Anger and Aggression
Anger is an unavoidable, normal emotion that everyone experiences. Anger is a natural reaction to feeling threatened or experiencing a sense of injustice. When you understand and release your anger, you tend to feel more empowered and at ease when things don't go according to plan. But if you struggle with anger, it can feel like this emotion controls you. Anger management therapy focuses on learning some of the root causes of your anger, triggers that affect your emotions, and healthy coping skills to manage your stress.
For anger management therapy, book with:
Amy Parsons
D’Arcy Arseneau
Darleen Davis (children only)
Dayirai Kapfunde (virtual only)
Kenneth Guye (virtual only)
Kim Cardinal
Lyndsy Stevenson
Samantha LeBlanc
Sarah Callin
When Anger Becomes Problematic
There's nothing wrong with anger itself. We all feel angry from time to time, especially when we feel betrayed by someone, or when crucial things don't go our way. While your angry feelings are valid, how you express anger can significantly impact your mental health. Intense, uncontrolled anger can lead to serious problems in all areas of your life. Consider the following checklist to assess whether you or a loved one may have an anger problem:
Your anger impacts your physical health: Research shows that anger coincides with numerous health risks, such as high blood pressure, gastrointestinal distress, and migraines. Chronic anger can increase the chance of cardiovascular disease or stroke.
Your anger negatively affects your relationships: We all know that stereotypical ‘angry person,' and they aren’t pleasant to be around! If you have angry outbursts, there's a good chance that people either withdraw from you, walk on eggshells during conversations, or argue back with you constantly. That's no formula for a healthy relationship!
Your anger often seems disproportionate to the situation: Anger is absolutely justified, but if you find that every little thing seems to make you angry, you may struggle with emotional regulation. Anger issues can stem from unresolved trauma or other mental health issues.
Your anger causes you to hurt yourself: Some people cope with unresolved anger by taking their rage out on themselves. If you struggle with self-harm, substance use, or another type of compulsive behaviour, it may be a sign that you can't manage anger effectively.
You consistently have negative thought patterns: Anger can seriously distort your thinking, causing you to be excessively judgmental of yourself and others. These thought patterns can lead to numerous problems in relationships, at work, or in executing basic tasks.
What Makes Anger Such a Challenging Emotion?
Anger is often a secondary emotion to other emotions like sadness, fear, guilt, betrayal, or shame. The next time you feel angry, ask yourself: what other emotions am I experiencing now? What thoughts am I having about these emotions?
Anger can also be challenging because we live in a world that often encourages us to suppress, downplay, or rationalize how we feel. We associate anger as "bad," and the idea of expressing anger often feels foreign.
Finally, many people struggle with anger because they've had poor experiences with anger in the past. Maybe they grew up with an emotionally or physically abusive caregiver. Perhaps they associate anger with violence or threats or silent treatment. Learning to work through your own anger problems sometimes means gently confronting your perceptions of anger and how people have used anger to hurt you.
Common Anger Management Strategies
After the assessment is complete, treatment begins! In the treatment phase, you will learn about human psychology (we call this psychoeducation) and will be introduced to a variety of skills to practice and implement to better manage your symptoms. Common include:
understanding anger and its functional purpose in daily life
learning to identify triggers that cause or exacerbate anger
practicing social skills to improve communication with others
incorporating relaxation techniques to practice when feeling angry
identifying healthier coping skills to solve problems or reduce stress
Most people will have a therapy session every two weeks, and we recommend this for optimal treatment. Effective therapy typically takes somewhere between six to twelve appointments (for some more, others less). Many choose to continue therapy once formal treatment is complete. This is referred to as “maintenance.” People who do this typically have an appointment once every six to eight weeks. This is not a requirement and is a matter of personal choice.
Anger Management Therapy in Fort McMurray
How to Start Anger Management Therapy
Beginning therapy with Boreal Therapy Collective is easy and requires no referral. You can book your initial assessment here.
Understanding Length of Therapy and Treatment
Your first appointment will be 90-minutes long. For all future appointments, you can choose to book for 1 hour or 90-minutes. During your first appointment, your therapist will ask you questions to better understand you and your areas of struggle. This is known as an assessment. Depending on how much you share, the assessment phase can last anywhere from one to three appointments. The assessment is critical. It helps you and your therapist understand your goals, and it helps your therapist develop a treatment plan to support you in achieving these goals.
After the assessment is complete, treatment begins! In the treatment phase, you will be introduced to a variety of skills to practice and implement to better manage your symptoms. Most people will have a therapy session every two weeks, and we recommend this for optimal treatment. Effective therapy typically takes somewhere between six to twelve appointments (for some more, others less). Many choose to continue therapy once formal treatment is complete. This is referred to as maintenance. People who do this typically have an appointment once every six to eight weeks. This is not a requirement and is a matter of personal choice.
Anger Management Therapy at Boreal Therapy Collective
Where We Are Located
We’re located at 8530 Manning Avenue, Unit 104. You’ll find us in the Service Canada building (on the side of the building that faces the Clearwater River). To check out our space, click here.
Parking is located at the front and back of the building. The front parking lot is closer to us but tends to fill up quickly. There is also an empty dirt lot adjacent to our office that many use for parking. If you park at the back (where Service Canada is located), you can walk around the building to reach our office. To learn more about parking, click here.
Importantly, you do not need to be in town for treatment. We offer in-person and virtual therapy and our therapists are happy to provide whatever option works best for you!
Rates & Benefit Coverage
Initial assessments are billed at a rate of $330.00 for a 90-minute appointment. Follow-up sessions are billed at a rate of $220.00/hour or $330.00/90-minutes (you can choose your preferred appointment length when booking).
Our social workers offer direct billing to 25+ benefit providers. Many benefit providers will cover a portion or the whole amount of your therapy session. With your consent, we will always direct bill your benefit provider first. Our Registered Psychiatric Nurses are ineligible for direct billing in the majority of cases (this means the cost of service will be out of pocket).
If we are unable to direct bill, you can pay via email money transfer or credit card. You will be given a receipt once payment has been collected. For more information, click here.
