Reality Therapy

3 Pages 678 Words

Reality Therapy: An Ongoing Process.

“Regardless of what has happened in our lives, or what we have done in the past, we can choose behaviors that will help us meet our needs more effectively in the future.” (Glasser, 2003). William Glasser developed a program based on this statement. The therapy is called Reality therapy. Glasser, an American psychologist, developed reality therapy in the mid sixties and it still continues to evolve by his hand today. Reality therapy is just one of several counseling methods which teaches people how to direct their own lives, make better choices, and develop coping mechanisms to better handle stress. The difference in reality therapy is the idea that “regardless of what has happened in our lives, or what has been done in the past, we can choose behaviors that will help us meet our needs more effectively in the future”(Glasser 2003). The practice, the appeal and the payoff of the program are essential keys to fully understanding this method of counseling.
The practice of reality therapy is an ongoing process made up of two major components. One, the counselor must have a trusting relationship with the patient so that they can feel safe. The counselor must secondly; use techniques, which help a person to the realization of what they really want. The patient must then reflect on their current situation, and create a new plan for fulfilling their wants in the future.


The Appeal of this method is that it’s both very efficient and straightforward. The program puts the responsibility of fixing the problem on the patient. It is said to be self-empowering and doesn’t dig into the patients past failures but instead takes a positive forward approach.
The procedure leading to the change has 8 steps not to be followed in any certain order. The goal upon completion of the steps is that “people can live their lives more successfully when they acknowledge and accept responsibility for their ...