Reality Therapy

Abstract

Reality therapists believe that changing what we do is the key to changing how we feel and to getting what we want (Glasser, 1997). The name reality, though catchy, is easily misunderstood by those who assume that reality therapy has something to do with giving people "a dose of reality'' (Rogha, 2005). The focus of this paper will be to explore the various uses and overall effectiveness of reality therapy among a diverse population.

From a realistic perspective it is very hard to change our emotions directly. It is easier to change our thinking: to decide, for example, that we will no longer think of ourselves as victims or to decide that in our thoughts we will concentrate on what we can do rather than what we think everybody else ought to do.

Reality Therapy

First and foremost, the founder of reality therapy, Dr. William Glasser does not believe in the concept of mental illness unless there is something organically wrong with the brain that can be confirmed by a pathologist (Howatt, 2001).

Glasser

Glasser

Therefore, this counseling/psychological approach which is a cause and effect theory that explains human behavior is considered controversial by some mainstream professionals as non-traditional.

Early on, he (Glasser)came to the conclusion that genetically we are social creatures and need each other and that the cause of almost all psychological symptoms is our inability to get along with the important people in our lives.

In this paper, I will examine the above ideas which focus on personal choice, personal responsibility and personal transformation in an attempt to show the effectiveness of reality therapy among a diverse population of clients.

Dr. William Glasser has used his theories to assist helping professionals in dealing with a myriad of client problems and to influence broader social issues such as education,