Reality Therapy as it relates to Student Affairs Source: Theory & Practice of Counseling & Psychotherapy by Gerald Corey

1. 1
Form
A
-­‐
Critical
Evaluation
Counseling
&
Development
Form
A
-­‐
Theory:
Reality
Therapy
Name:
Peter
Max
Quinn
Critical
Evaluation
Format
Dr.
Ciri
-­‐
CN528
Counseling
&
Development
Date:
December
12,
2011
KEY
Concepts
of
Reality
Therapy:
View
of
Human
Nature
/
Basic
Assumptions
Underlying
Reality
Therapy
• 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
coded
needs
• Human
beings
are
motivated
to
change
once
they
determine
that
what
they
are
doing
is
not
getting
them
what
they
want
• When
students
believe
they
can
choose
other
behaviors
that
will
get
them
close
to
what
they
want,
they
are
more
likely
to
change!
• Because
we
are
by
nature
social
creatures
we
need
to
both
receive
and
give
love
• The
need
to
love
and
to
belong
is
the
primary
need
because
we
need
people
to
satisfy
the
other
needs
• Our
brain
monitors
our
feelings
to
determine
how
well
we
are
doing
in
our
lifelong
effort
to
satisfy
these
needs
• Whenever
we
feel
bad,
one
or
more
of
these
five
needs
is
unsatisfied
• We
do
not
need
to
satisfy
our
needs
directly
• We
keep
track
of
anything
that
does
not
feel
good
and
store
information
inside
our
minds
to
build
a
file
of
wants,
called
our
Quality
World
-­‐
At
the
core
of
our
lives:
The
world
we
would
like
to
live
in
if
we
could
o The
quality
world
consists
of
specific
images
of
people,
activities,
events,
beliefs,
possessions,
and
situations
that
fulfill
our
needs.
It
is
like
a
picture
album
we
develop
of
specific
wants
we
well
as
precise
ways
to
satisfy
them
o Students
choose
to
behave
in
a
way
that
gives
them
the
most
effective
control
over
their
lives
o Some
picture
may
be
blurred,
and
the
professionals
role
is
to
help
students
clarify
them
o Pictures
exist
in
priority
for
most,
yet
students
have
difficulty
identifying
their
priorities
• All
we
ever
do
from
birth
to
death
is
behave
and,
with
rare
exceptions,
everything
we
do
is
chosen
• Every
total
behavior
is
our
attempt
to
get
what
we
want
to
satisfy
our
needs
MOST
Important
Concepts
• Choice
Theory
-­‐
We
Choose
our
own
Destiny
• Total
Behavior:
Our
best
attempt
to
get
what
we
want
(Fulfill
needs
and
wants)
o The
student
must
have
control
over
heir
actions
o Acting
o Thinking
o Feeling
o Physiology
§ Every
total
behavior
is
our
best
attempt
to
get
what
we
want
§ Change
language
(use
a
verb):
Stan
Feels
Depressed,
Angry
&
Anxious
to
Stan
is
depressing,
Angering,
Anxietying
• 5
Basic
Needs:
o Survival
o Love
o Belonging
o Power
or
Achievement
o Freedom
o Fun
• Focus
on
the
unsatisfying
relationship,
or
the
lack
of
relationship,
which
is
often
the
cause
of
students’
problems
• Do
not
listen
long
to
complaining,
blaming,
and
criticizing,
for
these
area
the
most
ineffective
behaviors
• Give
little
attention
to
self-­‐defeating
total
behaviors
• Emphasize
Choice
&
Responsibility
o If
we
choose
all
we
do,
we
must
be
responsible
for
what
we
choose
o As
students
begin
to
feel
good
about
themselves,
it
is
less
necessary
for
them
to
continue
to
choose
ineffective
&
self-­‐destructive
behaviors

2. 2
Form
A
-­‐
Critical
Evaluation
Counseling
&
Development
Therapeutic
Process:
Most
important
Therapeutic
Goals
• To
help
students
find
better
ways
to
meet
their
5
basic
needs
• Changes
in
behavior
=
Satisfaction
of
basic
needs
o Personal
Growth
o Improvement
o Enhanced
Lifestyle
o Better
decision
making
Functions
and
Role
of
the
Student
Affairs
Professional
• Challenge
students
to
examine
what
they
are
doing,
thinking,
and
feeling
to
figure
out
if
there
is
a
better
way
for
them
to
function
• Use
Reality
(or
Choice)
Therapy
with
Behavior
Therapy
for
a
better
result
in
student
change
• Teach
students
choice
therapy
so
that
they
can
identify
unmet
needs
and
try
to
satisfy
them
• Assist
students
in
prioritizing
their
wants
and
uncovering
what
is
most
important
to
them
• Don’t
ever
lose
sight
of
the
fact
that
students
are
responsible
for
what
they
do
• Change
the
focus
of
responsibility
to
choice
and
choosing
• Focus
on
areas
where
students
have
choice,
for
doing
so
gets
them
close
to
the
people
they
need
• Convey
the
idea
that
no
matter
how
bad
things
are
there
is
hope!
