Nick Kemp - Anger Management, Anger Avoidance

I was once asked if I would run a course on anger management and I replied that I would rather run a training day on "anger avoidance" instead. I continue to have great success with clients who have had longstanding anger management issues and see clients with this problem on a weekly basis.

Anger is usually a very fast totally automatic response and those with anger management issues discover that because it is an emotional response, no amount of analysing the "whys" of the behaviour actually assist in creating different outcomes. The triggers for this kind of behaviour can be many and as varied as the wide range of clients who exhibit this behaviour. Often the anger is directed at one or a specific set of individuals and it's easy to identify a clear pattern in what is happening to create and maintain these not useful behaviours.

It's useful to remember that when people think about conditions like "anger management" that these are massive generalisations than can describe a wide range of different behaviours. Every client I see with anger management problems completes a full set of client notes prior to the session and is asked a series of questions including the following:

"What do you want from the session?" "How will you know when you have it" "What has stopped you from changing to date?"

Anger management problems can be resolved once a client learns how to relax in those situations that used to spark the old behaviour. Anger management problems are increasingly common and in my experience anger management is not solved by more analysis or thinking, but rather by learning how to think and feel differently. Anger management problems can then be replaced by a more appropriate calmness as suggested by the client in the following anger management testimonial

"I feel so much calmer and can now take an alternative route to feeling well"

Kerry after being treated for anger management issues