Role Of The Anger Management Counselor

Everyone experiences anger in their life; however, some people do not develop the skills and techniques needed in order to move past the anger or deal with it effectively. This is where an anger management counselor can come in. They help clients learn how to move past or deal with the anger.
The Main Role Of An Anger Management Counselor
The anger management counselor is responsible for helping a client develop the knowledge and skills to control their anger and react differently to situations. Through proper knowledge and skills, the client should be able to control their anger by recognizing circumstances that ignite the aggressive and angry behavior, and deal with those circumstances in a healthy and non-violent way. As an anger management counselor, it is important to be able to recognize the triggers in a client in order to move forward with treatment.
Once triggers are identified, the anger management counselor can teach his or her client specific skills to deal with their triggers and their anger. These skills are often traits that the client has never been exposed to, such as recognizing thought patterns and changing the way they view or think about a situation that would normally evoke anger.
Other skills that an anger manager may teach involve breathing and relaxation practices that help a client calm down and react from a calmer place, communication skills to help clients express their feelings and needs instead of allowing anger to build up, and problem solving skills that allow clients to tackle frustrating situations and create a solution without anger.
Techniques Used In Anger Management Sessions Explained

There are many different types of techniques that have been developed to help clients deal with their aggression issues. Some of the most widely used techniques involve cognitive-behavior methods including problem-solving, social skills, coping methods, and behavior modification.
For instance, relaxation is a coping method to deal with anger, and it helps to lower the emotional and physiological response that occurs when negative stimulation arises. This simple technique of relaxation often opens up access to other techniques that cannot be accessed until a client has become calm both in body and mind.
Social skills help a client interact with other people on a level that discourages anger. For instance, a client may be taught how to communicate in a way that helps them address key triggers to their anger. They may also learn how to negotiated, give proper feedback, and listen without injecting a negative and distorted view into the conversation.
Problem-solving skills are often needed when a client does not lack certain social skills, but instead lacks the ability to solve problems and quickly becomes angry because of stressful and intense issues that will not go away. Often the ability to look at a situation differently and find a positive outcome can completely change the way a client will react to almost every situation they face that normally triggers their anger.
If the above techniques do not work, then other strategies may need to be included as part of counseling. For instance, a possible change in environment may be suggested or complete avoidance of situations that make the client angry. Of course these techniques are only temporary solutions and the client will need to develop proper social, communication, or problem solving skills in order to overcome their anger issues.
How To Ensure Skills Are Used Outside Of Counseling
The role of the anger management counselor does not only include teaching their client about the skills needed to control anger, but also implementing strategies that the client can use to effectively utilize those skills outside of their counseling session. In short, it is the counselor’s job to ensure that the skills have been adopted by the client.
In order for change to occur in the client the counselor needs to ensure that their client feels safe in their environment as is able to practice their new skills without hesitation or restraint. In addition, the client needs to be supported and encouraged in a manner that allows them to desire adopting the new skills they are learning. And, the client needs to play an active part in the changing rather than just learning the new techniques.
Often it is necessary to be present in the moment of anger in order to effectively teach a client how to handle the situation. This helps the counselor support the client’s cognitive process and encourage specific skills for dealing with the issue that caused the anger. Being present in a moment of anger also allows the counselor to adjust the techniques according to their client’s personality and needs.
In the end, the role of the anger management counselor is to effectively teach and implement new behavior and coping skills to stimulus that provokes anger. Even though there are many different skills and strategies that can be taught, it is important to look at the client as an individual and use skills and strategies that will benefit the way they react to frustrating and stressful situations.
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