skills

Is DBT Group Therapy Right for You?

Is DBT Group Therapy Right for You?

Are you experiencing borderline personality disorder (BPD), depression, anxiety, impulsive behaviors, mood disorders and/or PTSD symptoms? Are you struggling to regulate your emotions or communicate effectively? Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) can help for any one of these conditions or symptoms, as this therapeutic approach offers techniques that enable effective living for almost anyone.

DBT Skills Group: What Is It?

DBT Skills Group: What Is It?

A DBT skills group will help you be more mindful, increase your ability to handle distressing situations, allow you to gain a deeper understanding into your emotions, while learning to regulate your emotions more effectively and give you the space to build better interpersonal skills to serve yourself and your relationships with others. By joining a DBT skills group, you will not only learn these life changing skills but you will find and be connected to your most authentic Self. Find out more here…

Anger Management: 3 Ways to Channel Your Rage

Anger Management on the Philadelphia Main Line in Bryn Mawr

Anger is a tricky emotion, especially in our society.  We get messages that anger is “bad” and that we should never show it.  While we certainly don’t want to take our anger out sideways on innocent bystanders and we don’t want to rage at people we have anger towards, anger isn’t a “bad” emotion to be pushed away and shamed for. It is healthy to acknowledge, honor and express our anger as long as we’re not hurting anyone in the process.  Here are three ways to channel your anger:

 

1.  Acknowledge: 

Mindfully check in with your body and notice where the anger lives.  You may notice that when you’re angry, you clench your jaw. Many of us store anger in our jaws. Perhaps when you get heated, you feel your face flush.  Do you notice that you make a fist?  Or are you more someone who feels ashamed for having anger, so it’s stuffed down and manifests itself in an upset stomach or feelings of self-loathing?  However your anger manifests itself, the first step towards freedom is to acknowledge that you are, in fact, angry, even if you’re not quite sure why.

2.  Honor:

Trying to put the judgment aside, see if you can think back to when you first started noticing the anger.  Sometimes people believe that the key to anger management is to push the anger away and try to ignore it.  But, I’m of the belief system that what we resist, persists.  So if you want to get free of your rage and really learn anger management, try allowing yourself to be angry without doing anything about it, just noticing it in your body.

3.  Expression:

Anger Management on the Main Line of Philadelphia in Bryn Mawr.

Here are some skills you can try for expression of your anger.  Take what you like and leave the rest:

  • Journal about the anger
  • Write a ‘do not send’ letter to the person or thing you’re angry at
  • Sweat it out - Go for a run or engage in another form of physical exercise
  • Vent to a friend, therapist or another safe person not involved in the situation 
  • Rip up a phone book
  • Punch a punching bag
  • Create some art expressing your anger
  • Write out the story of what happened, then rewrite it with what you wish would have happened
  • Practice progressive relaxation
  • Learn assertive communication skills and directly address the issue with the person or situation

For more help with anger management, contact us here.  

What else do you find helpful for anger management?  Write your responses here: