Final

• This approach focuses on the here-and-now of the client and how to create a better future, instead of concentrating on the past.
• It emphasizes making decisions, and taking action and control of one's life
• Typically clients seek to discover what they want and whether what they are currently doing is actually bringing them near to, or further away from, that goal
• Love and be loved

• Involvement
• -Establishing a relationship with the client is believed to be the most importatn factor in all types of therapy, here as well.
• Current behavior and evaluating behavior
• -The therapist must focus the client on current behavior rather than past experiences.
• Planning Possible behavior
• -Plan some behavior that is likely to work
• -The plan comes from the client and is designed to have some success at the beginning
• Look at what can be done instead of past failure or idealized behaviors.
• Commitment to the plan
• -The client must make a commitment to carry out the plan
• No excuses, no punishments, never give up
• -If there is no punishment, then there is no reason to accept excuses
• -Either carry out the plan or come up with a more feasible plan

• Reality Therapy is based on Control Theory
• -System of brain functioning
• -The human brain functions like a thermostat that seeks to regulate its own behavior
• -These needs are innate and not learned
• -Effective satisfaction of these needs results in a sense of control

• Survival-- food, clothign, nourishment, shelter, personal safety
• Belonging- Connecting, love with groups as well as family and loved ones
• Power-- learning, achieving, feeling worthwhile
• Freedom-- independence, autonomy, one's own space
• Fun-- pleasure and enjoyment

• The personality develops as an attempt to fulfill the five innate drives:
• -Belonging
• -Power
• -Fun/enjoyment
• -Freedom
• -Physical survival
• We generate behaviors and through experimentation we find them to be either need satisfying or need threatening

• The only person you can control is yourself
• Choice and discovery
• -Humans choose behavior
• -These behaviors are either effective or ineffective
• -Collections of "wants" is the world the person would like to live in, or "quality world."
• Identity
• -As the behaviors are chosen, the person either succeeds (success identity) or fails (failure identity).
• Reject Transference
• -The therapist is not anyone but themselves
• -Relationship with client is important
• Keep therapy in the present
• -Whatever mistakes made in the past are not pertinent now... we can only satisfy needs in the present
• Avoid focusing on the symptoms
• -clients think that if they could be symptom free they would find happiness
• -Symptoms can be viewed as the body's way of warning them that the behavior they are choosing is not meeting their needs
• Challenge traditional views of mental illness

• Stage 1- Giving up- unable to fulfill needs effectively
• Stage 2- Choosing a negative symptom
• -Although ineffective, the symptom is the best effort at the moment to do what... fulfill a need
• -WDEP system
• Stage 3- Negative addiction
• -Even more ineffective but have the immediate satisfaction of need fulfillment

• Stage 1- "I want to change, and I want to grow." The desire to fulfill without infringing on others
• Stage 2- Positive symptoms
• -Altruistic actions, effective thinking, positive feelings, and effective behaviors
• Stage 3- Positive addictions
• -Meditation and noncompetitive exercise

Endless discussion of diagnosis, past history, and external uncontrollable events is not effective in reaching quality living.

• Purposeful behavior- to fulfill needs
• Behavior as a choice
• Emphasis on the present
• -"We do not need to find the nail that caused the tired to lose its air."
• -What is needed?....
• Role of the therapist
• -Creates an environment that is "firm, friendly, and conducive to change."

• Help the client to formulate, clarify, and prioritize the elements of the "quality world."
• Help the client to perceive inner control and realize that he or she can increase it by getting the sense that he or she is in some way in control.

• Where are the current choice taking you?
• Where would you like to be in a month?

• Forms can include:
• -Evaluation of wants as realistic
• -Evaluation of wants as genuinely beneficial
• -Evaluation of behavioral direction
• -Evaluation of specific actions
• -Evaluation of perception
• -Evaluation of plan of action "If you follow through, then..."
• Professional sefl-evaluation

• Many find it difficult at first
• Look for possiblities, minimize focus on failure and maximize attention to "What can be done?"