How to Teach Anger Management to Teens

Uncontrollable anger in teens can be a dangerous thing. Parents, guardians and other responsible and influential adults can do much to help teens manage their anger. Even if a teen does not have an alarming problem, he or she can benefit from loving instruction on how to deal with things when they do get upset. They can acquire vital skills and qualities such as "increased self-awareness, frustration tolerance, self-control, competence and empathy for themselves and others," explains Dr. Bernard Golden in the article "Healthy Anger Management for Teens."

Instructions

• 1

  Teach the child to be self-aware. Listen to the emotions behind their angry words and try to teach them to do the same. Help them identify what is causing the anger. Sadness, embarrassment, frustration, annoyance, guilt, feelings of worthlessness or low self-esteem can trigger angry outbursts. Identifying the cause of a teen's anger will better equip you to help them manage it.

• 2

  Help the teen develop self-control. Teach him or her different methods of keeping control when an outburst is coming. This might include slowly counting to ten or taking a short walk.

• 3

  Have the teen picture a calm, serene location where he or she would feel happy. Then tell them to picture their muscles relaxing. The child will feel better, less angry and, after practicing this method, will eventually be able to relax without picturing the scene.

• 4

  Do not berate the teen. This will not do anything for his or her self-esteem and will probably only make them even more upset. Instead stay calm and teach by example.

• 5

  Take the teen to a child psychiatrist if he or she needs more help than you feel you can give. Child therapists are specially trained to deal with these situations and will be able to help.