Reality Therapy

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Reality Therapy

• William Glasser, Cleveland, OH born in 1925,
  the 3rd youngest of a close family
• Degrees in chemical engineering, psychology
  Medicine
• Theory came out of the Ventura School for
  Delinquent Girls
• Rejected traditional psychoanalysis
• Sometimes called Choice Theory

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Reality Therapy

• Counselors are teachers models, accepting
  warm, building relationships
• Develops trust thru friendliness, firmness and
  fairness
• Focus on behaviors that the ct wants to change
  how to achieve the change
• Uses metaphors thought provoking questions

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Reality Therapy

• Radio Station WDEP
• What do you WANT?
• What are you DOING about it?
• EVALUATE is it working?
• PLAN how can you make it happen

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Reality Therapy

• "Chrysler Dealership" A Chrysler dealer went
  broke during the 70's when imported cars flooded
  American markets. He found a bottle from which a
  Genie emerged and gave him one wish. He wished
  for "a foreign car dealership in a large city."
  Instantly, he found himself the proprietor of a
  Chrysler dealership in Tokyo!

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Reality Therapy

• There are three ways to get atop an oak tree.
  Which are you?
• Chop it down
• Climb it
• Plant an acorn sit on it

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Reality Therapy

• Seen on a poster Dog missing. Has a bent
  tail, missing one leg, blind in left eye and
  right ear is infected. Goes by the name Lucky.
  Call 555-5555.
• What does that poster mean to you?

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Reality Therapy

• How to judge whether a person is choosing a
  suitable healthy behavior
• The behavior is noncompetitive
• The behavior is easily completed without a great
  deal of mental effort
• The behavior can be done by oneself
• The behavior has value to the person

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Reality Therapy

• The client believes that improvement in lifestyle
  will result from the behavior
• The client can practice the behavior without
  being self-critical
• Poor mental health is the result of not knowing
  how to achieve what one has planned

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Reality Therapy

• Counselors are understanding, accepting,
  empathetic, and are willing to express faith in a
  clients ability to change
• Counselors may share important personal
  information to improve the counseling
  relationship
• The focus is behavior and the present

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Reality Therapy

• A change in behavior brings about other positive
  changes feelings physiology
• Change behavior first, feelings follow
• Attempt to eliminate the fear of punishment, fear
  of failure and excuses from a clients life.
• There is no try. It is do or do not - Yoda

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Reality Therapy

• Teaching is a primary technique
• Clients see behavior as unrealistic
• The behavior is rejected but the client is not
  rejected
• Teach clients better ways to fulfill needs within
  the confines of reality

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Reality Therapy

• Humor is the ability to see the absurdity within
  a situation view matters from a different and
  amusing perspective
• Humor should never by sarcastic as it would
  damage the relationship
• Counselors should not give up on their clients of
  they do not reach their goals. Instead,
  encourage new plans goals.