• Instill
a
sense
of
hope
in
students,
they
will
feel
that
they
are
no
longer
alone
and
that
change
is
possible
• Function
as
an
advocate
• Be
gentle,
but
firmly
confronting
• Q:
Is
what
your
choosing
to
do
brining
you
closer
to
the
people
you
want
to
be
closer
to
right
now?
• Q:
Is
what
you
are
doing
getting
you
closer
to
a
new
person
if
you
are
presently
disconnected
from
everyone?
• Self-­‐evaluation
is
key!
• Foster
a
supportive
and
understanding
relationship
The
students’
role
in
the
Therapeutic
Process
• Not
expected
to
backtrack
into
the
past
or
talk
about
symptoms
• Talk
about
feelings
related
to
acting
and
things
as
part
of
total
behaviors
that
they
have
direct
control
of
• Self-­‐Talk:
I
can
begin
to
use
what
we
talked
about
today
in
my
life
• Self-­‐Talk:
I
am
able
to
bring
my
present
experiences
to
therapy
as
my
problems
are
in
the
present
and
my
therapist
will
not
let
me
escape
from
that
fact
Applications:
Techniques
and
procedures
of
Reality
Therapy-­‐
-­‐Techniques
and
Methods
applicable
to
Reality
Therapy
practice
in
Student
Affairs-­‐
• WDEP
-­‐
Wants,
Doing,
Evaluation,
Planning
&
Commitment
o Q:
What
do
I
want?
o Q:
What
am
I
doing
to
get
what
I
want?
§ Q:
How
much
effort
am
I
putting
into
it?
o Q:
Is
it
working?
o Wants:
§ Exploring
wants,
needs,
and
perceptions
§ Q:
What
is
it
that
you
want?
§ Q:
What
are
you
doing
now
to
get
what
you
want?
§ Q:
How
much
effort
are
you
devoting
to
get
what
you
want?
§ Q:
How
do
you
perceive
yourself
&
significant
others
in
your
life?
§ Q:
Are
you
meeting
your
basic
needs?
o Doing:
§ Focusing
on
what
the
student
is
doing
(behavior)
and
the
direction
this
is
taking
them
§ How
does
the
student
spend
heirs’
time?
-­‐
Explore
this
with
them
§ Discuss
core
beliefs,
ineffective,
&
effective
self-­‐talk
§ Explore
the
direction
total
behavior
is
moving
the
student
§ Q:
What
are
you
doing?
§ Q:
What
do
you
think
to
yourself?
§ Q:
What
do
you
ask
of
yourself?
§ Q:
What
are
you
currently
doing
&
to
what
degree
is
it
working?

3. 3
Form
A
-­‐
Critical
Evaluation
Counseling
&
Development
§ Q:
Is
your
present
behavior
helping
you
to
get
what
you
want
or
hurting
you
and
your
significant
others?
§ Q:
Are
your
wants
realistic
and
attainable?
§ Q:
If
you
had
in
your
life
what
you
wanted
at
this
point,
what
would
that
be
like?
o Evaluation:
§ Challenging
students
to
make
an
evaluation
of
their
total
behavior
§ Behavior,
what
is
the
constant?
Variable
=
Students’
Behavior
§ The
“Cornerstone”
of
procedures
§ Q:
How
willing
are
you
to
make
a
searching
self-­‐evaluation?
§ Q:
What
would
you
want
most
to
accomplish
in
your
life
in
the
next
few
years
in
these
areas:
Emotionally,
Socially,
Spiritually,
Professionally,
Physically,
Family
Relationships?
§ Q:
What
actions
or
thoughts
would
you
like
to
change
because
they
are
not
working
for
you?
§ Q:
What
are
your
assumptions?
§ Q:
To
what
degree
do
you
think
you
are
getting
what
you
want?
o Planning
&
Commitment:
§ Help
the
student
change
the
direction
of
their
lives
§ Formulate
realistic
plans
and
make
a
commitment
to
carry
them
out
• Choose
a
particular
target
area
that
the
student
decides
is
important
• Plans
should
be
simple,
attainable,
measurable,
immediate,
and
controlled
(by
C.
&
student)
§ Q:
Are
you
ready
to
make
plans
to
more
effectively
meet
your
needs?
§ Q:
Would
you
be
willing
to
write
down
a
plan
for
change?
§ Q:
What
will
help
you
follow
through
with
your
plan
and
make
a
commitment
to
change?
§ Q:
If
you
follow
through
on
your
plan
how
might
your
life
be
different?
