Reality Therapy

6 Pages 1485 Words

Reality Therapy

Reality Therapy is the method of counseling that Dr. Glasser has been teaching since 1962. He published a book named Reality Therapy the same year. It is now firmly based on Choice Theory and its successful application is dependent on the counselor’s familiarity with, and the knowledge of, that theory. In fact, teaching choice theory to counselees is now part of Reality Therapy. Reality Therapy, though catchy, is easily misunderstood to do with giving people “a dose of reality.” In fact, the approach is far more people- friendly and people- centered than that. Reality therapy is a very powerful tool for personal growth, accomplishing goals, and measuring progress. Almost all approaches to psychology assume that people have certain basic needs and, indeed, there is broad agreement on what these needs are. In Reality therapy, they are classified under five headings: Power, Love & Belonging, Freedom, Fun, and Survival. One of the core principles of Reality Therapy is that, whether we are aware of it or not, we are all the time acting to meet these needs.
The goal of Reality Therapy is to help people reconnect. This reconnection usually starts with counselor 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. To create the relationship vital to Reality Therapy, the counselor will focus on the present and avoid discussing the past because all human problems are caused by unsatifasfying present relationships. Avoid discussing symptoms and complaints as much as possible, since these are the ways that counselees choose to deal with unsatisfying relationships.
Understand the concept of total behavior, which means focus on what counselees can do directly-act and think. Spend less time on what they cannot do directly; that is, change their feelings and physiology. Feelings and physiology can ...