CHOICE THEORY

1. CHOICE THEORY / REALITY THERAPY: a Brief Overview.

2. Question / philosophy You have a choice in everything that you do and feel in this life? You are only responsible for your own behaviour? You can�t make anybody feel or do anything? Nobody can make you feel or do anything?

3. EXERCISE: In pairs or groups make a list of what you feel individuals/people need.  Make another list of what your wants and expectations of this course are/were. Discuss as a group. The purpose of this exercise is to highlight the importance of needs in choice theory and how are wants and expectations are based upon these needs. Also to highlight how individualised our wants are. The purpose of this exercise is to highlight the importance of needs in choice theory and how are wants and expectations are based upon these needs. Also to highlight how individualised our wants are.

4. 5 BASIC NEEDS Love and Belonging Power / Self Esteem Freedom Fun Basic Survival Introduce the 5 basic needs and offer discussion to the group. Highlight that these needed to be treated on a very individualised basis. Now relate this to wants with an example. E.g. marriage,but highlight here the notion of behaviour. How to we behave to get married? Ask the group. Tell them that you will come back to the notion of behaviour. Now allow highlight again that wants are unique to each individual and go onto introduce the quality world.Introduce the 5 basic needs and offer discussion to the group. Highlight that these needed to be treated on a very individualised basis. Now relate this to wants with an example. E.g. marriage,but highlight here the notion of behaviour. How to we behave to get married? Ask the group. Tell them that you will come back to the notion of behaviour. Now allow highlight again that wants are unique to each individual and go onto introduce the quality world.

5. Quality world: Choice Theory = we perceive reality different from others because of our own unique quality world. Quality World = small group of pictures that as individuals we perceive will meet one or more of our five basic needs. Pictures portray 3 categories: people we most want to be with, things we most want to own or experience, ideas and systems of belief that govern our behaviour.  When we choose to feel good, it is because an experience in the real world has matched the picture in our quality world. Ask the group to consider their own quality world and what they want in this life.Ask the group to consider their own quality world and what they want in this life.

6. TOTAL BEHAVIOUR. We behave from birth to death therefore complaints are changed from adjectives to verbs and nouns. We actively chose what we complain about, teaching us we can chose to make better choices to eradicate complaints. Depressed = depressing Total behaviour = 4 inseparable components. Activity, Thinking, Feeling, Physiology.  We have almost direct control over our actions and thoughts and ultimately indirect control over our feelings and physiology. Give the example of the suitcase. Action is the driving force of our behaviour. Ask the group for comments. Draw the diagram for the group and enter into the discussion around mental health problems and when the quality world can become problematic. I.e.only has one picture of a deceased relative, winning the lottery = negative behaviourGive the example of the suitcase. Action is the driving force of our behaviour. Ask the group for comments. Draw the diagram for the group and enter into the discussion around mental health problems and when the quality world can become problematic. I.e.only has one picture of a deceased relative, winning the lottery = negative behaviour

7. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Reality Therapy: Ask first of all what the group now about the principles of conductiong any kind of counselling / supportive session with a service user. Looking for info like create a trusting environment etc. Firm, Fair and Friendly.Ask first of all what the group now about the principles of conductiong any kind of counselling / supportive session with a service user. Looking for info like create a trusting environment etc. Firm, Fair and Friendly.

8. W D E P What is is that you WANT, from life, in your life, for yourself? What are you currently now DOING? EVALUATION: is what you are now DOING helping you to get what you WANT? Now make a PLAN to help the service user make steps in gaining their WANTS more effectively.

9. SAMICC PLANS: SIMPLE ATTAINABLE / ACHIEVABLE MEASURABLE IMMEDIATE CONTROLLED CONSISTENT Now explain the use of metaphors in reality therapy. Give examples. Go over the points of needs and wants and how important it is to find out how the service user is meeting their needs and what needs are not being met. Find out about their quality world. Now explain the use of metaphors in reality therapy. Give examples. Go over the points of needs and wants and how important it is to find out how the service user is meeting their needs and what needs are not being met. Find out about their quality world.

10. EXERCISE In Pairs, have a go at role play. Person A can play the therapist  Person B can play themselves. Person B needs to think about something that they want that they have not got yet and person A can use the techniques to help the client discover what that want is, what they are doing now to get it and evaluate behaviour etc. If there is time, a round robin can also be done with the lecturer playing a service user.If there is time, a round robin can also be done with the lecturer playing a service user.