| Reality Therapy
is the method of counselling that Dr. William Glasser has
been teaching since 1965. It is now firmly based on Choice Theory and its
successful application is dependent on the counsellor's
familiarity with, and knowledge of that theory. In fact,
teaching Choice Theory to
counselees (whether clients or students) is now part of Reality
Therapy. Since unsatisfactory or non-existent
connections with people we need are the source of almost
all human problems, the goal of Reality Therapy
is to help people reconnect. This reconnection almost
always starts with the counsellor/teacher first
connecting with the individual and then using this
connection as a model for how the disconnected person can
begin to connect with the people he or she needs. Reality
Therapy is different from most psychotherapies
because it focuses on the present and helps people
understand that they can choose a better future. This is
based on the Choice Theory axiom,
which states that regardless of what has occurred in the
past, to be happy and effective, we must live and plan in
the present. Because of this, it is an effective, short-term
therapy in the age of managed care.
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Pat with Dr.
William Glasser at the 2002 conference in San Antonio,
Texas.
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| To practice Reality
Therapy , we create warm, trusting relationships
with clients. From these relationships, we are usually
able to help them evaluate both what they want and the
total behaviors that they are presently choosing. We then
assist them in creating a plan to either change what they
want to something more achievable, and/or to choose
behaviors that will better satisfy what they now want. For
recommended reading on Reality Therapy click here.
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