The Comparison of Reality Therapy and Existential Theory in Addiction Counseling: The Case of Jack

Jack lead a life that would not make most envy him. He suffered from many traumatic events, most of these can

Having knowledge and understanding of psychological perspectives allows me to understand John’s needs, and current behaviours and how they may be related to past events and needs unmet.

Addiction can come in many different forms but they all change the environment around the addict. In The Shining, Danny, a five year-old boy has an imaginary friend named Tony. Although both his parents, Wendy (mom) and Jack (dad), have knowledge of this friend, it isn’t until chapter 17 that they realize Danny could seriously be mentally disabled or disoriented. Jack can be described as four things: alcoholic, a playwright, high tempered, and abusive. He has only touched Danny once but that day would change Danny forever, and Danny would never mess around in his office again.

John Wallace the author of Chapters two and three of Practical Approaches to Alcoholism Psychotherapy indicated that there is no systematic and specific theory of alcoholism. The purpose of chapter two is to “develop a theory of therapy specific to alcoholism, a theory that takes into account the nature of the disease, the characteristics of the client and the time- dependent nature of intelligent therapeutic intervention” (Zimberg et el., Pg 20).

In this paper, I will discuss the case study of a hypothetical client named "Mary." I will explain and describe a variety of factors that have been thought to underline substance abuse and will propose a formal diagnosis. After which, I will identify the treatment recommendations and specific approaches for Mary, as well as the ethical and legal obligations. To conclude, I will discuss the importance and significance of transference and counter transference.

In the past 50 years, many confrontational psychodynamic approaches became popular and almost the expectation of substance abuse and addiction treatment. There was the idea that substance abuse was a symptom of an underlying disorder (Weegmann, 2002). Once the disorder was treated, the secondary substance abuse would clear up on its own. As Weegmann discussed, research has shown that highly confrontational methods often instilled an ever deeper sense of resistance in the client. The percentage of successful outcomes within the field of addiction have been tossed around and range a great deal, however they have always seemed pretty dismal in comparison to the length and cost of many treatment programs. A new approach is necessary and

This therapy works with your model of the world and you are getting involved in your therapy process, so that changes are easily accepted and long lasting.

Reality therapy focuses on the therapist creating an environment for children to safely explore and express their thoughts, experiences, and behaviors (Davis, 2011). Children are allowed to express exploration and mastery by solving problems, assuming and practicing various roles, and obtaining acceptance often denied in real life (Sori & Robey, 2013). Therefore, reality therapy can also be effective in working with children who are emotionally disturbed because of divorce. Like Adlerian therapy, reality therapy aims to empower the children to take responsibility of their actions by presenting

Jack's disorders branch out beyond creating vivid fantasy lives for him. He lies often, and not only does he change his grades for the previously mentioned prep school applications, but he routinely changes his C's to A's on the report cards sent home to his mother and Dwight. He lies to priests in confessional and to friends about his hunting conquests. He eggs cars, breaks windows, and scribbles obscenities on bathroom walls and denies it all. Jack routinely convinces himself that he is not even, in fact, lying. Once when he is suspected of carving graffiti on a bathroom wall at school, he recalls that he had spent almost an hour with the vice-principal and had become completely convinced of his own innocence. The more he insisted on it, the angrier the vice-principal got, and the angrier the vice-principal got, the more impossible it was for Jack to believe he had done anything to deserve such anger.

Furthermore, client struggles to meet the five basic needs of reality therapy. The client lacks belonging because he has withdrawn himself from friends and family. He struggles to meet the needs of his relationship with his fiancée because he feels unsatisfied. He lacks power because he feels “stuck” and unable to achieve any goals he sets. Furthermore, freedom is difficult for the client to meet because he struggles with his culture. He wishes to become more independent and autonomous but lacks the motivation to do so. Due to the report of loss of interest, the client does not enjoy fun activities that he once enjoyed. Lastly, survival is met because the client’s parents provide him with food and

The approach focuses on experience and meaning of human capacity to be (Jacobson, 2006; Pitchford, 2009). To exist authentically, people must engage with the situation in which they find themselves at the same time separate from it (Heidegger, 1927/2008). The Existential perspective sees life events as opportunities rather than mere disruption or inconveniences. An extreme event such as sexual abuse is an opportunity for growth and transformation (Jacobson, 2006; Pitchford,

Following his referral, an initial screening assessment was carried out, which indicated that Jack is a suitable candidate for cognitive behavioural therapy, on the grounds that Jack had a distressing problem that could be conceptualized in self-criticism terms and had a low self esteem (Brown, 2006). Face to face sessions with clients and questionnaires determined no

This paper focuses on a specific course-related question: what are the antecedents of alcoholism, more specifically the antecedents of alcoholism in biopsychology and in counseling. These entities will be addressed separately and then combined for the most effective outcome in understanding and treating alcoholism. The biopsychology aspect will explore the question by explaining the effects of alcohol addiction, reward circuitries, reinforcement, withdrawal and relapse. The counseling portion will explore how various treatments involving psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy help clients cope with their addiction.

Many people with this character such as Jack tend to be very manipulative, reckless, and have no sympathy for others. Jack was originally emitted into the hospital because he claimed that he was suicidal due to his living situation, his mother’s illness and his most recent breakup of his girlfriend. In reality Jack lied just so he could seek shelter in the hospital because he had nowhere else to go. When Dr. Harris met with Jack,

Based on the participant’s background and history, I determined that an integrative approach using CBT and Reality Therapy was appropriate. Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Reality Therapy are both effective in treating addictions. My participant struggles with negative thinking and irrational thoughts, poor decision making and problem solving which are common for a person struggling with substance use disorders. Therefore, integrating these two treatment modalities will assist the participant in restructuring his thoughts and finding effective ways to bring about changes in his life by taking responsibility for his own actions.