I am a graduate student working on a paper concentrating on group work with a certain population. I am current a Juvenile Drug Court Case specalist and would like to write my paper on group work with chemically dependent juveniles and was wondering is reality thearpy the best theory to use with this population.

-- Tracey Lynn Williams (TraeyWilliams@mail.aoc.state.ky.us), October 19, 2001

Answers

See lucy Billings' reply to Paul Dowling who had a similar question on this board.

-- Ken Lyons (kenlyon@gofree.indigio.ie), October 22, 2001.

Tracey, as a social skills teacher who uses Choice Theory in the classroom and in life, I can offer a valuable piece of advice. After doing a brief intro. of Choice Theory and Dr. William Glasser I offer the following statement, "We choose our behaviors, consequences and our feelings." Furthermore, Choice Theory allows the individual to be in control. How? A person of Choice Theory, when having an unwanted feeling, can, by way of choosing another behavior, change his/her feeling. And when this same person is having unwanted consequences, they can be in control by choosing another behavior with wanted consequences. Lastly, when one is uncomfortable with his/her behavior, he/she can change it.

I could, but pose the question to your charges, "Are you getting from your life the consequences you want?" "Are you feeling the way you want to feel?" "If not what would a person in control of his/her life do?" Offer the idea that they are in control of their temporary lot in life. Fate may deal the hands, but we sure as heck can discard and draw some more cards. TD

-- Ted Donato (tdonato@toppenish.wednet.edu), December 06, 2001.