Reality Therapy for Gang Members - Research Paper Example

Reality Therapy for Gang Members Reality Therapy (RT) is an approach for psychotherapy and counseling people with various kinds of problems, be it behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and so on. It is a derivative of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which works on addressing the thoughts and actions of people in order t be able to change the dysfunctional or disruptive ones and replacing them with more functional ones that will assist the individual to solve his problems (Lane, 2001). If one wants to work with gang members, he or she must tread lightly and act cautiously, as they may be very resistant to change and loyal to their group. Also, one could encounter opposition which can be even violent, if other members of the gang will want to stop the intervention of the outside element in their dealings and trying to "convert" other members or their entire gang to something different than they are presently (Huff, 1989). Therefore, there are several principles of Reality Therapy that should be used, but it is also important to use knowledge from other disciplines in order to achieve the cooperation of the gang members. The latter includes making clear to the members that the goal of working with them is not to change them, but help them deal with their reality better, to have less friction with the law or other factors in their environment that are opposed to them, etc. One must also start from "where they're at", meaning that the therapist or other professional involved needs to identify what the gang members hope to achieve and want to gain from the treatment or intervention, and work in order to achieve that, rather than to achieve the therapist or agency's desired goals (Compton & Galaway, 1994) . As for the principles of Reality Theory, there are several key ones that must be utilized in order to achieve the desired change with gang members. First, according to RT, an individual has five basic human needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom or independence. The main reason for a person's dysfunctional behavior derives from his needs not being met, and this led or contributed to the current predicament. One of these needs, that is most important and crucial, is not having an someone important and significant to connect with (Corey, 2012). With gang members, it is obvious that a possible, very likely reason for their joining the gang is to have others that they're able to connect with, to survive better, to feel belonging and acceptance, and also power, in order to deal with their reality. A therapist must to supply them with a stable, accepting relationship that could supplement that which they have in the gang. In doing so, it will enable them to have another secure relationship that is not affiliated or associated with other members of the gang and with violence or troubles. This will allow the gang member to understand that there are others with whom he may associate and develop positive relations, and that he doesn't necessarily have to rely solely (or at all) on the gang. Second, RT focuses first on changing the emotions and thoughts rather than the behaviors of people, as behaviors, which are based on our cognition and feelings, are more difficult to change. If one changes the perspective and feelings of an individual, his behavior is likely to follow (Glasser, 1981; Arkowitz, 2002). By supplementing a gang member's notions of the necessity for him to be in a gang and the emotions of fear, apprehension and so on, that may underlie his wanting to be a part of the gang, the member will come to realize that there are other ways to achieve his goals in life, and will then be approached with several ways in which he would be able to do so, for example, getting a decent job, staying out of trouble, receiving assistance from official factors like welfare, and so on. Third, RT focuses on the here and now, rather than on the past. Other forms of psychotherapy (predominantly the Psychodynamic one) focus on the past, the reasons for the current detrimental action and problematic behaviors, thoughts and conduct (Lana, 2001; Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). Gang members, as well as other populations, may be resistant to doing so, as it could stir up painful things from their past. They also don't care as much about why they are like they are today as they are interested in continuing their lives in the manner which they see fit to them. RT with gang members will focus on how they want to continue their lives from this point on and in this reality and environment they're at. This means that their motivation for accepting the treatment or intervention is likely to be higher, and their resistance to change may very well be lower. Finally, people need to feel that they're in control of their lives. This is probably even more important to gang member, as they are a part of a group which places control over their environment at a very high priority and value it very much (Lana, 2001; Corey, 2012). With gang members it is most important that they feel control of the process and the change. It is not the outside therapist that is in control and guiding the process- it is the gang member itself that has control over the entire process, whether to accept the intervention, to adhere to its goals and to stay on and develop a cooperative relationship with the therapist. It is him who conveys his goals and wishes to the therapist and they are the ones that are targeted by both of them in order to be achieved in the future. If the gang member feels control over this and his whole life in general, the likelihood of cooperation and adherence to the intervention and change are likely to be much, much higher. In conclusion, the principles and core ideas of RT are especially suitable to working with gang members. Their focus on the here and now, on what the gang member is interested in and the control and power they give him as he is the one leading the process and the therapist is only a participator and a positive person in his journey are the ones that push him forward and give him the sense of calmness and security that he isn't being approached by an outsider that wants to force a change on him, but by a person who helps him in whichever way he sees fit, with whom he can develop a positive relationship based on trust, acceptance and caring, that will enable him to meet his goals away from the gang and its protection and associated dangers. RT with gang members provides them an alternative way of being and living, one which is more adaptive, functional and safe for the gang member. As such, it is very reasonable that such an approach will have much better success rates than other forms of therapy and intervention with this population. Works Cited Arkowitz, H. (2002). Toward an integrative perspective on resistance to change. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58 (2), 219-227. Compton, B., & Galaway, B. (1994). Social work processes (5th Ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Corey, G. (2012). Case approach to counseling and psychotherapy. Thomson Brooks/Cole. Glasser, W. (1981). Stations of the mind: new directions for reality therapy. New York: Harper & Row. Huff, C. R. (1989). Youth gangs and public policy. Crime & Delinquency, 35(4), 524-537. Lane, L.L (2001). "Reality therapy". Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2nd ed. Gale Group. Seligman, L., & Reichenberg, L.W. (2010). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Read More