Based on the basic theory of William Glasser, Reality Therapy is a type of counseling that involves allowing the person to make their own choices from various options that are offered. This is done in a controlled environment with plenty of encouragement so that the individual doesn’t feel threatened during the process.
 Reality therapy is a simple concept – we all have the ability to make the choices that will affect our life. The goal of reality therapy is to teach that while we have choices we have to look at the consequences of our choices. We need to be responsible for how they will affect us and how they will affect other people as well.
Reality therapy is a common method used on the youth ranches around the country for troubled teens. This concept incorporates building relationships and developing a good work ethic for the teenagers. Reality therapy generally takes place on a ranch or farm. Each of the troubled teens has specific chores they have to complete on a daily basis.
Since many troubled teenagers have a hard time building relationships due to trust issues they can work with animals. Over a period of time they build a loving and trusting relationship with those animals. This is a foundation used to start building those same types of relationships with other people.
Many troubled teens have very low self esteem. It generally gets worse once they start to accept responsibility for their choice and actions in life. Through reality therapy they learn a sense of self. They are able to take pride in their accomplishments and contributions.
For reality therapy to be effective in the youth ranches for troubled teens careful assessments need to be completed. Once the strengths of a particular teen are identified they are used to help the teenager feel good about themselves and what they are able to accomplish. Since the work they are assigned is parallel to their interests the troubled teens are more willing to engage willingly in the tasks.
One of the best skills troubled teens learn through reality therapy is self discipline. This is a valuable asset that they can apply to any area of their life now or in their future. Through the various activities they learn critical thinking skills, they overcome the fear of trying new things, and they learn to work with other people to take care of problems that occur. This can be with other teenagers or with the adults that operate the youth ranch.
It does take time to see changes that reality therapy in the youth ranches for troubled teens has helped bring forth. The skills that are introduced to troubled teens at youth ranches through reality therapy have been proved to promote leadership, education, and even help teens to become much better parents when they get older.
Since reality therapy in the youth ranches for troubled teens promotes responsibility there is no room for blaming others. While counseling is provided to help troubled teens work through issues that have taken place in their lives they are always to accept responsibility for their own responses to it.
In order for reality therapy in the youth ranches for troubled teens to be effective each teenager must feel save in that environment. It is important that the staff listens to them and treats them fairly. The teenagers need to be encouraged to communicate and to open up about their feelings. The teenagers need to realize the consequences of not accepting responsibility for their chores and their actions but it needs to be done in a non threatening manner. |
