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Client Evaluation

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critically evaluate client Lois using either a reality or family systems approach. Make sure you address:

The strengths and limitations to using this approach with this client

The specific cultural/gender/age issues that need to be attended to with this client

The ethical or legal issues that need to be attended to with this client

The overall therapeutic goal with this client

How you would proceed with this client:
How would you begin?
What would be the goals of therapy?
What specific strategies and/or techniques might you use?
* Please include an introduction and a summary conclusion

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Solution Summary

This soluton discusses a specific case study from the perspective of Reality Therapy

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Introduction

Reality therapy is being selected to evaluate the case of Lois, a Hispanic female who presents in therapy with several problems including a history of substance abuse. Reality therapy is focused on helping clients to make alternate choices to replace destructive behaviors. Lois has developed a psychological dependence on others around her, and is now experiencing feelings of abandonment, hopelessness and despair in response to event changes in her life. Reality Therapy emphasizes choice-making in which the clients make value judgments and become responsible for their own behavior. The assumption is held that change is not possible if the client does not examine his or her behavior and recognize the destructive pattern.

(a) Critically evaluate client Lois using either a reality or family systems approach.

Reality therapy holds that individuals must assume responsibility in efforts to meet their needs. The basic premise underlying reality therapy is that individuals must learn to face reality, and understand that the key to happiness is through the acceptance of that responsibility. Using reality therapy with Lois will help her to understand that her failure to take responsibility is contributing to her destructive behavior (e.g., her substance abuse, her willingness to submit to her husband's abuse, etc.). Lois is experiencing several symptoms resulting from psychological dependence. As examples, she feels a sense of despair and loneliness as her daughter goes off to college, and her mother has been diagnosed with dementia. She is being verbally abused by her husband, and she accepts this abuse by making excuses that it is okay, because he is allowing her mother and daughter to live with them. Reality therapy will help Lois to take responsibility for her own life, and not depend on others for her satisfaction in life. In addition, the therapy will show her how to respond to her husband's abuse. Lois will be taught that she has control over this behavior, and during the therapy will be asked to examine whether her behavior is satisfying her needs (i.e. her happiness).

*Limitations
One potential limitation in using reality therapy with Lois is that it only deals with the conscious behaviors. As Corey (2005) describes a limitation in reality therapy, it fails to address repressed conflicts. Since, Lois has had a long history of substance abuse, it is possible that her problems involve ...

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