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Abstract
Reality therapy has become a widely used and respected system of counseling with applications to education. While there is considerable research validating its use in a wide variety of settings, the author provides several guardrails for future studies. The purpose of this article is to encourage interest for researchers to conduct further studies that evaluate the use of choice theory / reality therapy. It is safe to say that this system is research informed. The author hopes that researchers will conduct studies that align the gold standard, i.e., research that includes control groups and experimental groups, thereby meriting the indisputable label "research-based".
This article is the first of several on research. We will show that CT/RT is valid and effective in many ways, as we endeavor to take the legacy of Glasser to a new more highly respected and mainstreamed level. The first question is, "What is the Glasser legacy?" Glasser (1998) bequeathed to the world 4 components: choice theory, realty therapy, and an organization now called the Glasser Institute for Choice Theory (GIFCT) formerly known as the William Glasser Institute (WGI). It is the responsibility of his associates to preserve, apply and further develop this priceless body of work: the fourth component of his legacy. Researchers who have no special interest in CT/RT outcomes are welcome to join in this effort to evaluate the efficacy of reality therapy. The Institute publishes a forum for such research: The International Journal of Choice Theory and Reality Therapy edited by Dr. Tom Parish.
Extending Research Base: Institutional Self-Reflection
The first step in establishing a research base for the work of William Glasser is to self-reflect on how we present his work to the public. Meichenbaum and Lillienfield (2018) provided a 19-item checklist for spotting hype in the field of psychotherapy. The items in this list can be extended to the field of education. This checklist is useful as a...