What is Reality Therapy?

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Reality Therapy states that individuals, not mental health issues, are responsible for their actions and behavior. People make choices that help them get their needs met, but some of these choices are unhelpful, leading to poor relationships skills and ways of relating to others. The therapist’s goal is to motivate individuals to take responsibility for their choices and behavior.

Counselors traditionally use Reality Therapy in prisons and schools. They can use it for individuals, couples, or groups.

Some mental health professionals claim Reality Therapy doesn’t validate mental health diagnoses.

Motivation, behavior, choices, and action are core components in Reality Therapy. Your therapist might help you understand each of these concepts and how they apply to your life. Therapists often spend time asking clients what their needs are. These can range from small things, such as desiring to rid yourself of a bad habit, to larger-scale issues, such as wanting to get your needs more fully met by your partner. Your therapist will help you decide what behaviors can more efficiently get your needs met.

Much of Reality Therapy involves identifying how your behavior, thus far, hasn’t been helpful. Once you gain this understanding, you will be more likely to make choices that align with getting your needs met in healthy, positive ways.

Therapists Who Specialize in Using Reality Therapy

Tonya Thompson

Mesa

Arizona

In her high school senior English class Tonya was given an assignment to research colleges and majors. Through this assignment she learned about the field of social work and realized that she could combine her love of children and helping others into a career. This led Tonya on the road to getting her Social Work degree. She graduated with her AA degree in Social Work and then attended Arizona...
ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS! For 20+ years I have had professional experiences of working with children and adults in education, mental health and bioenergetics. As a counselor, I provide a safe, nurturing, confidential and nonjudgemental environment to help you identify what is holding you back and give you the tools to live a rewarding and fullfilling life. I believe in the consideration of the "wh...
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with 24 years experience in working with individuals, youth, and couples. Through various intervention strategies, I help individuals work through unresolved issues, poor communication, or broken trust of others, toward conflict resolution. I assist in helping people to understand that there is always a positive to every negative, and that everyone has a...
We often find ourselves seeking to understand where we are coming from and what we hope to become. It can take a lot of courage to step into one’s inner world and begin to examine it with authenticity. When we are ready to face our unknown and known fears, challenges and pain, it can become a difficult undertaking and sometimes we feel stuck. Having a space to sit with support, safety and...

A Sparrow’s Way Counseling

Colorado Springs

Colorado

When people experience trauma, severe life stressors, or even experience change of any kind, it is not uncommon for their lives to unravel. My passion and greatest gift is bringing healing to people who have been through a traumatic/stressful experience. I help my clients, children, adults, and families, including the very young (ages 2-5), find healthy perceptions of themselves and strengthen...
Jackie is passionate about helping others succeed in improving their mental health and chemical health symptoms so they can live an optimal healthy life. She utilizes Positive Psychology concepts and Motivational Interviewing which are both a form of strength-based approaches. Motivational Interviewing has been defined as “a collaborative, person-centered form of guiding to elicit and strengthe...
Welcome. As a Licensed Professional Counselor, my goal is to give my clients hope. My areas of specialty include preteens, teenagers, and adults who are in need of assistance and guidance in overcoming life's challenges that may include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm, substance abuse, as well as marriage counseling. Being in the field for 7 years, I have worked with a wide...

Michelle Fortier

Tallahassee

Florida

I work with individuals who have been influenced by the criminal justice system, either by working in it, being involved with it due to arrest or having a loved one who has been incarcerated. I also treat trauma to include both recent traumatic events and abuse while growing up. I also treat mood instability, self-harming, sense of emptiness and self-destructive behaviors otherwise known as...
Reaching out for help when life becomes unbalanced can be quite intimidating. Yet, it is a great first step. I am a licensed Clinical Psychologist and have experience helping people become intentional in their lives and regain perspective so they may find their inner peace and happiness. My goal with my clients is to make a genuine connection by creating a safe and nonjudgmental place where...
The hardest thing to do sometimes is ask for help when it is needed most. Ella Stanley Therapeutic Services, Inc. (ESTS), established in October 2018, is a private practice that is passionate about affecting change in their clients who seek assistance in their time of need. Owner & therapist, Vernee Stanley, has worked in the mental health field for over 10 years in a variety of settings,...
The Healing House offers higher-level care to treat, primarily: depression, anxiety, detox & addiction, obsessive thinking, and emotional trauma. We are a practice that delivers integrative psychiatry & alternative mental health services through the use of TMS Therapy, Counseling (Individual & Couples), Biofeedback and Infrared Sauna therapy. Our team provides holistic brain health services,...

Tom Liu

Atlanta

Georgia

Are you feeling under-motivated, stuck in a career you don't want and thinking about a career change, or just not feeling any zest for life? Clients who come to me usually range from ages 15 to 45. They have faced significant challenges in their lives whether from immigration, domestic or physical violence, breakups, race, gender, sexuality, ethnic issues. Many come to me seeking help for their...
**I AM ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS** I've been involved in the clinical counseling field for almost 7 years. My passion for this line of work goes back much further than this. I LOVE working with people , identifying goals, and developing action steps to achieve them. Whether you struggle with anxiety, relational issues, life stress, or childhood trauma, know that you have a place to work through it...
Addiction. Personality Disorders. Anxiety. As Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor since 2014, I have a passion for helping those who are struggling with addictions of all kinds, including eating disorders. My passion extends to also work with clients in areas such as Mood & Personality Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, & PTSD. I aim to work with individuals ages 14 and above in these areas. I...
Are you feeling sad, nervous, anxious? Do you drink more than you planned? Are you using prescribed drugs more than you should or using illegal drug? Have you recently received legal charges? I can help by providing the First Step in completing a comprehensive Co-Occurring Substance Use Mental Health Evaluation and provide you with guidance on your next step. We all struggle in life and we do n...