CBT Therapy for Anger Management-Does it Really Help?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, commonly referred to as CBT therapy, is a kind of talk therapy. It lays emphasis on the present and focuses on how your thought process affects your feelings and, ultimately, your behaviour.

With CBT, you are able to cope with problems that would otherwise seem overwhelming. You should note that advances in CBT have been possible thanks to incorporating both research and clinical practice.

CBT therapy is helpful with issues ranging from anxiety, low self-esteem, depression to anger management. Whether performing CBT on yourself or with the help of a therapist, it is ultimately useful in increasing self-awareness and understanding.

CBT Therapy for Anger Management

Making the decision to see a therapist stems from the point of wanting to solve a mental or emotional issue. This includes anger management. We all get angry for one reason or the other. For example, you may stub your tiny toe on an object, or you may have an overbearing boss. How you handle these situations, however, says a lot.

Anger episodes can be physically and emotionally harmful. When you’re angry, and it spirals out of control, it may wreck relationships with those closest to you. Therefore, finding a way to manage your anger is necessary.

With CBT therapy, you learn anger management techniques that are based on science. As a result, you get the chance to minimize the length and intensity of the episodes. Or better yet, you’re able to keep the anger episodes from occurring completely.

Helpful Techniques You Can Learn in CBT

To effectively manage your anger episodes, you need to be aware of your triggers. Thereafter, you get to learn various techniques that can be incorporated to keep you calm and prevent situations from blowing out of proportion.

This is why CBT sessions involve speaking about how you feel and your past experiences. We also ask a series of questions related to your anger. All this is done in a non-judgmental environment.

By doing this, we identify the root cause of your anger. In turn, you get to learn how to communicate effectively without losing control.

Some of the techniques incorporated include mindfulness, having a ‘calm down’ kit, and cognitive restructuring. The benefit of this will be;

• Breathing and meditation techniques that keep you calm
• Observing your good and not so good feelings and keeping yourself from intense reactions
• Shifting how you interpret situations that make you angry

All in all, you get to think rationally before acting on impulse. In turn, this will improve both your emotional and mental health.

How to Get Started with Anger Management CBT Therapy?

I have found that incorporating additional forms of therapy proves effective for my clients. That is why I use both CBT therapy and reality therapy with them.

If you recently discovered you or someone you know has anxiety, self-esteem, or anger management issues and would love to get it in control, kindly email me at info@engagecounselling.ie or call me on 086 3835910.