Anger Diary Worksheet

An Anger Diary is used for the client to see the triggers, cues, thoughts, and consequences regarding anger-inducing events. This provides them with the complete picture of how their anger develops and how they cope with the situation. Seeing the entire process written down helps people understand their weaknesses and the areas they need to further address.

An Anger Diary is critical for therapists to understand how to attack their client’s anger issues. It breaks the down the essential components of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach and pinpoints the areas that need to be addressed. These are likely to include distorted thoughts and maladaptive behavioral responses. A therapist will want to go over the worksheet in session so the client understands how to fill it out and then give it as homework. The anger diary then serves as a critical source of information and a major component of ongoing in-session work. Increasing realistic cognitions and adaptive behavior is a primary goal of anger management.