Using Reality Therapy

1. Using Reality Therapy

2. Basic Needs • Belonging or Love • Power • Fun • Freedom

3. Principles of Picture Album • 1 – Human beings are motivated to fulfill needs and wants. Human needs are common to all people. Wants are unique to each individual • 2 – The difference )frustration) between what human beings want and what they perceive they are getting from their environment produces specific behaviors

4. Principles of Picture Album • 3 – Human behavior – composed of doing, thinking, feeling and physiological behaviors – is purposeful; that is, it is designed to close the gap between what the person wants and what the person perceives he or she is getting. • 4 – Doing, thinking, and feeling are inseparable aspects of behavior and are generated from within, most of them are choices

5. Principles of Picture Album • 5 – Human beings see the world through perceptions. There are two general levels of perception; Low and High. The low level of perception implies knowledge of events or situations. A high level of perception gives values to those events or situations.

6. Reality Therapy guidelines • Always be • Courteous • Determined • Enthusiastic • Firm • Genuine • Suspend judgement • Do the unexpected

7. Reality Therapy guidelines • Use humor • Be yourself • Share yourself • Listen for metaphors • Listen for themes • Use summaries and focus • Allow or impose consequences • Allow silence • Be ethical

8. Things to avoid • Don’t accept excuses • Don’t punish, criticize or argue, allow consequences • Don’t give up easily

9. Other guidelines • Consultation • Follow-up • Continuing education

10. Procedures of exploring • “What do you want?” • “What do you Really want?” • “What do you think people want from you?” • “How do you look at it?” • Tell them what you have to offer, what you want from them, how you look at the situation • Get a commitment to counseling

11. Procedures of exploring total behavior • “What are you doing?” • What - specific • Are – current • You – client • Doing – total behaviors

12. Evaluations – Value Judgements • “Is your behavior helping or hurting you?” • “Is what you’re doing helping you get what you want?” • “Is what you’re doing against the rules?” • “Is what you’re doing realistic or attainable?” • “Does it help you to look at it that way?” • “How committed are you to the process of therapy and to changing your life” – will that level work to your advantage? • “Is it a helpful plan?”

13. Levels of Committment • 1 – I don’t want to be here – I was forced • 2 – I want the pleasure resulting from change, but I don’t want to make the effort • 3 – I’ll try • 4 – I’ll do my best • 5 – I’ll do whatever it takes

14. A Positive Plan • Need Fulfilling • Simple • Realistic and Attainable • “Something to DO, not Stop doing” • Dependent on the Doer • Specific

15. A Positive Plan • Repetitive • Choose to approach others first • Choose to achieve something • Choose to have fun • Choose to act independently • Immediate • Realistic • Process Centered • Evaluated • Firm • Reinforced

16. Paradoxical Techniques • Learning reality Therapy • Easy to understand – difficult to practice • Fulfillment of Needs • Cannot fill directly – only through album • Conflict in Need Fulfillment • Conflict with one another • Behavioral System • Focus on Doing, more aware of thinking, feeling • Don’t talk about feelings – deal with them

17. Paradoxical Techniques • Process of Reality Therapy • Attacking one issue on several fronts • Cause of problem can be the effect • Types • Reframing – re-labeling and redefining • Ask what they are choosing to do • Negative symptom seen as a positive • Prescriptions • Scheduling a symptom • Restraining a behavior – can fail in efforts to overcome • Prescribing a Relapse

18. When not to use Paradoxes • Person feeling little involvement with the therapist • Sociopath • Paranoia • When there is acute stress • With families – need additional training in family systems • With much chaos/confusion • Immature/hostile adult members • Projection onto others