“Can counseling help my husband's behavior?”
We have been married for 10 years and all of a sudden my husband has become very ill tempered and also gets violent. Not toward me, or any other person, but he throws things sometimes. Do you think counseling will be able to help us?
10 Answers
Therapy would absolutely help. However, someone needs to be motivated and want to help in order for it to work. You might want to ask your husband if something happened or if he is going through some emotional frustration, typically when males are hurt or feel rejected or any emotions that caused him to feel more sensitive and vulnerable they tend to respond to these feelings with anger, as a post to women when they are sad they tend to cry more often.
Irene Yaymadjian, PsyD
Irene Yaymadjian, PsyD
Yes. Important for him to identify the trigger to his behavioral change. Can be external like work pressure or internal like his perception of a situation.
Yes, counseling could help to identify the underlying stress and frustration an individual is experiencing. With this knowledge and information, access coping skills and determine the need to acquire helpful strategies to identify the feelings with an appropriate or desired outcome.
Marriage counseling can help foster communication and understanding which can lead to identifying the root of your husband's behavior changes and potential solutions. The marriage counselor may refer your husband to a psychologist for a psychological evaluation. Depending on the diagnosis, treatment could include anger and stress management and possibly a recommendation to meet with a psychiatrist for psychotropic medication.
Yes. First, he should have a physical. Then, if he's clear, he should do therapy. He is angry about something he hasn't expressed in adult life or something that happened in his early childhood that is coming up, because he is safe now. If it's not physical, then it's buried hurt that wants out, in which case, the prescription may be to talk back, yell and/or rage a an empty chair about what is hurting him or to who hurt him. If that doesn't work, see a psychologist.
It can help him if he is motivated to discuss issues that might be troubling him.
Marlene N. Kasman, PhD, Licensed Psychologist
Marlene N. Kasman, PhD, Licensed Psychologist
Dear Madam:
Sorry to hear that all of a sudden your husband's behaviors have changed and he becomes "violent" and "throws things." Has he had any brain traumas from falls or other injuries? You may want to have him checked out for that. Has he started doing any drugs street or prescription? You need to find the roots for this sudden changes through medical, neurological and psychological evaluations.
Yes, counseling and psychotherapy will help in his learning to be aware and engaging in impulse control. Also, it will help him learn to express his feelings and thoughts appropriately realizing that words that come out of his mouth cannot be taken back. He needs to realize that hands are made for hugging and not throwing things as he might accidentally hurt you or others in the vicinity.
Take care,
Dr. Lata Sonpal
Sorry to hear that all of a sudden your husband's behaviors have changed and he becomes "violent" and "throws things." Has he had any brain traumas from falls or other injuries? You may want to have him checked out for that. Has he started doing any drugs street or prescription? You need to find the roots for this sudden changes through medical, neurological and psychological evaluations.
Yes, counseling and psychotherapy will help in his learning to be aware and engaging in impulse control. Also, it will help him learn to express his feelings and thoughts appropriately realizing that words that come out of his mouth cannot be taken back. He needs to realize that hands are made for hugging and not throwing things as he might accidentally hurt you or others in the vicinity.
Take care,
Dr. Lata Sonpal
First he should have a medical checkup to rule out physical causes. If none, yes, counseling is a good next step.
Sure it can help. It sounds like something is going on that is making him react like that all of a sudden. He might need to be alone with a therapist possibly more than together. Don’t worry, men have issues as do women and might need to talk to someone first.
The simple answer is yes - see a counselor who knows a lot about anger management.
