How’s That Working for You? Utilizing Reality Therapy with Court Referred Clients

1. How’s That Working for You? Utilizing Reality Therapy with Court Referred Clients By Laura Heil Chloe Lancaster Rachel Payne

2. Garcia Center Background 1993 – Center for Hispanic Arts 1997 – South Texas Institute for the Arts 1998 – Dedicated as the Antonio E. Garcia Arts Education Center 2004 – College of Education – OJJDP Grant: Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention

3. Population Characteristics • 94 % Hispanic • Average age: 14 • 65% male • At risk • Low SES • Court referred • Resistant to counseling (Lipsey & Cullen, 2003) • Benefits of counseling program (Lipsey & Cullen, 2003)

4. Comparison of Recidivism Rates Between Garcia Center Clients and Control Group

5. Garcia Center Counseling Programs • Provides psycho-educational programs and psychotherapy to high-risk, court- mandated youth and their families • Helpsstudents and families grow, relate, support one another, show respect, and succeed.

6. Garcia Center Counseling Programs • Conflict Resolution ( 7 session group) • Life Enhancement & Academic Direction Program (LEAD) • Family Connectivity • Healthy Interactions • Academic Success • Family Night Out • Family Counseling

7. Reality Therapy Principles • Developed by Dr. William Glasser, psychiatrist in 1965 • needs: survival, love, power, freedom, and fun • Behavior is an attempt to satisfy our needs • Are you succeeding in meeting your needs? • If not, what could you do differently? • Self-responsibility: the only person you can control is yourself Source: Glasser, W. (1998). Choice theory: A new psychology of personal freedom. New York: Harper-Collins.

8. Reality Therapy Strategies • Establish a relationship with the client by creating a need-satisfying environment • Move away from the past by asking, “What do you want?” • Focus on action: “What are you doing to get what you want?” • Encourage clients to analyze their behavior by asking, “Is what I am doing getting me closer to what I want?” • Assist clients in developing concrete, attainable plans to fulfill their needs in the future Source: Wubbolding, R. E. (2000). Reality therapy for the 21st century. New York: Brunner-Routledge.

9. WDEP • W: What do you want? • D: What are you doing to get what you want? • E: Is what you are doing getting you what you want? Evaluate • P: What is your plan? Source: Wubbolding, R. E. (2000). Reality therapy for the 21st century. New York: Brunner-Routledge.

10. What we decide is our choice, and the goal of reality therapy is to help clients figure out and put into practice better choices than those they have been making” ~Glasser, 1982

11. Developmental Level Typical 14 year old • Formal operational - abstract thinking Piaget (1969) - cause and effect • Identity versus role confusion - Developing a self image Erikson (1968) - Who am I ? Where am I going?

12. Implementing our model

13. Why Reality Therapy ? • Training site • Practical approach • Focus on the present • Phenomenological approach Corey, 2000

14. Role and Function of the Group Leader • The foundation is a phenomenological relationship. • Leader becomes a guide along with the client • Facilitate insight • Hold up a mirror so that they can evaluate their choices. • The therapeutic relationship attempts to fulfill the client’s need for love and belonging. Glasser, 1998; Wubbolding, 1996c

15. Quality World • Quality world (Glasser, 1998) • Window into client world and potential world • Counselor become part of quality world • Integrated into client’s goal Goal • Establishes the client’s want

17. Needs Venn Diagram • Informed by reality therapy principals: Survival, Love (primary need), Power , Freedom , & Fun. • Goal: All behavior can be understood in relation to need fulfillment. • Focus on the process

19. Mind body connection body map • Opportunity to understand mind body • Externalizing activity – Helps kids cope with situations which feel overwhelming • Normalizes experiences • Normalizes differences • Creates meta-awareness • Put the brakes on

20. Choice Mobile • Modeled on concept of total behavior: Feeling, Physiology, Thinking, Acting (Glasser, 1998) • Goal : Clients understand that they make choices based on their own volition

22. Swamp Drawing • Goal: • Identify client’s goal • Formulate a plan of action • Recognize their strengths and resources • Evaluate possible stumbling blocks Schroder, 2005

24. Conclusion • Meaningfully connected theory to practice • Tailored interventions to meet client need, age, and developmental level. • Empowered our clients to consider the function of their behavior • Engaged clients in a self evaluation process to reduce incidences of negative behavior

25. References Corey, G. (2000) Theory and practice of group counseling 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Erikson, e. (1968). Identity, youth, and crisis. New York: Norton. Glaser, W. (1998). Choice Theory: A new psychology of personal freedom. New York: Harper Collins Lipsey, M. W., & Cullen, F. T. (2003). The effectiveness of correctional rehabilitation: A review of the literature. Annual Review of Law and Social Science. 3, 298-316. Piaget, J., & Inhelder, B. (1969). The psychology of the child. New York: Basic Books. Schroder, D. (2005) Little windows into art therapy. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley  Publishers. Wubbolding, R. E. (1996c). Professional issues: The use of questions in reality therapy . Journal of Reality Therapy, 16 (1), 122-127.

26. laughinglane@gmail.com • chloelan@netscape.com