Anger is a perfectly normal human emotion and, when dealt with appropriately, healthy.  It is neither appropriate nor healthy if you cannot control your temper, and often lash out at others.

Uncontrolled and frequent outbursts of anger will affect your health and your relationships with others.

Anger can be problematic when it is too intense, too frequent, when it lasts too longs, when it negatively impacts relationships, and when it leads to aggression.

Anger management is a term used to describe the skills you need to recognize that you, or someone else, are becoming angry, and then take appropriate action to deal with the situation in a positive way. Anger management is a term used to describe the skills it takes to recognize and take appropriate action to deal with an anger-inducing situation in a positive way.  It does not mean internalizing or suppressing anger, but recognizing the triggers and signs of anger, and finding other, more appropriate ways to express our feelings. Anger management, therefore, is about recognizing negative patterns and developing new, healthy approaches that include conflict resolution skills and problem-solving skills.

I often utilize the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA) Anger Management Curriculum from my years of running groups to inform my work. Additionally, I incorporate mindfulness, and relationship skills, including dialoguing skills from Imago Therapy, into my approach.

“You are the first victim of your anger." Buddha