One of the more common themes I see working with children and adolescents is the inability to appropriately express anger and frustration. Anger can be the result of a child's experiences of loss, trauma, or rejection, or accompany many of the difficulties that present with mood, family, or learning issues.

Children and teens can manifest anger externally (through tantrums, destructiveness, hurting others, conduct problems, etc.) or internally (seen as depression, anxiety, self-destructiveness, or emotional detachment). Either form can be alarming, and can be disruptive to the child's functioning at home, school, and in the community.

Anger reactions in some children are quite frequent and troubling to parents and teachers who witness them. The child's intense anger may erupt quickly and intensely in reaction to limit setting by adults, to teasing or to seemingly minor criticism by peers or adults.

Left untreated, anger problems can grow into serious mental health issues, lead to restrictive interventions at school, or provoke legal difficulties. Early and effective intervention can be a key element in preventing ongoing emotional distress and negative consequences.

Too much anger can be costly, both physically and emotionally. Most kids and teens can use their anger in appropriate ways in some situations, and yet be ineffective in others.

A therapeutic focus on anger management seeks to:

• Normalize and treat anger from a practical and developmental perspective
• Identify the often hidden sources of anger, as well as stressors and triggers that maintain the cycle of anger
• Develop healthy behavioral & emotional redirection of feelings, rather than use "control" approaches that hinder emotional expression and recreate frustration
• Help parents model and reinforce successful use of positive anger coping skills

To learn more about anger management and San Jose Child Therapy, visit my website at RandiFredricks.com, call 408-315-0645, or contact me online.