Anger Management Information at LifePaths Counseling Center

When talking about anger management, it is important to make a few distinctions. First, anger is a natural human emotion and it doesn’t have to be good or bad.

Anger (a feeling) and aggression (a behavior) are different.

Often when we are talking about anger management, we are actually talking more about reducing or eliminating aggressive behavior associated with anger, rather than the anger itself. It’s normal to react to some incidents in life by feeling angry, but how we handle that feeling within ourselves, as well as the behavior associated with it, is important to maintaining our health and our relationships with other.

It might seem like you have little or no control over your anger, but in reality you have much more control than you think and you can learn to use that control to avoid hurting yourself or others.

Counseling for Anger Management

I’ve found that in counseling for anger management, focusing on what triggers anger for you, developing ways to regulate your own emotions that work for you, and identifying distorted thought patterns that can fuel angry feelings are effective tools that help clients to get anger under control.

Along with those tools, there are a few other issues that may be important when you work with a counselor. One of these is developing healthy boundaries with others. Another is being able to accurately identify feelings that arise, because anger often masks other more uncomfortable feelings or feelings that are perceived to be wrong or unacceptable such as shame, fear, insecurity, or vulnerability.

The roots of anger can be very complex, and working with a counselor or in a counseling group specifically for anger management can be very effective ways of getting anger under control.

All of the counseling provided at LifePaths is voluntary – we aren’t authorized to do any court-ordered types of anger management work.  We feel that voluntarily working with an individual along with any court-ordered classes can be very beneficial.  Please contact us if you need or want to get in some form of counseling related work on anger, we are happy to help you find what is right for you.  You can reach us at the telephone number or email address at the top of this page.

Anxiety Counselors at LifePaths Counseling Center

A low level of anxiety is quite normal in many situations such as a job interview or public speaking. It can be a problem however when it gets in the way of functioning well in life.

Anxiety problems can take many forms, such as anxiety attacks, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress, or phobias. 

Symptoms of Anxiety

Anxiety can be very different from person to person. There are likely to be physical symptoms, and some of these are sweating, shaking hands, pounding heart, headache, fatigue, or stomach upset. The symptoms associated with panic attacks will be more severe. Emotionally and cognitively, some of the things that may happen are difficulty concentrating, feeling irritable, being hyper-vigilant (constantly being on the alert for danger), or feelings of dread or tension.

If you are dealing with anxiety, you have many options available to help you feel better such as working with a counselor, medication, or if you choose there are some skills you can develop on your own as well.

Self-Help Strategies for Dealing with Anxiety

Self-help strategies include developing relaxation skills. In counseling people that are dealing with anxiety, we discuss different methods of relaxation which can be deep breathing exercises, guided imagery (there are some good guided imagery recordings available for purchase at the website for Health Journeys), taking a walk, prayer, medication, and more. Not every method of relaxation works for everyone so sometimes you may need to try a few ideas before you hit on one that works well for you. You may also be interested in taking a look at our self care client handout for more ideas.

Other self-help strategies may be thinking about different areas of your life that may be out of balance or out of control. Many people tend towards their work-life balance being off because of putting more energy into work in hopes they can prevent losing their job. Along with that, our busy lifestyles can become overwhelming with multiple responsibilities for home, children, work, school, etc., which leaves little time for recreation and re-energizing ourselves with activities we enjoy.

If you do see areas of your life where you are overwhelmed, taking steps to simplify and say no to new responsibilities may be helpful.

It’s also important to eat healthy, exercise regularly, and avoid caffeine, sugar, and nicotine which are stimulants that can make anxiety worse. Limiting alcohol can also help – although it temporarily may reduce anxiety, it doesn’t last. It can also lead to other problems with addiction or dependence which you definitely want to avoid.

If you find that your anxiety can be brought under control with one or two lifestyle changes, all the better.

If you want more help, we can work with you on the specific issues you are dealing with whether that is fears/phobias, or post traumatic stress issues.

Additionally, if the anxiety is extremely overwhelming there is also the option of taking medication to help. if this is the case, work with your medical doctor or a psychiatrist to prescribe one of the medications to help with anxiety.

One last thing to take note of, often anxiety and depression are both present at the same time. Your counselor and medical doctor or psychiatrist will need to know about both of these, even if one or the other is not very severe.

Substance Abuse – Addiction Counseling

You know it and we know it.  Addiction is a serious problem.  Whether it is your own addiction or someone you care about is struggling with it, it can tear lives apart.

Addiction Counseling can help.  

We work with people dealing with physically addicting substances or psychologically addicting activities.  We want to help.

Here are some examples:

• Gambling
• Video Games Addictions
• The Internet
• Shopping
• Stealing

There are different definitions of addiction, and fairly often we are asked, “how do I know if I am addicted to (alcohol, sex, gambling, etc.) or not?”

In our addiction counseling, the guideline we use is this: If using a substance or repeatedly performing a particular activity is creating problems in any area of your life, and you do not feel able to stop, you are likely to be addicted.

“Any area of your life” can be any of these:

• Physical health
• Family functioning and relationships
• Intimate partner relationship
• Friendships
• Career/Job/School
• Finances
• Recreation
• Spirituality
• Personal Growth
• Legal Concerns
• Physical Environment

That covers a lot, doesn’t it??  

Even if there isn’t an effect right now, if you know there is a possibility of a future negative impact and you continue, this is unhealthy and possibly addictive behavior.  For instance, if you are drinking more than doctors recommend, your future physical health is in danger even if you feel great right now.

