How to Help Teens With Anger Management

Anger is an acceptable emotion when a teenager experiences an event or situation that they feel is unfair or out of their control. Uncontrolled anger may lead to episodes of rage and aggressive behavior as well as physical responses including headaches, stomachaches, rashes or joint pain. Anger can also lead to depression, anxiety or suicide. Parents can support their teens in learning to manage anger by modeling appropriate responses to difficult situations. Teaching youth anger management skills -- including stress management techniques, communication and problem solving skills can help them manage their emotions and learn to respond appropriately in difficult situations.

Instructions

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      Model appropriate responses to difficult situations. Children learn how to behave in the world by watching the adults in their lives. One of the most important steps in helping your teen manage their own anger is to consistently manage your own anger in front of your teen.

    • 2

      Help teens develop stress management techniques. Maintaining a low level of stress or having a toolbox with techniques to reduce stress during difficult times can minimize physical and emotional responses to anger. Taking deep breaths or counting backward helps teens slow down and focus on the situation rather than their anger. Developing a healthy lifestyle which includes good nutrition, physical activity and adequate sleep can also help your teen be in the best frame of mind when faced with a difficult situation.

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      Teach teens communication skills. Learning communication skills including listening before jumping to conclusions, restating comments to the speaker to confirm understanding and taking a deep breath before responding can help prevent a situation from escalating. Especially important for teens is learning to avoid getting drawn into the other person's emotional responses.

    • 4

      Practice problem solving skills with your teen. Teens may find it especially difficult to effectively solve problems in the heat of the moment as they have a limited number of experiences. Spend time with your teen discussing possible outcomes of situations or identifying ways that they could have handled a problem differently. Assessing a past situation, without judgment, gives teens the opportunity to identify alternate outcomes.

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