it can be detrimental at uncontrollable levels given the behaviors likely to follow, such as throwing things, walking out, attacking others, saying things you later regret, or acting passive-aggressively.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT is often the treatment of choice for anger management.1 Engle says that it can help you understand your triggers for anger, develop and practice coping skills, and think, feel, and behave differently in response to anger, so you are calmer and more in control.
• Family therapy: This form of therapy can be helpful in situations where anger is often directed at family members, such as when a young adult has unresolved anger toward a parent.3 It can help you work together to improve communication and resolve issues.
• Psychodynamic therapy: Psychodynamic therapy can help you examine the psychological roots of your anger and your response to it so you can identify and correct unhealthy patterns.

Anger Management Therapy Techniques

Anger management therapy techniques can involve understanding your triggers and responses to anger, learning strategies to manage or diffuse it, and changing thoughts and attitudes related to anger. Engle outlines some of these techniques below.

Identifying Triggers and Responses

Therapy can help you develop a better understanding of the factors that contribute to your expressions of anger, such as current and past triggers. You also begin to better understand your responses to anger and the consequences or aftereffects on you and your relationships. 

What Anger Management Therapy Can Help With

Anger management therapy can help anyone who experiences rage or has angry outbursts. It can help improve your:

• Mental health: Anger can consume your focus, cloud your judgment, and deplete your energy. It is also associated with other mental health conditions, such as depression4 and substance use disorders.5
• Physical health: Anger manifests physically in the body with a surge of adrenaline, a rapid rise in heartbeat, higher blood pressure, and increased muscle tension in the form of a clenched jaw or fisted hands, says Engle. Over time, this can take a toll on your health and lead to physical health conditions.
• Career: Anger can make it hard to focus on school or work and affects performance. It can also harm relationships with peers. While creative differences, constructive criticism, and healthy debates can be productive, lashing out or having angry outbursts can alienate peers and lead to negative consequences.
• Relationships: Anger often harms loved ones the most and can take a toll on your relationships with them. It can make it difficult for others to be comfortable around you, erode their trust and respect, and be especially damaging to children.