Reality Therapy: Choice Theory in Practice
Partly therapist directed and partly client directed, Dr. Glasser conducts his Reality Therapy sessions by asking powerful questions. As in coaching, these questions are designed to allow the client to realize his or her ability to change. Once the client establishes a solid awareness of his available choices and a willingness to take responsibility for his current condition as based on choices he has made in the past, Dr. Glasser teaches the client Choice Theory. Terms need be defined, concepts explained and examples demonstrated to allow the client to affectively apply the principles and affect positive change. This also allows the client an opportunity to decide whether he completely agrees with the theory. The work that ensues is largely client directed and utilizes coaching methods. Dr. Glasser estimates therapy time is reduced from years to months or weeks by applying Reality Therapy based on Choice Theory versus conventional psychotherapy methods. This saves clients both time and money plus brings about empowerment to create a better condition for themselves.
Therapy is not coaching, nor is coaching therapy. In fact, coaches are taught the opposite, that coaching is for people who are not stricken by mental disorders. But according to Dr. Glasser, a majority of these diagnosed “disorders” are nothing more than irresponsible behavior. In reading Reality Therapy and the subsequent publication of a collection of case studies applying Reality Therapy, one quickly realizes this is not ordinary psychotherapy. Except for the initial process of convincing a person that their “illness” is actually irresponsibility easily dealt with by applying the principles of Choice Theory, all ensuing sessions resemble coaching.
Choice Theory in Coaching
Applying Choice Theory is organically what coaches do every day. Coaches assume clients are responsible for their lives and for creating their lives differently if they are unsatisfying. Coaches focus their clients on actions that move them forward into a successful future. Verbs, instead of nouns, dominate the language of Choice Theory as with the language of coaching. Clients are encouraged to identify “what can I change?” in order to answer the next question “what can I do?” to bring about this change. Four steps can be used to outline the process of using Choice Theory in a coaching model: I. Raise awareness of what can be changed; II. Evaluate relationships; III. Explore choice options; IV. Choose Total Behavior that can influence actions.
I. Raise awareness.
Awareness needs to raised first of the fact that conflict is the cause of the desire to change. The client needs to then become aware of which relationship is associated with the current concern, issue, challenge, obstacle, or object of conflict. As the client begins to specifically define concerns, issues, desires, and dissatisfactions, she will almost certainly identify a relationship that she seeks to influence. Tools of a coach could include active listening then powerful questions. Individuals typically believe their lives will be improved if only this or that relationship is improved, eliminated or cultivated (in the case of a relationship that does not yet exist). As discussed previously, the source of the client’s conflict, the presence of a less-than-satisfying relationship (or lack of any satisfying relationship), is the foundational premise on which Choice Theory is built. The final powerful awareness: it is only possible for the client to change herself, not the other individual in the relationship.
II. Evaluate relationships.
Once the relationship associated with the concern or issue is recognized, it is important to recognize the value of the relationship to the client. How does this relationship fit in his quality world? The goal is for the client to recognize the value of salvaging, cultivating, or scrapping the relationship. Even this exercise requires choice. More powerful questions, extreme perspective, third-person story, and releasing judgment are some coaching tools that can be helpful in moving the client through this part of the process.
III. Explore choice options.
At this point, exploring options is the focus of Choice Theory. When exploring options, total behavior must be thoroughly examined. As previously identified, total behavior includes physiology and emotions (under less direct control by the client) as well as thought and action (much more likely to be controlled by the client). Therefore, options are categorized as actions, in other words choosing to think and to do or to act. Examples of coaching tools include listing pros and cons, decision squares, extreme perspective, visualization, releasing judgment, and powerful questions.
IV. Choose Total Behavior.
This is the decision step and the one that moves the client to action. The client must prioritize the first step. What is she going to do? SMART goals are very useful here but other tools that help with project management can also be utilized. Depending on the magnitude of the change to be made, the steps of the process may be identified as part of the larger plan. In coaching, the client is encouraged to choose at least one decisive action to be performed until the next coaching session and a final take-home message determined before conclusion of the session. Dr. Glasser states on page 71 of his book Choice Theory: A New Psycohology of Personal Freedom there are three choices one can make to stop choosing a painful behavior “1) change what we want, 2) change what we are doing, or 3) change both.” (Glasser 1998)
Similar characteristics of Choice Theory and Coaching:
Summary: The Efficacy of Choice Theory
The goal of Choice Theory is to empower the client to choose behaviors that create satisfying relationships in all areas of life and thus allow him or her to create a more satisfying life. For the application of Choice Theory to be effective, clients must understand the basic concepts of Choice Theory in order to change total behavior and influence their environment and more specifically their relationships. Ideally, both parties in a relationship will be familiar with Choice Theory concepts. To this end, Dr. Glasser prescribes clients read his book Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom as part of Reality Therapy. Coaches have the ideal set of tools and skills to move clients to a place of understanding Choice Theory and using it as a tool for creating the life they want. Dr. Glasser’s book could be a valuable addition to the coach’s library, a resource available for Choice-Theory-ready clients to delve deeper into the concepts and influence their quality world for the better.
Bibliography
Glasser, MD, William, Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1998.
Glasser, MD, William, Reality Therapy In Action. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2000.
Glasser, MD, William, Reality Therapy: A New Approach to Psychiatry. New York: Harper & Rowe Publishers, 1965.
International Coach Academy, “Action vs. Delay,” International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd., 2002.
International Coach Academy, “Responsibility vs. Blame,” International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd., 2002.
International Coach Academy, “Responding vs. Reacting,” International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd., 2002, Last updated 2002, September 4.
International Coach Academy, “Releasing Judgment,” 2009 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd.
Wikipedia, “SMART Criteria,” 2012, March 12. Accessed 2012, April 3. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria#cite_note-0