Anger thermometer worksheet

A printable anger thermometer is a practical tool therapists can use in their practices to help clients visualize how their anger escalates. 

So, if you’re looking for an anger thermometer worksheet, you're in the right place.

This article provides anger warning signs and triggers to watch out for on a free printable anger thermometer  to save to your electronic health record (EHR) and share with clients. Additionally, we share anger coping skills.. 

Understanding anger warning signs

Recognizing anger warning signs is key to managing anger before it escalates. 

While anger warning signs are different for each person, some common signs of anger include:

• Defensiveness

• Arguing with others

• Raised voice

• Feeling hot and/or sweating

• Resorting to insults 

• Pacing the room

• Avoidance

• Silence or feeling like you’re “shutting down”

• Laboring the issue

Triggers can stem from the behavior of others, which can lead to feelings of insecurity or feeling threatened, triggering an anger response (especially in those who lived in conflict-ridden/volatile households as a child). 

Common triggers include:

• Stress

• Abuse

• Unfairness, discrimination, or injustice

• Irritations

• Feeling unsafe

• Disrespect 

• Childhood trauma

• Health and well-being

• Bereavement

• Upsetting or worrying events

• Physical and emotional pain

• Mental health problems

• Hormonal changes

Anger thermometer examples

The anger thermometer technique involves showing your client an illustration of a thermometer which contains a scale. 

For instance, on a 10-point scale, 10 would represent the extreme of their anger during which they may act out, whereas 1 represents neutral feelings where they don’t feel anger at all. 

Using a tool like an anger thermometer worksheet has several benefits for clients, including:

• Illustrating different intensities of anger

• Making connections between physical sensations and feelings

• Providing vocabulary to describe anger and sensations

• Helping to identify anger triggers, showing the link between thoughts, feelings, and behavior

• Strengthening coping skills and strategies

This article contains a free anger thermometer worksheet for adults. 

However, it's worth noting that the anger thermometer worksheet can be adapted for clients of all ages. 

For example, you can use the printable anger thermometer with the following age groups:

• Preschool children: Use a 3-point scale or traffic light system with green reflecting calm, yellow indicating some activation, and red showing feeling very angry/acting out.

• School-aged children: Adapt to a 5-point scale, with 1 being neutral, 2 for some activation, 3 is angry, 4 for escalating anger, and 5 being extreme anger.

• Adolescents and adults: Use a 10-point scale anger thermometer worksheet with 1 being neutral, 5 representing anger, and 10 being extremely angry.

Anger thermometer questions

You may find it helpful to ask your client a series of questions prompting them to think about the varying degrees of their anger, their warning signs, and their anger triggers. 

Using the anger thermometer worksheet, this may include questions such as:

• Looking at the thermometer, tell me about a time that you experienced a 10 on the scale? 

• What does a 10 feel like in your body?

• When you are at a 2, describe some of the things that may have led you to feel some anger? What prevents you from going higher on the scale?

• How would a loved one describe your reaction when you’re at an 8 on the scale? And a 10?

• What are some of the things that keep you at a 1?

• What changes in your behavior when you are at a 5 versus a 1?

• Reviewing each point on the scale, describe to me how your behavior changes as your anger escalates.

• Looking back when you’ve been at an 8 to 10 on the scale, what brought you back to a 1?

• What are some of the things you suggest to loved ones when they experience anger?

Other types of anger management tools

Coping strategies for anger within cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy models of anger include:

• Reminding clients of their inability to control others

• Replacing demands with requests, such as statements like “I would prefer” or “I would like”

• Identifying the unmet needs underneath the anger and emotions and evaluating if you can fulfill them, like setting appropriate boundaries 

• Examining core beliefs and automatic thoughts associated with anger feelings and behavior

• Using assertive communication skills 

• Distress tolerance skills:

  • Taking the opposite action: Instead of acting out of anger, do something kind or compassionate, or empathize with the person

  • DEAR MAN skill: Helps to rationally examine the situation and make an informed choice how to respond

  • Wise mind: Teaches how to respond calmly and mindfully

  • ACCEPTS skill: Helps to navigate intense emotions

• Calming skills to reduce the intensity of the anger, like deep breathing, exercise, taking a walk, visualization, muscle relaxation techniques, and distractions like watching your favorite films

• Keeping an anger log of the facts of the event, expectations, interpretations, other potential explanations, and possible requests to make

How to use the anger thermometer worksheet

The free anger thermometer worksheet can be used in several ways:

• In-session, you can download the printable anger thermometer to illustrate the exercise to clients

• Email clients the printable anger thermometer as homework

• Use the worksheet as a tool to keep a log of your client’s anger in-between sessions

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