1.

Do you think some of the facets/concepts in RT, coincide with other therapeutic
approaches like CBT, Person-Centered, and Existential approaches?
Yes. Reality Therapy is linked to various psychotherapies, including cognitive
behavioral therapy, person-centered therapy, and existential therapy. Both reality therapy
and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are resolution-oriented therapies that aim to alter
an individual's ideas and behaviors in order to improve their current condition. Both
reality therapy and person-centered therapy are similar in that they both place a premium
on the needs of the individual in order for that individual to develop a more positive self-
concept. Finally, both reality therapy and existential therapy highlight the necessity of
clients making their own choices about how to live their lives.

2. What can the counselor do if the client is indecisive or inconsistent in planning things?
The therapeutic procedure must be performed correctly in order for the therapy to
be effective. If reality therapy aims to assist clients in making their own decisions that
would improve their lives, then each component of this technique (WDEP System) must
be correctly implemented, most notably the Self-Evaluation component. The counselor
should help the client do an in-depth self-evaluation in order to develop effective plans.

3. In reality therapy, it emphasizes the need of a counselee or a client to be involved for the
therapy to work effectively. How are you going to deal with involuntary counselees?
 Resistance is prevalent among involuntary clients, and reality therapy's approach
is to make clients aware that their resistance is futile and will not help them feel better.
By developing a stronger connection with the client, it is possible to increase the client's
comfort level during therapy, which may result in the client identifying the true issue that
needs to be addressed.

4. In your own words, what is the difference between Reality therapy compared to
existential and person-centered therapy?
Although these three therapies have a similar concept of an individual's ability to
make their own choices and improve their own life, there are still significant distinctions
between them. While RT focuses on what clients are aware of, PCT and ET focus on
 enlightening clients about areas they are unaware of. Additionally, when it comes to
decision-making, clients undergoing ET or PCT make decisions primarily for their own
advantage, disregarding the welfare of others. ET and PCT are concerned with reaching
their ideal selves and self-autonomy, whereas RT is concerned with making choices that
include others, since its premise is that we are social by nature so we include other people
in our choices based on our relationship or connection with them.

5.  If the counselee was not able to create plans because of their indecisiveness, would it be
okay for the counselor to lay them out and let the counselee affirm or validate the plans.
Yes. If the counselor is requested for suggestions by the counselee, the counselor
may make suggestions for the counselee. After the counselor has given
recommendations, it is up to the counselee to decide whether to accept or reject the
counselor's recommendations.
6.   Are there any similarities between CBT and Reality Therapy? If yes, in what aspects?
CBT and RT both have similar approaches on human persons. Both therapies
strive to improve the client's existing state by addressing what the clients are doing now
in order to improve their lives. Both techniques allow the clients to have their own
choices which they think can be most beneficial for them. The process of both techniques
are most likely to know the present problem then look for solutions to address the said
problem. These therapies allow the clients to have perspectives which allow them to be
able to manage the challenges that they might face. 

7. pano makakatulong ang reality therapy sa client na dwell sa past nya ?

One of reality therapy's distinguishing traits is its emphasis on the present
moment. RT's approach to clients who obsess over the past is to remind them that while
their past troubles may have contributed to the current problems, the past is never the
problem. Reality therapists should tell the counselee that the event has already occurred
and that there is nothing they can do about it, and that they should instead focus on what
is occurring now.
8. Diba sa RT hindi tinatawag na mental illness ang physical and psychological problems,
so ano pong tawag nila dito? And may certain point po ba na matatawag na ng therapy na
ito ang situation/problem na mental illness? if yes, anong situation or problem po yon?
In reality therapy, therapists believe that psychological symptoms occur not
because of a mental health condition, but due to people choosing behaviors to fulfill their
needs.They don’t have a particular label for these symptoms, but to explain further...
Instead of labeling people as depressed, they are said to be depressing. The mere fact that
they oppose the idea of mental illnesses, we can’t really say that there would be a
situation where the so-called “mental illnesses” could be addressed. 

9. How effective is RT? kasi parang rejects the concept of mental health conditions.

Reality therapy does reject the idea of mental illnesses, as Dr. Glasser claimed
that mental illness doesn’t exist. This opposition to mental illness is considered as one of
its limitations. However, if we talk about effectiveness, research shows that Reality
Therapy does help clients improve their interpersonal relationships and social anxiety.

10. Si Wubbolding, inaacknowledge nya ang existence ng mental illnesses while si Glasser,
naniniwala na ang ganung conditions ay brought by the wrong choices/solutions made by
the person. Ano yung pinagkaiba ng approach nila knowing na may ganyan silang
magkaibang belief?
Glasser and Wubbolding both believed that we are capable of making better and
more effective choices. Glasser formulated the concept of Reality Therapy and was
further supported by Wubbolding. The only difference is that Wubbolding was able to
identify that there are certain mental conditions that can’t be treated with therapeutics, for
example, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

11. Would reality therapy work sa mga clients na ang case is alam naman nila na may control
sila sa actions na gagawin nila kaya sila na yung nag-aadjust most of the times kaso in the
end feeling niya pa din di maayos yung problem na kinakaharap niya? if yes paano po
yung gagawin nung reality therapist?
 Reality therapy can be used effectively for those who are aware that they have
control with their actions, even if they feel incapable of making effective choices. In
Reality Therapy, clients are encouraged to self-evaluate whether what they do helps them
fulfill their needs and wants. 

