Reality Therapy

Founded By:

William Glasser (b.1925)


Robert Wubbolding (b.1936)

Key Concepts:

*Reality therapy- Based on choice theory; "Reality therapy provides a delivery system for helping individuals take more effective control of their lives" (Corey p. 336). "Contemporary reality therapy fouses quickly on the unsatisfying relationship or the lack of a relationship, which is often the cause of clients' problems" (Corey p. 338).
*Choice theory- Explains why and how we function; "Choice theory posits that we are not born blank slates waiting to be externally motivated by forces in the world around us. Rather, we are born with five genetically encoded needs that drive us allof our lives: survival, or self-preservation; love and belonging; power, or inner control; freedom, or independence; and fun, or enjoyment" (Corey p. 336). 

*Quality world- The mental file of wants that we build at the core of our life.
*Picture album- The internal storage of wants and ways to satisfy those wants.
*Total behavior- All behavior is made up of acting, thinking, feeling, and physiology. 
*Reality therapy emphasizes choice and responsibility, rejects transference, keeps the therapy in the present, avoids focusing on symptoms, and challenges traditional views of mental illness.

Therapeutic Goals:

*Help clients connect or reconnect with people they want in their quality world.
*"Reality therapists teach clients how to engage in self-evaluation, which is done by raising the question, 'Is what you are choosing to do getting you what you want and need?'" (Corey p. 341).

Techniques:

*Reality therapy is best viewed as a cycle of counseling with two main components: 1. creating a counseling environment and 2. implementing specific procedures that lead to changes in behavior.
*"WDEP" system- W=wants, needs, and perceptions; D=direction and doing; E=self-evaluation; and P=planning. 
*Self-evaluation is the cornerstone of reality therapy.

References

Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

strategiesforliving.com "William Glasser"

psychotherapy.net "Robert Wubbolding"

brentonrussell.com "William Glasser's Basic Needs"

cartoonstock.com "Reality Therapy"