• Use
a
contract
with
students
-­‐
They
help
the
student
articulate
that
they
plan
to
do
to
make
change
in
their
life
o Pinning
Down
Technique:
Helps
the
student
to
be
specific
in
when
and
how
they
will
follow
through
with
their
plan
§ Outlines
the
WHEN?
• Positive-­‐Addicting
Behaviors
-­‐
Behavior
that
without
doing
the
student
feels
a
void
(social
media)
o Socially
appropriate
ways
that
have
meaning
and
fill
voids
in
students
lives:
Exercising,
Praying,
Meditating,
Helping
others,
Volunteering
-­‐Major
strengths
of
Reality
Therapy
from
a
diversity
perspective-­‐
• Reality
therapists
respect
the
difference
in
worldview
between
themselves
and
their
students
• Counselors
demonstrate
their
respect
for
the
cultural
values
of
their
students
by
helping
them
explore
how
satisfying
their
current
behavior
is
both
to
themselves
and
others
• Help
students
formulate
realistic
plans
that
are
consistent
with
their
cultural
values
• Allow
the
student
to
select
what
behavior(s)
need
to
be
changed,
not
the
counselor
• Challenges
students
to
arrive
at
their
own
answers
• Focus
on
thinking
and
acting
rather
than
on
identifying
and
exploring
feelings,
many
students
are
less
likely
to
display
resistance
to
this
form
of
counseling
-­‐Evaluation
of
Reality
Therapy
as
it
relates
to
Student
Affairs-­‐
• Reality
therapy
consists
of
the
cycle
of
counseling:
The
Counseling
environment
&
Specific
procedures
that
lead
to
behavior
change
• Reality
therapist
(SA
Professional)
acts
as
a
teacher,
a
mentor,
and
a
model,
confronting
students
in
ways
that
help
them
evaluate
that
they
are
doing
and
whether
their
behavior
is
fulfilling
their
basic
needs
without
harming
themselves
of
others
• Teach
students
to
learn
how
to
make
better
and
more
effective
choices
and
gain
more
effective
control
• Students
must
take
charge
of
their
lives
rather
than
being
victims
of
circumstances
beyond
their
control
• Focus
on
what
students
are
able
and
willing
to
do
in
the
present
to
change
their
behavior
• Teach
students
how
to
make
significant
connections
with
others
• Ask
students
to
evaluate
the
effectiveness
of
what
they
are
choosing
to
do
to
determine
if
better
choices
are
possible
• Weaves
together
the
counseling
environment
and
specific
procedures
that
lead
to
changes
in
behavior
• Enables
students
to
move
in
the
direction
of
getting
what
they
want
• The
goal
is
for
behavioral
change,
better
decision
making,
improved
significant
relationships,
enhanced
living
and
more
effective
satisfaction
of
all
the
psychological
needs

4. 4
Form
A
-­‐
Critical
Evaluation
Counseling
&
Development
-­‐The
most
significant
contributions
of
Reality
Therapy
as
it
applies
to
Student
Affairs
-­‐
• Provides
students
with
tools
to
make
changes
they
desire
• Focus
on
positive
steps
that
can
be
taken,
not
on
what
cannot
be
done
• Students
identify
target
problems
and
those
become
the
targets
of
change
• Short-­‐term
focus
• Deals
with
conscious
behavioral
patterns
• Students
self-­‐evaluation,
a
plan
of
action,
and
a
commitment
to
following
through
are
the
core
of
this
therapeutic
process
• Strongly
encourages
students
to
engage
in
self-­‐evaluation,
to
decide
if
what
they
are
doing
is
working
or
not,
and
to
commit
themselves
to
do
what
is
required
to
make
changes
•
-­‐The
most
significant
limitations
of
Reality
Therapy
-­‐
• Reality
therapy
may
not
take
into
account
some
very
real
environmental
forces
that
operate
against
them
in
their
everyday
lives
• Discrimination
and
racism
are
unfortunate
realities,
and
these
forces
do
not
limit
many
minority
students
in
getting
what
they
want
from
life
• If
counselors
do
not
accept
certain
environmental
restrictions,
students
may
be
likely
to
feel
misunderstood
• Because
of
oppression
and
discrimination,
some
students
have
fewer
choices
available
to
them,
yet
they
do
have
choices
• Some
students
are
very
reluctant
to
directly
verbally
express
what
they
need
• Reality
therapy
does
not
give
adequate
emphasis
on
the
role
of
insight,
the
unconscious,
the
power
of
the
past,
and
the
effect
of
traumatic
experiences
in
early
childhood,
the
therapeutic
value
of
dreams,
and
the
place
of
transference
• Focus
is
exclusively
on
the
consciousness,
it
does
not
take
into
account
factors
such
as
repressed
conflicts
and
the
power
of
the
unconscious
in
influencing
how
we
think,
feel,
behave,
and
choose.