Using Reality Therapy in Schools: Its Potential Impact on the Effectiveness of the ASCA

The primary purpose of this manuscript is to examine the application of Reality Therapy in schools. The basic components of the American School Counseling Association's National Model and also the core tenets of Reality Therapy are reviewed in terms of pertinent literature. This is followed by a focus on the delivery system of the national model. Lastly, specific emphasis will be placed on the potential impact Reality Therapy can have on student academic achievement, personal/social development, and career decision-making skills when applied to each program component. In 2003, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) published the ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs (Wittmer & Clark, 2007). Using the best practices over the last fifty years, the national model was developed during a summit in 2001 by the leadership of ASCA, national school counseling leaders, school counselor educators, practicing school counselors, state guidance coordinators, school district guidance coordinators, and representatives from the Education Trust. Much of the work incorporated in the framework was previously done by Drs. Norm Gysbers, C. D. Johnson, Sharon Johnson, and Robert Myrick (Wittmer & Clark, 2007). This model provides a foundation, a delivery system, a management system, and an accountability system for professional school counselors (Wittmer & Clark, 2007). The ASCA National Model's framework includes the three domains of academic achievement, career decisionmaking, and personal/social development. Perhaps the most significant change for school.counselors in the 21st Century has been the expectation for them to spend a larger percentage of their time in the classroom using developmental guidance lessons to support and enhance academic achievement. In fact, because of the need for counselors to impact academic achievement, university training programs have changed from a theory based preparation to an education based preparation (House & Martin, 1998). Effective school counseling programs have structural components and program components (Wittmer & Clark, 2007). The structural components provide the ideological underpinnings for the entire program, and should be written by an advisory committee composed of administrators, counselors, teachers, parents and community leaders. The Mission Statement and the Rationale Statement are in this element. The Mission Statement outlines the purpose of the program. This narrative includes a set of principles which guides the development, implementation, and evaluation of the entire program. Following the writing of the Mission Statement, the advisory committee develops the Rationale Statement. This document clearly presents the reasons for having a comprehensive, developmental counseling program in place. It also explains how the program will benefit the students, the faculty, the parents, and the specific community being served. The Program Components of the ASCA National Model will be reviewed in the paragraphs that follow. All activities that counselors perform to deliver the ASCA National Model are framed within four program components (guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support). Each component makes specific contributions to enhance academic achievement, career decision-making, and personal/social development for students (Gysbers & Henderson, 2006). For instance, the Guidance Curriculum complements the academic curriculum. Its purpose is to provide preventive, proactive lessons to promote positive mental health and enhanced academic achievement for all students. Guidance lessons and activities that focus on relationships, integrity, self-esteem, self-discipline, goal-setting, study skills, time management, anger management, careers, decision-making, and the importance of acquiring a quality education support and enhance the school instruction program. The Individual Planning component consists of activities that help students to plan, monitor, and manage their own learning and personal career development. Within this element, students explore and evaluate their education, career options, and personal goals. School counselors work closely with students on an individual basis and update their files after each intervention. The Responsive Services component provides individual counseling, small group counseling, consultations, and referrals to meet the immediate needs and concerns of students. This element of the counseling program is available to all students and is often initiated by students. International Journal of Reality Therapy • Fall 2009 • Vol.XXIX, number 1 • 5 Services provided in this component help students to resolve personal concerns that could possibly impede their academic concentration and achievement if left unattended. The System Support component provides management activities that support the total school counseling program. These elements include professional development, staff and community relations, consultations with teachers and parents, program management, advisory council activities, and research and development. Effective school counseling programs are 100% programs with all counselor activities fitting into one of the four program components. Counselors at each level must consider the specifics of their particular school setting and decide the percentage of time to devote to each program component (Wittmer & Clark, 2007). The focus of ASCA National Model school counseling programs is clearly on the academic achievement, personal well-being, and equity of opportunity for all students. Now that the basic components of the ASCA National Model have been reviewed, the following paragraphs will address the core tenets of Reality Therapy. Reality Therapy is a method of counseling and psychotherapy that was developed by William Glasser (1965). Validated by research studies, this theoretical approach has been successfully taught and practiced in the United States, Canada, Korea, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Norway, Israel, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Colombia, Kuwait, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong (Wubbolding, 2000). In addition to other areas. Reality Therapy has been effectively applied to schools (Glasser, 1990, 1993), parenting (Glasser, 2002), and counseling and therapy (Wubbolding, 2000, 2004; Wubbolding & Brickell, 1999). Choice Theory is the underlying theoretical basis for Reality Therapy. According to Choice Theory, all human beings are motivated by five genetically encoded needs survival, love and belonging, power or achievement, freedom or independence, and fun that drive us all our lives (Glasser, 1998). Glasser believes the need to love and belong is the primary need and also the most difficult need to satisfy because the involvement of another individual is required to meet this desire. Choice Theory emphasizes that beginning shortly after birth and continuing all through life, individuals store information inside their minds and build a file of wants called the Quality World. The Quality World consists of people, activities, events, beliefs, possessions, and situations that fill personal needs (Wubbolding, 2000). People are the most important component of each Quality World and these are the individuals clients care about and want most to connect with. For therapy to be successful, a therapist must be the kind of person the client would consider putting in his/her quality world (Glasser, 2001). Choice theory explains that everything we do is chosen and every behavior is our best attempt to get what we want to satisfy our needs (Glasser). A basic goal of Reality Therapy is to help clients learn better ways of fulfilling their needs. The procedures that lead to change are based on two specific assumptions (Glasser, 1992). The first assumption is that their present behavior is not getting them what they want; the second assumption is that humans are motivated to change when they believe they can choose other behaviors that will get them closer to what they want. Reality Therapy emphasizes the importance of the therapeutic relationship which is the foundation for effective counseling outcomes (Wubbolding & Brickell, 1999). Counselors are able to develop positive relationships with clients when they possess the personal qualities of warmth, sincerity, congruence, understanding, acceptance, concern, openness, respect for the client and the willingness to be challenged by others (Corey, 2009). These characteristics allow school counselors to function as advocates who are able to instill a sense of hope in students. Qnce the therapeutic relationship has been established, the counselor assists students in gaining a deeper understanding of the consequences of their current behavior. At this point, students are helped to understand that they are not at the mercy of others, are not victims, and that they have a range of options to choose from. Reality Therapy provides the delivery system for helping individuals take more effective control of their lives. The acronym WDEP is used to describe the basic procedures of Reality Therapy. Each letter refers to a cluster of strategies that are designed to promote change: W=wants and needs; D=direction and doing; E=self-evaluation; and P=planning (Wubbolding, 2000). The following paragraphs will focus on the delivery system of the ASCA national model which includes the activities, interactions, and areas in which counselors work to enhance the lives of boys and girls. Within the delivery system there are four program components: school counseling curriculum, individual student planning, responsive services, and system support (Gysbers & Henderson, 2006). Specific emphasis will be placed on the potential impact Reality Therapy can have on student academic achievement, personal/social development, and career decision-making skills when applied to each program component. School Counseling Curri