12.  Paano kung nagkakaroon ng relapses yung client kahit nag undergo na siya ng therapy
na 'to? How would reality therapy handle the client?

There are several reasons why clients experience relapses, some of these are due
to stress, overconfidence, self-pity and unrealistic expectations. In reality therapy, clients
will be redirected with their goal using the WDEP technique. For instance, an alcoholic
wishes to stop drinking, but then would be tempted to continue drinking… in this case,
therapists would help the client self-evaluate whether what he does helps him address or
bring him closer to his needs and wants.

13.  Will reality therapy work for people who reminisce a lot or those people who dwell too
much in their past? What is the approach when there is such a client?

Reality Therapy is present-centered, it does not dwell in the past. If ever there are
clients who dwell too much in the past, it’s the counselor’s duty to redirect the client to
the present moment. It’s alright if clients share their past experiences… The counselor
should validate these feelings and would redirect the client to focus on the present
problem, and help them self-evaluate that they are capable of making choices that could
help us fulfill our needs.

14. Sabi kasi doon, na behavior is caused by unsatisfying relationships with other people.
pero pwede kaya na ang relationship na yon is between you and yourself? like may times
kasi diba na nagtatalo kayo ng self mo on how to act or behave in a certain situation.

Yes, it may be, because all of us  have an intrapersonal relationship. However,
choice theory stands on the premise that we are social by nature. This means that we are
always connected to other people. Observe the five genetically basic needs. We can fulfill
these needs easily if we are connected to other people. Besides, having a dilemma (the
one mentioned as“nagtatalo kayo ng self mo on how to act or behave in a certain
 situation”) is just normal and does not mean an unsatisfying relationship with yourself
immediately. 

15. How would you approach the person who, unfortunately, the person whom he/she
connected to passed away suddenly?
Let us assume that this person who is connected to our client is one of the people
inside the quality world of our client. Since the goal of reality therapy is to reconnect or
connect the client to people in his/her quality world, it is really a question of what if that
person in the quality world dies. The answer here would be to direct the client to make
new connections with other people who are also in his/her quality world. Gently tell
him/her that we cannot bring back the past or the person who is in the past. We cannot
bring back life because we cannot control these unfortunate situations. Instead, we can
control ourselves and our responses on how to deal with these circumstances. If that
connection was lost, then we can always create another connection with people around us
because we are social by nature. 

16. Choice therapy seeks to enable clients to make choices and establish significant
connections. How can you reconcile the concept of choice that implies individualism and
interdependence that is in contrast with the former?
Yes, reality therapy enables a client to make choices and establish significant
connections. From the moment a client chooses something that can affect his/her
connections with others, that is the time he/she became self-reliant or independent. That
is a choice that implies individualism also. Remember, reality therapy is rooted to choice
theory that says that the only person we can control is ourselves. It may seem contrasting
that the therapy’s goal is interdependent with other people, but actually, to reach that
goal, the client must start choosing things for himself/herself first in order to achieve a
goal (to be connected to people in the quality world). Reality therapy implies that choices
we make are both individualistic and interdependent. 

17. Using reality therapy, how can you say to a counselee that you do not believe in mental
illnesses without making her feel that she is not invalidated?
 Personally, I believe in mental illness (Haela’s point of view). However, if I am a
reality therapist, I will gently tell the client that in reality therapy, psychological
symptoms or the distressing feeling a client feels does not occur because of a mental
illness. This occurs due to the poor choices of behavior to satisfy the client's needs. 

18. What happens to the therapy when the client is constantly changing their plans?
If the client is constantly changing his/her plans without being committed to doing
these, the therapy might not work out effectively for the client. If this happens in a reality
therapy session, the therapist should intervene in the planning phase. According to reality
therapy, if the client cannot formulate a plan for himself because he cannot process things
due to, for example, substance or alcohol influence, the therapist can suggest plans to the
client. Additionally, the therapist must be also responsible for helping the client to make
self-evaluations. We know that self-evaluation is the heart of this therapy. If the client
went through a good self-evaluation process, then the planning phase will follow through.
So we see, to avoid situations given in the question, the therapist should be skilled to
make the therapy successful. 

19. Sa reality therapy si client ang nagbibigay ng mga gusto niya gawin sa buhay, saan
papasok yung sinabi ni haela sa client na mag-umpisa sa pumasok sa school? kasi
basically sya na nagbigay nung gagawin ni client. 
Yes, reality therapy seeks to assist clients to identify their wants. With regards to the
question, what Haela said is part of the planning phase. If one listened carefully to the
mock counseling, Haela, the counselor, told that because the client asked her for
suggestions of what she should do in order to achieve her identified wants. According to
reality therapy, if the client is not able to craft plans for himself or cannot think of one
yet, the counselor can “suggest”. It is still up to the client if he/she will accept the
suggestion. Thus, it is not the counselor who “basically” decided to accept that
suggestion as one of the plans. 