This is a fairly broad definition but whether you call it addiction, compulsion, or a habit – if it is creating problems for you in your life then it is time to consider a healthier path.  That is a simple conclusion to make, but we know that acting on it can be really difficult.

Here are a few ideas to illustrate how you might determine if a person’s drinking, using, etc. needs to be worked on:

1) Have you ever heard the term “high functioning alcoholic?” This is a person who drinks heavily or often but being able to function well in the more obvious areas of life has not really been impacted. They can maintain their job, their relationships are intact, they’ve never had a DUI, they don’t have money problems. But if he or she drinks so much that it puts that person’s future health at risk, recreational or spiritual activities are avoided, or perhaps working on personal goals that are important to him or her have been put off because so much time is spent on drinking – these are strong indicators that a problem needs to be addressed.

2) Viewing pornography may be considered by many individuals and couples to be a completely acceptable activity. For instance, a couple in which both partners enjoy and accept this activity as a part of their sexual relationship may not have a problem to be addressed. However, if one person in this couple is uncomfortable with the other’s use of pornography or if he or she feels degraded by it – but that partner continues to view pornography anyway – this couple has an important issue to be dealt with. It could be considered an unhealthy behavior because it erodes the intimacy between them, it may even be a method of avoiding intimacy, and may also be a method of avoiding other painful situations, memories, or areas of life.

3) Another example may be a couple who is very active in their church, and according to their beliefs, infidelity is morally wrong. If one partner has repeated affairs this creates problems not only in the partner relationship but also with his or her spirituality. One affair is certainly a problem as well, but when there are repeated affairs and the person doesn’t feel able to stop, for some people it is easier to get on a healthier path if they think of this in terms of addictive behavior, and addiction counseling can help.

We have Licensed Addiction Counselors at LifePaths.  We can help.

Addictions Therapy, Counseling, and Treatment Methodologies

We tend to look at mental health care holistically, and assist our clients in managing overall health. If the addiction is with a physical substance, it is important that the client also involve a medical doctor in his or her care. This is particularly important if withdrawal from the substance could create a health risk.

A second area we work on is in developing healthy coping skills. Addictions can be thought of as ways of coping with psychologically painful aspects of life or past traumas. Developing alternative, healthy coping skills will be important to being able to stop the addictive behavior and prevent returning to it.

Our self care handout can help you identify healthy coping skills for yourself or someone you care about. A third part of our work is to explore that painful current situation or past trauma, and work towards resolution or at least management of that pain.

Finally, as necessary, we may incorporate different methodologies, such as “moderation management” or 12 steps if these are helpful to a client. In particular, being involved in a 12 step program at the same time we are working together in counseling can be extremely helpful. There are many types of 12 step groups!  (And alternatives if you don’t like 12 steps – keep reading below!)   There are many websites where you can seek out and select one that is right for you. Even if you go to a meeting and it doesn’t seem like it will help, try two things: first, go to another meeting with the same group to be sure that it wasn’t just a day or evening that the group was “off” a little bit; and then if it still doesn’t seem like a good fit then keep trying other groups in the same way until you find one that feels good, the people are supportive, and the environment feels helpful to you. Attending a 12 step group while also in mental health counseling is an effective strategy for beating addiction.

If you or someone you care about is dealing with an addiction, please call us and discuss it. Even if one of us is not the right counselor for you (or that person), we are happy to talk about your options and resources that may help you.

Alternatives To 12-Step Programs

For some people, the 12 step approach is not a good fit and doesn’t seem to work to help them overcome addictions. If you are looking for something other than AA-based programs, something non-religious, or for any reason, here is a list of possible programs you could try:

Smart Recovery

LifeRing

Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention

Moderation Management

And if you choose to get counseling as well, we provide effective addiction counseling with a Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC).  Call 303-801-7878 or email info@lifepathscounseling.com for more information.

Colorado LPC Clinical Supervision – Roles

As mentioned above, we consider our role as a supervisor to include acting as a teacher, counselor, and consultant:

Teacher 

Each of the counselors that provide clinical supervision has many years of experience.

Therefore, the skills and information we use in supervision come from that experience and will likely include:

• Documentation skills such as proper psychotherapy notes, disclosure form, writing assessments and treatment plans, etc.
• Ethical issues and how to handle them
• Alternative techniques or approaches to fit a client’s needs
• Identifying additional issues to explore with your clients
• Strengthen boundaries with clients and colleagues
• Proper business practices to maintain privacy and protection of clients’ best interests

Counselor

Working as a counselor can be tough sometimes, especially when a client’s issues trigger some of our own issues or you have a client with a difficult problem that distresses you, too.

As a supervisor, sometimes we are able to see “blind spots” you may have with certain clients or mental health issues. It is extremely helpful to have a person to help you see these blind spots in a safe environment, and develop your own unique way of taking care of yourself so you can be the best counselor you can be. We can help you identify these type of situations, and offer support, but it’s important to note that if a serious roadblock comes up, we recommend you work with another counselor for that so we can maintain an appropriate supervisory relationship.

Consultant

We can offer additional assistance related to building your practice or continuing your career as a counselor in the direction you choose. We encourage you to use material from our forms and documentation if you choose, assist you with building your practice, help you develop appropriate billing practices, share continuing education opportunities, and share networking/consultation group opportunities.