Reality Therapy is a counselling approach that is highly focused, interactive and widely applicable for counsellors, social workers, managers, teachers and parents. It is an evolving approach to taking responsibility and effective control of our lives developed by psychiatrist, Dr. William Glasser, since 1965.
Reality Therapy focuses on the present and helps people to understand that they can choose a better present and future. This is based on Choice Theory that states, regardless of what has occurred in the past, we must live and plan in the present if we want to be happy and effective. Because of this, it is an effective short-term therapy.
In practice, Reality Therapy advocates the creation of warm and trusting relationships with people. From these relationships, we are usually able to help them evaluate both what they want and the behaviours that they are presently choosing to satisfy their needs.
Oftentimes, their wants lead them to engage in behaviours that do not get them what they want. We then assist them in creating a plan to either change what they want to something more achievable, and/or to choose behaviours that will better satisfy what they now want.