20. Tinuturo po ba talaga yung mga concepts ng choice theory at the beginning of the session
at kahit heightened ang emotions ng counselee?
 The explanation of the concepts of the choice theory depends on the situation of the
client. If at the beginning of the session and the counselee is on heightened emotions of
course the counselor should make the counselee calm first and wait for till the client is
ready to speak. The therapist might first ask for the consent of the client and set a date for
the official start of the reality therapy session.

21. How will the Reality Therapist deal with clients who are disoriented and can't do self-
evaluation because they are bothered with some circumstances that happened in the past? (Ex.
Trauma)

Reality therapy has limitations in terms of addressing different personality problems.

Since reality therapy is a present-centered therapeutic approach it does not give much
importance to the past experiences of a person. If the client's issue is trauma and the client
talks about past experiences the therapist would still listen but not dwell on it. The focus will
always be on the current situation of the client and will help the client realize that his/her
history will never be his/her destiny and those experiences are not relevant to the situation
now. In studies, trauma is not something a reality therapy can treat absolutely but it can
lessen the problems of the client, and the suitable for this that therapist may suggest would be
Psychoanalytic therapy, Behavioral Therapy (EMDR), Individual CBT with trauma-focus,
and Cognitive Therapy.

21. How a reality therapist would address the issue if the client wasn't able to do self-
evaluation.

Self-Evaluation is not the only way a therapist uses to address the client's issue or to
know the problems a client has. The technique used by the reality therapist is
systematically, first, the wants of the client are being determined and the ways he/she do
to meet those needs. While in the process, the therapist should be creative in making the
client realize that his/her current behavior does not add up to achieving the unmet needs.
Since self-evaluation serves as the foundation for planning actions, the therapist should
be effective and passionate enough in guiding the client to do a self-evaluation. A therapy
will repeatedly use this technique throughout the sessions.
23. Will reality therapy be effective to a person with a fear of making relationships with other
people?

Based on the choice theory, it is through the development of close, caring

relationships that we can most effectively fulfill our needs and achieve happiness. And if
the issue of the client is having a fear of making relationships with other people then
Reality therapy can be one of the effective ways in helping a client gain new perspectives
and ways that will help him/her manage their own challenges like the fear of relationship.
Reality therapists will make them realize that maybe it is not the fear of making a
relationship, but the fear of being rejected by someone. The therapist will tell them that
we cannot control other people's feelings about us, but we can change our thinking and
behavior and choose to be with the people we put in our quality world that help us
vanished the fear we feel in building a relationship. 

24. What if yung client is a drug addict at gusto niya mapalapit ulit sa family niya kasi doon niya
na fefeling yung love and belongingness pero due to socio-cultural stigma o labeling as "adik"
parang nagiiban na po yung pakikitungo ng pamilya niya sa kanya. Paano po natin matutulungan
si clients po kapag ganun?

Reality Therapy for drug addiction is becoming an effective part of programs designed to
help people overcome substance abuse or alcohol problems. In many cases, control is what
substance abuse is all about. People use drugs or alcohol because they don’t feel in control of
their lives, or they use it to control emotions, thoughts, boredom, pain, loneliness, and other
personal issues. Reality therapy helps people reach a medium ground between being in
control of what they can control, and accepting that some things will remain out of their
control, especially other people. This an extremely effective treatment modality because it
forces recovering addicts to take responsibility for precisely the actions and behaviors, they
have control over and nothing more. This type of addiction treatment therapy relies on a
working relationship between patient and therapist that seeks to uncover the most important
relationships in the life of the patient and set about developing a plan to reconnect and
improve them. In cases where patients have lost all of their human connections, primarily
their family connection and relationships, a primary focus of the therapy will become to
 help the recovering addict develop new ones. This is a critical part of reality therapy, as
Glasser’s main operating principle of the therapy was that people are intrinsically seeking
human connections above all else.

25. Medication is never needed to treat mental health conditions, according to Reality Therapy,
but what if this technique does not work after several sessions? What will be the counselor's "go"
signal that the client has no other choice but to take medications?

Are you referring to the WDEP system that the counselor uses as a technique in
reality therapy? If so, since reality therapy is a short-term kind of therapy, the therapist
immediately addresses the current behavior of the client which affects his/her current
situation. While in the process, a therapist can already observe if the technique used is
working or not and it is the therapist's job to find the part where the client cannot evaluate
and address it well. Dr. Glasser believes that a person is not mentally ill and they just use
inappropriate behavior to satisfy their needs so the only go signal of the therapist of the
prescription of medication would only be if the client has been diagnosed by a doctor or
specifically a Neurologist as having brain disorders.