Reality Therapy: An Introduction for Social Workers
A practical introductory workshop on the core principles and strategies of Reality Therapy and Choice Theory, and how to bring what fits into your existing counselling and intervention work.
What this workshop offers
Reality Therapy was developed by Dr William Glasser and is grounded in Choice Theory. It focuses on present behaviour, the choices available to the client, and the quality of their relationships, while still acknowledging past experiences and circumstances. This workshop introduces the key ideas and strategies, gives you opportunities to see and practise them, and helps you consider which elements fit your own practice and client context.
As an introductory workshop, it is a practical starting point rather than comprehensive training in the model. Participants who want to use Reality Therapy as a primary approach can continue with further reading, supervised practice or formal Reality Therapy training. This workshop will allow participants to easily integrate the core concepts of Reality Therapy into the existing practice.
Social workers draw on a range of approaches, and no single model fits every client or setting. Reality Therapy offers a clear, structured way of working with clients’ present choices, their relationships and the needs that drive their behaviour. Many practitioners find it a useful addition to what they already do, especially when they want:
- A structured way to guide conversations toward what the client can do now
- Practical questions that invite clients to evaluate their own behaviour
- A non-blaming framework that sits comfortably alongside social work values
- A way of working that keeps the relationship with the client at the centre
On a more personal note: Why I choose Reality Therapy
I was first introduced to Reality Therapy during my basic social work studies in 1994. As a student at the time, I found a lot of the counselling approaches and models to be confusing and complicated. At the time, I was working with psychiatric patients who had limited capacity to engage in complex conversations. I found the 1965 book by William Glasser in which he first explains his approach, which he called a “new psychiatry” at the time. He was also frustrated with the traditional approaches to therapy as he was working in an in-patient facility, and experience little progress with the approaches of the time. He wanted to empower clients to make their own responsible decisions and regain control over their lives. Over the rest of this lifetime, he developed Choice Therapy and Reality Therapy.
When I “discovered” Reality Therapy as a student, I was amazed by how simple the approach was and how easy it was to learn its basic principles and start applying it in practice. I started to incorporate into my work with psychiatric patients, and they responded remarkable well to this practical approach that did not rely on deep understanding of their problems. Of course, Reality Therapy has evolved greatly over the years and has been fully developed into a psychotherapy that stands on its own. While it is possible to become fully immersed in this approach and attend many years of specialist training, the basic principles remain easily accessible. In fact, William Glasser always said that everyone should understand Choice Therapy and Reality Therapy. He did not intend it to be an exclusive psychotherapy.
Today, I find Reality Therapy to be my approach of choice when I engage with clients who benefit from a structured, consistent approach that not only supports them in the moment of crisis, but also teaches them how to help themselves and make better decisions that they can follow through. Reality Therapy aligns strongly as a developmental, strengths-based approach. And while some would classify it under the cognitive-behavioural approaches, I identify it firstly as a Relational approach, due to the strong emphasis on the relationship as the core of the process. I have found in Reality Therapy a process that I do not only fall back on when things don’t work out, but an approach that in many instances is my go-to approach.
Registration
R650 per person
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R650 per person
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The workshop is designed for
- Registered social workers looking for CPD-accredited training
- Social work supervisors interested in a structured approach to share with their teams
- Practitioners who want to add a choice-focused, practical approach to their existing toolkit
What is included in the workshop?
In this workshop, we will explore the following:
- The core concepts of Reality Therapy and its focus on choice, responsibility and relationships.
- Basic needs: How basic needs driver behaviour and how it can be used in a practical way to help clients understand themselves and make better choices to meet their own needs.
- The quality world: A model to understand what clients value and how this interacts with their basic needs to drive their behaviour
- The concept of total behaviour: In this approach, thoughts, feelings and physiology forms part of the total behaviour of the client, and this assumption gives us a way to helps clients focus on what is within their control rather than exhaust themselves on matters they do not control.
- The WDEP framework: The WDEP framework provides a structure for the process with clients that helps practitioners to know what is the next step, and also what to do when they get stuck.
- Explore how Reality Therapy principles can be used in an integrated way to support existing frameworks, or be used as a stand-alone strategy.
Logistics and Investment
Format: Online (Zoom)
Duration: 2 half-days (9h00 – 13h00)
Next Dates:
- Monday, 19 October 2026: 9h00 – 13h00
- Tuesday, 20 October 2026: 9h00 – 13h00
CPD points: 6.5 CPD for Social Workers
Includes: Workshop Notes, CPD Certificate
Investment: R650 per person
Technical Requirements:
The workshop is facilitated fully online via Zoom. Participants are required to remain on camera for the full duration of each session and should ensure that their equipment and internet connection is suitable for this kind of interaction. Attendance with a phone or tablet is not recommended – it is recommended to use a PC or laptop since some of the screens that will be shared may include text or diagrams that would be too small to read on a cellphone screen. It is recommended that each participant should attend from a suitable physical space (for example, not while travelling or while sharing office space with others). The use of headphones is recommended – alternatively participants should be in a space not shared with others. It is not ideal for participants to share a device, since it will limit their interaction and participation.
Who you’ll be learning from
Werner has more than 30 years’ experience as a social worker in the areas of probation practice, children and families, alternative care, crisis management and clinical private practice. He developed an early interest in Reality Therapy during his initial studies and has since incorporated the approach into his practice with clients in various settings. He holds master’s degrees in Psychology and Clinical Social Work, and has published various articles and chapters on a range of topics related to relational practice with children and adolescents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need prior knowledge of Reality Therapy or Choice Theory?
No prior knowledge is needed. The workshop introduces the foundational concepts and links them to skills social workers already use, so you can begin trying out the relevant strategies in your own practice.
Is Reality Therapy a good fit for social workers?
Reality Therapy’s focus on present behaviour, personal choice and meeting basic needs fits well with many areas of social work practice in South Africa. Many clients, particularly those affected by historical injustice and ongoing inequality, may feel they have little control over their lives. Reality Therapy can help clients identify the choices still open to them within difficult circumstances, and focus on what they can do now.
It also has limits worth being honest about. Focusing on personal choice should never mean ignoring poverty, violence, discrimination or other structural factors, so in social work it is best used alongside approaches such as advocacy, community development and trauma-informed care, rather than instead of them. The approach has been applied in settings including counselling, education, corrections and substance use treatment. The workshop discusses where it fits well, where it may not, and how to adapt it to your clients and context.
About this Workshop
Reality Therapy is a psychotherapy that can be used on its own or alongside other therapeutic approaches. This workshop reflects my own understanding of the principles of Reality Therapy, and of how I use them and combine them with other approaches in my work with clients.
I am not affiliated with any Reality Therapy organisation, association or accrediting body. This workshop is not formal Reality Therapy training and does not lead to certification; accredited training is considerably more extensive.
The workshop is a continuing professional development (CPD) activity for social workers in South Africa. It focuses on the basic philosophy of Reality Therapy and on building practical skills that participants can integrate into their existing practice.