Anger Management

Anger is an emotion distinguished by strong negative feelings toward someone or something. Everyone feels anger or frustration at times. Anger can be constructive and gives people a way to express their emotions. But if you have trouble controlling your anger, it can quickly become destructive and impact your quality of life and mental and physical health. If you are having problems with anger (for example, trouble with the law, physical violence or the threat of physical violence, breaking things, or driving dangerously) you may want to take steps to work on it. Seeing a mental health professional who specialized in anger management can be very beneficial. Anger management won’t try to keep you from feeling angry; anger is a normal, healthy emotion. But when you can learn to recognize the signs that you're becoming angry, you can implement learned strategies to calm down and deal with the situation.

Local experts in Anger Management

Glenn Goldman, MA, LPC (he/him)

Licensed Professional Counselor

Anger is not the enemy. It is how we respond to our own anger that can get us into trouble. Anger is a complex response to external and internal triggers. Physiologically, it activates a part of our brain called the amygdala. We can actually learn to use the higher reasoning centers of our brains to actively calm our agitated amygdalas. This is the essence of anger management.

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Matt Newey (he/him)

Licensed Professional Counselor

MA, LPC

Trained in SAHMSA evidenced based anger management for those with mental health and or substance use disorders

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Alex MacLeod (he/him)

Professional Counselor Associate

MS, NCC, CRC

I received training and experience in anger management as an abuse intervention counselor at a local mental health agency. I learned there that “anger management” is actually a misnomer. Most often, your anger isn’t the issue, the issue is how you respond to it. In therapy, you will learn concrete tools to notice your internal state and steady yourself when you’re angry. You can even develop a relationship with your anger, one that allows you to learn from it instead of having to fight it.

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Steve Harper (He)

Professional Counselor

LPC, MCOUN, MED

Anger is the emotion others see us express when we haven't learned how to safely understand and integrate our fear and pain. Our past, our beliefs, and what we think others expect from us may be causing us unnecessary pressure. Our true feelings may cause us to feel trapped. Learning how to untie ourselves from this 'emotional knot' is an achievable therapeutic process.

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Gregory Kaplan (he/him)

Professional Counselor Associate

MA, PhD

I have had enormous success working with anger issues in individuals of all ages. Managing anger means using anger in an adaptive way, when it is constructive in setting boundaries, and not extinguishing it. More important, anger management involves tolerating uncomfortable feelings such as fear and sadness that anger tries to supress. I have trained in anger management from perspectives including EMDR, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and somatic psychotherapy.

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Diana Groener

Licensed Professional Counselor

Anger is often the only 'acceptable' emotion for men to display, while for women it is often 'unacceptable' to show anger. I will help you uncover what is behind the anger and resolve the source while developing the skills to more appropriately express yourself.

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Terry Marshall

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

Anger is such a tricky topic. It can be destructive (as most of us know), yet the intention of anger is most often protective. Protective of the person themselves. And there are four feelings or vulnerabilities that underlie anger, thus anger is often referred to as a secondary emotion. These vulnerable feelings are defended against by anger, they are: hurt (emotional hurt), fear, insecurity or lack of worth, and powerlessness or lack of control.

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Slade Wolf (he/him/his)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

LCSW

With over a decade of experience treating men who use aggression to solve their problems, I can readily help you discover healthier alternatives and build your emotional intelligence.

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Sasha Rosenfels, MA, LMFT (She/her)

Licensed Marriage Family Therapist

LMFT

Helping individuals and families identify and work to manage feelings of anger through mindfulness tools as well as through working to increase each individual's sense of safety and connection with one another.

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Sarah King (she/her)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

CCSOT

I am trained in dialectical behavioral therapy and schema therapy in order to help clients gain awareness for their emotional needs and build distress tolerance skills. I also have five years experiencing working with both perpetrators and victims of domestic violence.

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Ronald L Johnson

Licensed Professional Counselor

LPC, CADC, CYT

Anger issues are usually related to stress and trauma from the past! We can work through these and learn mindfulness techniques to keep us in the present moment and help us to monitor triggers before they become explosive.

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