What is anger?
This page is about anger. What it is, why it builds, and how psychological support at Integro Health can help you understand and work with it in a safe, non-judgemental environment in South West WA.
Anger is a normal and healthy human emotion. It is the feeling that tells us something matters, that a boundary has been crossed, or that a need is not being met. On its own, anger is not a problem. It becomes something worth attending to when it feels too big for the situation, shows up too often, lasts too long, or starts to damage your relationships, your work, or the way you feel about yourself. Anger is not a character flaw, and it is not simply a bad temper you should be able to switch off through willpower.
What sits beneath anger
Anger is often what therapists call a secondary emotion. It sits on top of something more vulnerable that is harder to show. Underneath, there is frequently hurt, fear, shame, grief, or a sense of being powerless or unheard. Anger can feel safer and more energising than those feelings, so the mind reaches for it first. Many people who come to us for help with anger are also living with anxiety, depression, chronic stress, or the effects of trauma at the same time.
What we often see in practice is that the anger is doing something. It might be protecting you from a feeling that seems too painful to sit with. It might be the only way you learned to be heard growing up. It might be your nervous system reacting to a world that has, at times, genuinely not been safe. Understanding that function, without excusing any harm it causes, is usually where meaningful change begins.
At Integro Health, we treat the whole person, not just the moments where anger spills over. That means exploring what lies beneath the pattern with curiosity and care, rather than simply trying to suppress the anger and leave everything underneath it untouched.
How we work with you on anger
There is no single correct path through anger. What we do is work alongside you, at a pace that feels manageable, using approaches grounded in psychological evidence and shaped by your individual story.
Understanding your experience
Your first sessions are about building a picture of you, not just the anger, but your history, your relationships, your emotional world, and what you are hoping life might look and feel like. There is no rush here. We ask questions because we genuinely want to understand.
Understanding what fuels the anger
Together, we look at what your anger is doing for you. What sets it off? What feeling does it cover or protect? What unmet need might it be pointing to? Often this exploration alone begins to shift something, because the pattern makes more sense once you can see it clearly.
Working with the underlying layers
For many people, anger sits on top of trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, shame, or relationship pain. We work on those layers using approaches like ACT, CBT, DBT, EMDR, or schema therapy, tailored to what fits your situation. Treating the roots, not just the surface, is what creates lasting change.
Building new ways of responding
Over time, we help you build a different relationship with the triggers, emotions, and situations that have historically tipped you into anger. This is not about rigid rules or bottling it up. It is about genuine psychological flexibility, so you have more choice about how you respond.
Ongoing support at the right pace
Change rarely happens in a straight line. Sessions are spaced to suit where you are, more frequent during difficult periods, stepped back as you gain ground. We are here for as long as the journey needs us to be, whether that is a few months or considerably longer.
Meet the Team
At Integro Health, you do not just book a clinic. You choose a practitioner who understands you. Our team of experienced psychotherapists brings clinical depth, genuine warmth, and a broad range of specialisations together under one roof. Take a moment to read about each of our practitioners and find the right fit for where you are right now.
Dr Paul King
General Practitioner
MBBS Bachelor of Medicine/ Bachelor of Surgery
FRACGP Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Jools Fordyce
Social Worker & Family Therapist
Bachelor (Hons) – Applied Social Science with Diploma in Social Work
Postgraduate Diploma in Family and Relationship Therapy
Brooke Eden
Psychologist
Bachelor of Psychology
Graduate Diploma of Education
Member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc.
Nicholas Kerr
Psychologist
Masters of Psychology (Organisational)
Bachelor of Arts
Member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc.
Carli King
Office Administrator
As Practice Manager, Carli keeps the daily operations of Integro Health running smoothly, ensuring our clients always receive the highest standard of care.
What you can expect when you reach out
No judgement, ever
Whatever your anger looks like right now, and whatever you have said or done in its grip, you will be met with warmth and genuine care. Not a lecture, and not a checklist.
A whole-person lens
We look at every part of you, your mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual wellbeing, because anger rarely lives in just one part of a person’s life.
Evidence-based approaches
We draw on ACT, CBT, DBT, schema therapy, and EMDR depending on what fits you. Not a one-size protocol, but a genuinely tailored response to your situation.
In-clinic and online options
Whether you can get to our Eaton clinic in Bunbury or you need the privacy and convenience of telehealth, we can work with you wherever you are in South West WA and beyond.
What people get wrong about anger
One of the most persistent myths about anger is that it is simply a matter of self-control, that with enough discipline or willpower you should be able to keep the lid on. This is not only inaccurate, it actively stops people from seeking the support that would genuinely help. Anger that has become a problem is almost never solved by trying harder to suppress it. Suppression tends to build pressure, and the pressure eventually finds a way out, often at the people we care about most.
