Anger management treatment and support in the North West of England

Everyone can have different triggers for their anger. Some of the most common causes of anger issues can include:

• Being threatened
• Being treated unfairly
• Being humiliated or having your self-esteem or confidence undermined in front of other people
• Personal problems such as stress of financial worries
• Bereavement or other difficult life events

However, whatever the cause of your anger, it’s important that you realise these issues are treatable and you can make a full recovery. The most important step is to get help so you can learn to control and manage your anger, before it gets worse.

If you struggle with anger management problems, you may believe it’s other people or external events that are the problem, as these are the things that make you get angry. However, it’s actually the way you interpret these triggers in your mind and how you respond to them that’s the problem.

People with anger issues often have unhealthy thinking patterns, which mean they get angry easily. The negative thinking patterns that could be contributing to your anger include:

Generalising

This is when you take a negative situation and over-generalise it, causing you to get angry. For example, you may think that everyone disrespects you all the time after one particular event where you felt disrespected, which is likely to be far from the truth.

Rigid world view

This means that you struggle to deviate from your idea of the way things ‘should’ and 'shouldn’t' be. For example, if you have a rigid world view, you may get angry if someone at work challenged your ideas on a project. Instead, in these situations, it’s important you learn to control your mind and take other options on board.

Jumping to conclusions

This is when you believe you can anticipate the thoughts and feelings of others, which means you may jump to conclusions. For example, you may think that people have intended to upset or ignore you, without hearing their explanations.

Minor irritations

This is when you let small annoyances or frustrations build up over time, which can make you angry and overlook positive things in your life. That’s why it’s important to address minor irritations before they get on top of you.

Blaming others

This is when you always blame others for things that go wrong instead of accepting that you could be at fault. However, learning to take responsibility for your own actions can reduce feelings of anger you have towards other people when things weren’t directly their fault.

Problems associated with anger management needn’t only relate to physical acts of aggression. Inward, negative thoughts of anger and non-violent or passive aggressive acts associated with anger can affect your overall physical and mental health.

Unhelpful or destructive behaviours and expressions of anger to look out for if you believe you or someone you know is experiencing anger management problems may include:

Verbal and physical aggression or violence

This may include shouting, swearing or being verbally abusive and threatening towards people around you. This can include physically lashing out either by throwing objects or being physically violent to another person.

Anger from within

More subtle types of negative harm related to anger include directing your anger and frustration inwardly. This can include intense thoughts of hating yourself, which can lead to isolation from friends and family and even risk of self-harming or suicide.

Non-violent or passive aggression

While this may not seem as extreme as other types of angry behaviour, passive aggressive displays of anger can have consequences for your relationships. This can include Ignoring people, or refusing to speak to them, or deliberately carrying out tasks at home or at work poorly. This can negatively affect both yourself and the people around you.

For many people, anger management problems can have a negative impact on all areas of their life. However, anger management issues are treatable and we can help you take steps towards recovery. At Priory, we can provide you with personalised anger therapy, treatment and counselling.

Counselling support

Counselling for anger management issues can take place either as an outpatient, or as part of our day care programme. You will be able to discuss which option is best for you with one of our specialists.

There are lots of different types of counselling for anger management problems, including:

• CBT for anger management
• 1:1 therapy for anger management
• Group therapy for anger management
• Family therapy for anger management

Outpatient treatment

During outpatient treatment for anger management issues, you will come to one of our hospitals or wellbeing centres for a set number of hourly sessions with a consultant or therapist. These usually happen on a weekly basis.

This type of treatment is useful if you don’t need more intensive treatment for your anger management and it also means you can attend flexible appointments at a time and a place that’s convenient for you. You can start outpatient therapy straightaway or this can be used as a step-down from more intensive treatment, if needed.

Day care

You can also receive anger management treatment as part of our day care programme. During day care, you will come to one of our Priory sites for a certain number of days each week, where you will take part in anxiety therapy.

Day care can be used as a step-up from outpatient anger management treatment, if needed.

Our sites across the UK provide specialist treatment for a range of mental health conditions. Our regional locations include:

• Priory Hospital Altrincham
• Priory Wellbeing Centre Manchester