Theory and Practice of
Counseling and Psychotherapy
Psych422
Chapter11: Reality Therapy
Reality Therapy Basic Beliefs
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Focus on responsibility to choice
keep therapy focused on the present
Focus on the unsatisfying relationship or the lack
of connection, which is often the cause of
problems
The only person you can control is yourself
Behavior = our attempt to get what we want
Focusing symptoms is protect clients from facing
the reality of unsatisfying present relationships
View of Human Nature
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All internally motivated behavior is geared
toward meeting our basic human needs
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Belonging and love
Power or achievement
Freedom or independence
Fun or enjoyment
Survival (Physiological needs)
Our brain functions as a control system to get us
what we want
View of Human Nature
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Teach clients choice theory so clients can
identify the frustrated need and try to satisfy
it.
Quality world: we store experiences of how
we can fulfill our basic psychological needs
in our brain.
From the relationship with the therapist,
client learn how to get close to the people
they need
Therapeutic Goals
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Help clients get connected or reconnected with
the people they have chosen to put in their quality
world
Help clients learn better ways of fulfilling all of
their needs
Therapist’s function and Role
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Create a good relationship with their
clients
Challenge clients to evaluate themselves
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Are your behaviors getting you what you
want and need?
Instill a sense of hope
Therapist is someone who is on the
client’s side
Client’s Experience in Therapy
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Clients are not expected to go back to talk
about the past or symptoms
Therapists often ask clients questions to
challenge them to evaluate themselves
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“Is what your are choosing to do bringing you
close to the people you want to be closer to?
Relationship Between Therapist and Client
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Emphasize an understanding and supportive relationship
by warmth, caring, concern, acceptance…
Both involvement with and concern for the client are
demonstrated throughout the entire process
Once relationship is established, therapists challenge the
reality and consequences of their actions
Continually assist clients to evaluate the effectiveness of
their behavior
Therapy is a mentoring process with therapist as a teacher
and client is a student.
Therapeutic techniques and procedures
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Establishing a supportive relationship
Exploring clients’ needs, wants, and
perceptions
Evaluating how effective they are in
getting what they want
Realizing they can control only their
own behavior
Procedures That Lead to Change:
The “WDEP” System
W Wants - What do you want to be and do?
D Doing and Direction - What are you doing?
E Evaluation - Does your present behavior have a
reasonable chance of getting you what you want?
P
Planning – identify ways to fulfill their wants and
needs.
****Apply WDEP to your life experiences?
Planning For Change SAMIC
S Simple - Easy to understand, specific and concrete
A Attainable - Within the capacities and motivation
of the client
M Measurable -Are the changes observable and helpful?
I Immediate and Involved - What can be done today?
What can you do?
C
Controlled - Can you do this by yourself or will
you be dependent on others?
From a multicultural perspective
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Contributions
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Focus on acting and thinkingless likely to display
resistance to counseling
Relationships are the problem in all cultures
Allow for a wide range of acceptable behaviors to
satisfy these needs
Limitations
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Ignoring environmental factor may let clients feel
misunderstood
Some cultural values---not values to be assertive to
ask what they need instead of thinking more of what
is good for the social group.
Summary and Evaluation
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Contributions
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Insight and awareness are not enough; the client’s
self-evaluation, a plan of action, and a commitment
to following through are the core of the therapeutic
process.
Accepting personal responsibility
Gaining more effective control
Focusing on what they can do in the present to
change their behavior
Summary and Evaluation
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Limitations
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Not give enough emphasis to feelings,
unconscious, dream, transference, the effect
of early childhood experiences, and the power
of the past to influence one’s present
personality.