The Reality Therapy Approach, Techniques, Theory into Practice, Practical Application
The Reality Therapy Approach
Reality therapy encourages the client to learn how to make more effective choices and develop the skills to cope with daily stresses and problems. Individuals take ownership of realistic goals, thus accepting responsibility for their present and future. Most importantly, the counselor helps clients realize that they cannot blame others for inappropriate decisions; reality therapy attempts to eliminate these excuses.
William Glasser (1986, 1998, 2000a), the father of reality therapy, believes that human beings operate on a conscious level and are not driven by unconscious forces of instinct. Human learning is a lifelong process based on choice. Glasser suggests that there are six criteria for healthy behavior that a person must seek. Behavior is easily completed, individually driven, has value, improves lifestyle, and is not self-critical or competitive.
Choice theory is the foundation of reality therapy. Individuals self-determine the way in which they meet their needs for survival, power, fun, freedom, and belonging and choose their thoughts, actions, and emotions accordingly (Corey, 2001, 2009; Glasser, 1998, 2000a). This approach concentrates so much on the present that it tends to ignore the past and the unconscious, unlike psychoanalytic theory, which is heavily immersed in both. Reality therapy is difficult to apply to youth or adults who have problems expressing themselves or their feelings.
Techniques
The school counselor uses active techniques such as humor, role-play, confrontation, feedback, goal setting, attending and teaching, designing plans, and composing contracts to help the student explore her or his options. The primary technique of reality therapy is teaching a student how to become responsible for personal actions. The counselor’s role is to reinforce positive planning and action steps. A student begins to see how her or his behavior is unrealistic and sometimes negative. Guided by the school counselor, the student begins to understand that she or he is in control of the desired change(s).
Confrontation and role-play help the student to accept responsibility for behavior and bring past events into the here and now. Reviewing past behaviors helps the student take charge in the present and plan for the future while establishing realistic goals to change her or his behaviors. Humor is one of the techniques used; however, it must be used respectfully. Students have fragile egos and cannot think they are being made fun of. Incorporating humor may help the student to look at the situation differently and see how unrealistic it was.
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