Reality therapy and substance abuse counseling in schools

Substance Abuse

Personal Model Section -- Reality Therapy -- Why I Choose Reality Therapy

There is a good reason why Reality Therapy is the National Model of the American School Counseling Association, and the ASCA method dovetails with my personal preference for Reality Therapy. The theoretical approach that is known as Reality Therapy has been proven effective in schools from Canada to Croatia, from Italy to New Zealand. Reality Therapy allows students to understand that: a) when their current behavior is "not getting them what they want" they can choose better, healthier alternatives to that behavior (in this case, involvement with drugs is not getting students what they truly want and need); and b) humans are indeed motivated to change their behaviors when other behaviors available to them "get them closer to what they want" (like being substance-free) (Mason, et al., 2009, p. 6).

It is a wholly appealing idea for a teacher or counselor to develop a positive relationship with a troubled student, but that kind of trusting and healing relationship with a student cannot take place unless the personal qualities of the teacher / counselor include: "warmth, sincerity, congruence, understanding, acceptance, concerted openness, respect for the client and the willingness to be challenged by others" (Mason, 6).

Basically I see myself as an advocate, a person with the depth of empathy and understanding to instill a sense of hope in a troubled student. And once I am able to establish a sense of rapport with the student, a deeper understanding of the problem -- and a grasp by the student of the consequences of his or her current behavior -- the troubled student will be shown that he or she has "a range of options to choose from" (Mason, 6). The bottom line when using Reality Therapy is to lead the student to a place where he may take "more effective control" of his life (Mason, 6). The acronym WDEP describes the procedures of Reality Therapy: W (wants and needs); D (direction and doing); E (self-evaluation); and P (planning towards the goal) (Mason, 6).