NCJ Number
137539
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 17 Issue: 3/4 Dated: (1992) Pages: 1-18
Date Published
1992
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Reality Therapy was developed out of the belief that two human qualities -- love and feelings of worth -- are required for persons to acquire a successful sense of identity.
Abstract
Seven principles which underlie Reality Therapy seem to be reasonably reliable to facilitate the alleviation of some patients' mental problems by teaching irresponsible identity- failures to become responsible persons. The seven principles include encouraging involvement between client and therapist, acquiring awareness of the client's current behavior, instigating a self-evaluation by the client, planning responsible behavior, asking the client for a commitment to carry out the plan, accepting no excuses, and eliminating punishment. Group- integrated Reality Therapy (GIRT) constitutes a process of integrating the principles of Reality Therapy into the programmed activities and interpersonal relationships of a particular normative reference group. The Hope Center Wilderness Camp (HCWC) for juvenile offenders utilized GIRT processes in programming the daily tasks and social activities of its clients. The principal HCWC activities included plan of service, discipline, schooling, religious services, weekend cookouts, homedays, parents' meetings, pow-wow, aftertalk, terminal service review process, and aftercare. Two follow-up studies found that 85 percent of campers who completed the HCWC program did not recidivate within the 6 months following their release. 4 notes and 11 references