Another common misconception is that you need to have done real damage, lost a relationship or a job, before support is appropriate. This is not true. Waiting until a crisis point often means years of avoidable strain on your relationships, your health, and your sense of who you are. Working on anger early, while it is still manageable and before it has caused lasting harm, produces meaningfully better long-term outcomes.
We also see many people in South West WA who have tried to manage anger on their own for years, through gritted-teeth self-control, bottling it up, or promising themselves it will not happen again, before reaching out. By that point, shame and self-blame have usually built up on top of the original difficulty and made the pattern harder to shift. One of the first things we do is help separate that accumulated shame from the actual work of change, because carrying both at once is an unfair and unnecessary burden.
Finally, many people assume that help with anger means a generic anger management course focused on counting to ten and walking away. Those techniques have their place, but they rarely address why the anger is there in the first place. Individual therapy and counselling, delivered privately one-on-one at our Eaton clinic near Bunbury or by telehealth to locations like Margaret River, gives you the space to understand your anger properly and change the pattern at its source.
Is my anger actually a problem?
It is common to wonder whether your anger has crossed a line, or whether you are overreacting by being concerned about it at all. The honest answer is that the label matters less than the impact.
If your anger is causing you distress, straining your relationships or your work, taking up a lot of your mental energy, frightening the people around you, or leaving you feeling ashamed or out of control, even some of the time, then it is worth exploring with a psychotherapist or counsellor. You do not need to meet a formal clinical threshold, and you do not need to have hurt anyone, to deserve support.
How anger shows up
That said, there are some meaningful distinctions worth understanding:
Outward anger is directed at other people or the world around you. It can look like snapping, shouting, criticism, aggression, or frequent conflict. It is the most visible form, and often the one that brings people in.
Inward anger is turned against yourself. It shows up as harsh self-criticism, self-blame, or self-punishment, and it frequently sits alongside depression and low self-esteem.
Suppressed anger is pushed down and avoided rather than felt. Over time it tends to leak out as resentment, passive aggression, withdrawal, or physical tension and stress held in the body.
At Integro Health, we are not primarily focused on which category fits you. What we care about is whether your relationship with anger is getting in the way of you feeling well, thinking clearly, and living the way you want to. You can read more about what the first session looks like here.
Your questions answered
Yes, in many cases. A Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP provides access to a Medicare rebate for up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year with a registered psychologist. Your GP will assess your eligibility, and your sessions at Integro Health can be structured to make the most of those rebated appointments. It is worth speaking with your GP in Bunbury, Busselton, or wherever you are located to get a referral in place before your first session.
Absolutely. You do not need your anger to be severe, or to have caused a crisis, before reaching out. Being unsure whether it is a real problem is a completely normal starting point, and it is something we can explore together. Our role is not to label you or push you toward a predetermined outcome. It is to help you understand your own experience more clearly and make choices that genuinely reflect what you want for your life and relationships.
Yes. Everything you share in sessions is confidential. There are narrow legal exceptions, for example if there is an immediate risk of serious harm to yourself or another person, but outside of those circumstances your privacy is protected. We will explain these boundaries clearly in your first session so there are no surprises.
Yes. We offer telehealth sessions across South West WA and Australia-wide, which means you can access support from anywhere, whether you are in a regional area like Manjimup or Collie, or simply prefer the privacy of attending from home. Telehealth sessions work in the same structured, safe way as in-clinic appointments.
This varies considerably from person to person and depends on how long the pattern has been in place, what sits underneath it, and any co-occurring concerns such as anxiety, trauma, or depression. Some people notice meaningful shifts within 6 to 12 sessions. Others find it more helpful to work over a longer period, 12 to 24 months, particularly when trauma or a complex history is involved. We will review progress with you regularly and adjust the approach as needed.
This is extremely common, and it does not mean you love them any less. For many people, anger shows up most strongly at home because that is where they feel safest to let their guard down, and where the stress built up during the day finally surfaces. It can be painful and confusing when the people you care about most are the ones on the receiving end. This pattern is very workable, and understanding why it happens is often the first step toward changing it.
No referral is needed to book a session. If you wish to access Medicare rebates through a Mental Health Treatment Plan, you will need a GP referral first, but you are welcome to contact us directly and we can guide you through that process if needed.
We draw on a range of evidence-based methods depending on what fits you best. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps you relate differently to anger and the urges that come with it. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is used to identify triggers and shift the thoughts that fuel escalation. EMDR can help when trauma underlies the anger, and schema therapy is valuable when deep-rooted patterns from early life are involved. We tailor the approach to you, not the other way around.
Medically reviewed by
General Practitioner
The clinical information on this page has been reviewed for accuracy by Dr Paul King, General Practitioner at Integro Health. It is general information, and not a substitute for personal medical or psychological advice.
