Reality Therapy Flashcards
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 fi ve genetically
encoded needs that drive us all our lives. Those are…
survival,
love and
belonging
power
freedom
fun
________ teaches that all
behavior is made up of four inseparable but distinct components—acting, thinking,
feeling, and physiology—that necessarily accompany all of our actions, thoughts,
and feelings.
total behavior
Reality therapists deal with people “as if” they have choices. Therapists focus
on those areas where clients have choice, for doing so gets them closer to the people they need.
emphasize choice and responsibility
Reality therapists strive to be themselves in their
professional work. By being themselves, therapists can use the relationship to
teach clients how to relate to others in their lives.
reject transference
The reality therapist does not totally reject the past. If the client wants to talk
about past successes or good relationships in the past, the therapist will listen
because these may be repeated in the present. Reality therapists will devote only
enough time to past failures to assure clients that they are not rejecting them.
keep the therapy in the present
The reality therapist spends as little time as he or she can on the symptoms
because they will last only as long as they are needed to deal with an unsatisfying
relationship or the frustration of basic needs.
avoid focusing on symptoms
Choice the-
ory rejects the traditional notion that people with problematic physical and psycho-
logical symptoms are mentally ill.
challenge traditional views of mental illness
The “WDEP” System
Reality
therapists assist clients in discovering their wants and hopes. All wants are related
to the five basic needs. Through the therapist’s skillful questioning, clients are assisted in defi ning what they want
from the counseling process and from the world around them.
wants (exploring wants, needs, and perceptions)
The “WDEP” System
The focus on the present is characterized by the
key question asked by the reality therapist: “What are you doing?” Even though
problems may be rooted in the past, clients need to learn how to deal with them in
the present by learning better ways of getting what they want.
direction and doing
