Reality Therapy free essay sample

Each of us has all five needs, but they vary in strength. †¢ The more we are able to connect with people, the greater chance we have to experience happiness. We are by nature social creatures; we need to both give and receive love. †¢ In our quality world, people are the most important component. These are the people we want most to connect with, are closet to, and most enjoy being with. †¢ From birth to death all that we do is behave. With rare exceptions, everything we do is chosen. Every total behavior is purposeful. It is our best attempt to get what we want to satisfy our needs, to close the gap between what we want and what we perceive we are getting, and to gain the most effective control of our lives. †¢ The need to love and belong is the primary need because we need people to satisfy our other needs. We will write a custom essay sample on Reality Therapy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is also the most difficult need to satisfy because we must have a cooperative person to help us meet it. †¢ We develop our own inner picture albums with specific images of people, activities, events, beliefs, possessions, and situations that fulfill our needs and satisfy our wants. Many times our pictures exist in priority order, but sometimes we may have difficulty identifying our priorities. †¢ A success identify can be seen as being able to give and receive love, feel that you are significant to others, feel powerful, possess a sense of self-worth, and meet your needs in ways that are not at the expense of others. Conversely, a failure identity can be seen in a lack of confidence and a tendency to give up, feel inadequate, or not even try. †¢ Our total behavior is made up of four inseparable but distinct components-acting, thinking, feeling, and physiology. Our actions and our thoughts are the most important: They drive our emotions and our physiology. †¢ Our behavior is language, and we send messages by what we are doing. The purpose is to influence the world around us to get what we want. †¢ Our behaviors come from the inside; thus we choose our one destiny. We are the people that we are because of the choices that we make. We have freedom, we can make choices, and we are responsible for what we choose to do with our lives. †¢ We are the products of our past, but we are not the victims of our past unless we choose to be. What do you think stops you from making the changes you would like to? o Define client wants and needs from the therapist. †¢ Direction and Doing o Reality therapy stresses current behavior and is concerned with past events only as they influence how the client is behaving now. Although problems may be rooted in the past, clients must learn to deal with them in the present by learning better ways to get what they want. o Listening to clients talk about feelings can be productive, but only if it is linked to their present behavior. Rather than focusing on problematic feelings, counselors encourage clients to take action by changing what they are doing and thinking. o Commons questions asked by the therapist include: â€Å"What are you currently doing and how well is it working? † This will allow you to see where their present behaviors are taking them and to help the client make better choices. o â€Å"What do you see for yourself now and in the future? † â€Å"What did you do different last week? † â€Å"What will you do tomorrow? † Evaluation o Confront them with the consequences of their behavior. o Get them to judge their actions and thoughts. Have client evaluate all aspects of behavior. Questions that need to be asked: â€Å"Is your behavior helping or hurting you? † â€Å"Is your behavior taking you in the direction you want to go? † o Self-evaluate, than help them make effective choices. †¢ Planning and Commitment o Jointly form plans around exploration of new behaviors o Make a commitment o Helps them take control o Develop a plan o Good plans are: simple, attainable, measurable, immediate, involved, controlled, committed and continuous o Creating and carrying out plans helps people take control. If a plan doesn’t work, try a new one. Diagnosis and appraisal devices Diagnosis of Clients Wants and Needs †¢ The therapist begins by asking clients what they want from therapy. They inquire about the choices clients are making in their relationships. In the first session, a skilled therapist looks for and defines the wants and needs of the client. The therapist also looks for a key unsatisfying present relationship. The therapist may ask â€Å"Whose behavior can you control? † to help deal with the client’s resistance to looking at his or her own behavior. Formal Diagnosis †¢ Psychiatry can be hazardous to one’s physical and mental health, and psychiatric drugs generally have negative side effects. †¢ Mental illnesses consist only of conditions associated with tangible brain damage and should be treated primarily by neurologists. †¢ Clients should not be labeled with a diagnosis except when it is necessary for insurance purposes. Diagnoses are descriptions of the behaviors that people choose in their attempt to deal with the frustration and pain that is endemic to unsatisfying present relationships. People with problematic physical and psychological symptoms are not mentally ill, and labeling ineffective behavior as mental illness is not accurate. Evaluation of client progress in therapy †¢ The most basic human need is to find one’s identity. The major psychological route toward fulfilling that need is in being loved and in feeling worthwhile to ourselves and to other people. If these basic needs are not met, the person will attempt to meet their needs in ineffective behaviors. †¢ Clients must face a world that is imperfect and not built to their specifications. Clients are taught they can do something about their life if they will consider themselves and their environment realistically. †¢ In therapy, clients are challenged to examine what they want and need. They are also asked to examine their failures and accomplishments. Clients are encouraged to take responsibility for their behavior and to learn who they are and how they interact in the world. Therapy will be successful when clients are able to recognize that reality not only exists but they must be willing to fulfill their needs within its framework.