Do you lash out at people? Maybe even the people you love the most? With DBT, you will learn skills for managing anger. This will help you learn to regulate your emotions. And this will help you maintain and grow your relationship with yourself and others.
When you feel angry, where is that really coming from? Is that emotion hiding something else? Perhaps something even more painful than anger? Marsha Linehan, the founder of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), claimed that anger is the “excess of emotion.” When you experience too much negative or painful emotion at once, anger results. And when you think about it, it makes sense. Nobody wants to feel angry. But, it can be a natural response to distract you from those deeper, more intense emotions.
Often, anger comes out when you’re irritable and have been for a while. It’s been building up. And you have every right to feel irritable. Managing everything in your life can feel overwhelming at times, which of course, would be irritating for anyone. Or maybe you didn’t even know you were feeling this way, you just know that you’re angry. As Dr. Linehan explained, too much of a frustrating emotion will be expressed as anger.
At our DBT center, we follow a strict comprehensive DBT program model. This includes three elements for you: individual psychotherapy sessions, skills training, and phone coaching. The aim of Dialectical Behavior Therapy is to identify, analyze, and change negative behaviors. So in DBT, we are not trying to fix your anger. Instead, we are going to help you learn how to respond to anger.
In individual sessions, you will work with a DBT therapist to identify negative behaviors as a result of anger. Then, you will analyze where that anger is coming from. Next, you will work to incorporate healthier skills in response to anger.
During skills training, you will meet with a group of other clients in our DBT program, along with a DBT therapist. In these sessions, you will learn about the four core skills of DBT and how to apply them to situations. You will discuss these topics more in-depth with your therapist in individual sessions. Then, together, you will identify tools that will help you in specific areas in your life.
The third element of our DBT program is phone coaching. This is an essential piece to learning skills for managing anger. When you have this option, you can call your therapist at a moment’s notice for support. You have someone to talk through the experience with. And they will remind you of why you don’t want to engage in previous unhealthy behaviors like lashing out, yelling, or using violence. This added support can make a big difference in the success of those learning about managing anger.
Anger can negatively affect your ability to focus, maintain relationships, sustain routine, and so much more. And you deserve to experience stability in all of these things. When you don’t have the skills to manage anger, it’s likely that you will continue to have outbursts. But once you learn the skills, you can implement them during challenging or emotionally charged situations. These tools will help you take a pause and think before acting. And you’ll have a DBT therapist’s support through it all.
At the DBT center, located just south of Los Angeles, CA, and in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas, NV, I want to help you be successful. I am a highly trained therapist here to help you analyze and change behaviors. And this can help you lead a more connected, fulfilling life. If you’re ready to start DBT with us in person or online, follow the steps below.
Our comprehensive DBT program helps adults manage painful life experiences and emotions. To do so, a skilled DBT therapist serves individuals experiencing social isolation and loneliness. Further, we assist those experiencing suicidal thoughts and self-harm tendencies. You can access our services from anywhere in either state using online therapy in California and Nevada. For more on our DBT center, read our blog!
