ANGER MANAGEMENT
Anger doesn't have to run
the room anymore.
Change starts with one honest conversation.
At Bridge for Families in Kanata, Ottawa, our team (Tom Tuszynski, Melissa Dunn, and Lee-Anne Boucher) helps men, women, teens, couples, and families learn to notice anger before it boils over and respond differently, whether at the dinner table, in the car, or in a tense meeting at work. The work is less about suppressing anger and more about understanding what it's protecting: often anxiety, grief, addiction, or stress with nowhere else to go. Practical, goal-oriented, and non-judgemental.
At Bridge for Families in Kanata, Ottawa, our team works with men, women, teens, couples, and families on anger, emotional regulation, and the anxiety, addiction, grief, or trauma that often sits underneath. Practical, goal-oriented, and non-judgemental.
You're Not Alone in This
Whether you're here because someone asked you to be, or because you're tired of how you've been reacting, these are some of the things people bring to Tom:
OUR APPROACH
Practical, Goal-Oriented, Integrative
Tom draws from CBT, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Humanistic, Narrative, and Family Systems approaches, matched to you rather than a rigid protocol.
For anger, the work usually involves identifying triggers, naming the emotion underneath, and building concrete response skills. Tom works with clients to set SMART treatment goals so you know what you're aiming at and can track real change.
Tom starts by building a trusting, safe therapeutic relationship. That's the foundation before any of the work lands.
What that looks like:
- CBT: identify triggers, reframe thinking, build coping skills
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: structured, time-efficient, outcome-oriented
- Family Systems lens: understanding patterns that played out before you
- SMART treatment goals: clear targets so progress is measurable
MEET YOUR THERAPIST
Tom Tuszynski, RP (Qualifying)
Tom's therapeutic approach begins with developing a therapeutic relationship and building a trusting, safe environment with clients. He works with children 10 and older, youth, adults, couples, and families.
Together you'll reflect on and identify problems, establish SMART treatment goals, and develop new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving using evidence-based modalities.
His client-centered approach is tailored to each individual using an integrative mix of Humanistic, Narrative, CBT, SFBT, and Family Systems approaches.
Tom specializes in:
- Anger management & emotional regulation
- Anxiety, depression, separation & divorce
- Addiction
- Men's issues
- Military & first responders
- Couples, family, and parenting issues
ALSO ON OUR ANGER MANAGEMENT TEAM
Melissa Dunn, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Melissa Dunn works with adolescents and adults on emotional regulation and the feelings that sit underneath anger: hurt, fear, shame, and stress that has nowhere else to go. Her work is DBT and EFT informed, which means a real focus on noticing what's happening in the body and the moment before a reaction takes over.
Together you'll map your specific triggers, slow down the gap between the spark and the response, and practice different ways of responding that protect the relationships you care about.
Clients describe Melissa as warm and down-to-earth, the kind of therapist who makes it easy to open up about the things that are hard to say.
Melissa specializes in:
ALSO ON OUR ANGER MANAGEMENT TEAM
Lee-Anne Boucher, Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist
Lee-Anne Boucher is the founder of Bridge for Families, with decades of experience supporting individuals, couples, and families. She is the right fit when anger is tangled up in relationship and family conflict, separation, and long-standing resentment that has been building for years.
Her approach is steady and evidence-based, drawing on Family Systems work to make sense of the patterns that keep repeating and to help everyone in the room feel heard rather than blamed.
Clients turn to Lee-Anne when the anger is less about a single moment and more about a relationship or family that needs a calmer way of being together.
Lee-Anne specializes in:
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this court-ordered or mandatory anger management?
No. This is voluntary therapy. If you need documentation for employment or legal purposes, let us know at intake and we'll discuss what's possible within our scope.
How long does anger management therapy take?
It depends on the goals. Some clients see meaningful change in 6-12 sessions focused on specific skills and triggers; others prefer ongoing work that addresses the roots (trauma, addiction, grief) under the anger. We use SMART treatment goals so you know what progress looks like.
What approaches do you use?
Our therapists draw from approaches like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Narrative, and Family Systems, tailored to the individual. For anger specifically, that often means understanding triggers, identifying the underlying emotion, and building new ways of responding.
Can I come in for related issues like anxiety, addiction, or grief?
Yes. Our therapists work with anger alongside anxiety, addiction, depression, loss through separation and divorce, men's issues, and more. These often overlap, and treating the whole picture is usually more effective than working on anger in isolation.
Is therapy covered by insurance?
Most extended healthcare plans cover therapy with a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), including Blue Cross, Canada Life, Manulife, Sun Life, and Veterans Affairs (VAC). Check your plan for “Registered Psychotherapist” coverage. We provide receipts for reimbursement.
Why do so many men come to therapy for anger specifically?
For a lot of men, anger is the one emotion that always felt acceptable to show, so frustration, hurt, fear, and grief often get funnelled into it. We work with men in Kanata and across Ottawa to widen that range: to name what's actually going on underneath and find words and responses that don't blow up the relationships that matter. There's no lecturing and no assumption that you're a 'bad' person for being here.
Will anger management therapy make me passive or stop me feeling angry?
No. Anger is a normal, useful signal. It tells you something needs attention. The goal isn't to switch it off, it's to keep the message and lose the damage. You'll learn to catch the early warning signs in your body, slow down the gap between trigger and reaction, and choose how you respond instead of regretting it later.
What does anger management therapy actually look like in a session?
Early sessions usually map your specific triggers: situations, people, times of day, and the physical signs that come before an outburst. From there, we use CBT to reframe the thoughts that fuel the heat, and practical skills like paced breathing, timeouts, and rehearsing tough conversations. You'll often try one small change between sessions and review how it landed, building on what works.
Men's Therapy
Tom and Lee-Anne work on men's issues: stress, relationships, identity, and the anger that often sits on top.
Couples Therapy
Tom, Melissa, and Lee-Anne help couples turn recurring conflict into a calmer way of talking.
Youth Therapy
Melissa works with teens on anger, emotional regulation, and the big feelings underneath.
Family Counselling
When conflict at home keeps escalating, Lee-Anne and Katherine work with parents and kids together.
Take the First Step
Booking a session is often the hardest part. We'll take it from there.
Thank you!
We'll be in touch soon.