What is Reality Therapy?

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What is Reality Therapy?
Reality therapy is a practical therapeutic method developed by Dr. William Glasser, which focuses on here and now rather the past, problem-solving rather than the issue at hand, and making better choices with specific goals established. Reality therapy is a time-limited, no-nonsense approach that Glasser developed and taught as a method of counseling which is based on choice theory, which states: “all we do is behave, almost all behavior is chosen, and we are driven by five basic needs” (William Glasser Institute, 2010).
Dr. Glasser was born in 1925 and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Originally he was a Chemical Engineer, but later pursued a career in psychiatry. Glasser’s approach to therapy is non-traditional in that he rejected Freud’s model of classic psychoanalysis, which focused on the unconscious factors that influence behavior. He does not believe in the concept of mental illness, unless it can be medically confirmed by a pathologist that there is something wrong with a clients’ brain. Additionally, as Corey notes, Glasser rejects the necessity of diagnostic labels (Corey, 2013, p.335). Glasser’s theory also undermines the necessity of looking into a clients’ past, asserting that it’s insignificant now because it cannot be changed. Throughout his career Glasser had a private practice in psychiatry, was a prominent speaker, and authored over twenty books. He began to develop his ideas of reality psychiatry, later known as reality therapy, while working as a psychiatrist at a girl’s prison.
Glasser believes that humans are genetically social creatures and need other people. He suggests that the cause of almost all psychological symptoms is an inability to get along with the important peopl...

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...eality therapy and the fact that it holds the client responsible for their own actions that brought about the consequences. Quite often God allows us to suffer the consequences of our own choices in order to draw us closer to him!

References
Corey, G. (2013). Theory and Practice of Counseling an Psychotherapy (9th ed.). Belmont, CA:Brooks/Cole.
Cummings, N. A. (1979). Turning Bread Into Stones: Our modern antimiracle. American Psychologist, 34(12), 1119-1129. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.34.12.1119
Jones, S. L., & Butman, R. E. (2011). Modern Psychotherapies (2nd ed.). Downers Grove, IL:InterVarsity Press.
William Glasser Institute (2010). Retrieved from: http://www.wglasser.com/the-glasser- approach/choice-theory
Wubbolding, R. E. (2007). Glasser Quality School. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 11(4), 253-261. doi:10.1037/1089-2699.11.4.253

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