Reality Therapy, Bulgaria

The first Bulgarian cohort of reality therapy students returned to Bulgaria after successfully completing their certification in basic skills. The event took place at the end of October in Kranj, Slovenia, home of the European Institute for Reality Therapy (EIRT).

Following their second year of training, Bulgarian psychologists and psychotherapists completed the initial stage of the 5-year European training program. After four days of intensive work, they continued on to Bled. There they participated in the annual international conference “Days of Leon Lojk.”

Reality Therapy (RT) is a psychotherapeutic modality founded in the 1960s by American psychiatrist Dr. William Glasser. Besides being a psychotherapeutic approach, the method is widely used in education and management in the US. RT is defined as a systemic evolutionary approach based on the theory of perceptual control. In an era of short-term, symptom-reducing, evidence-based approaches rooted in the medical model, Reality Therapy stands out with its philosophy and views on humans as closed-loop systems. From the client’s perspective, Reality Therapy offers a fundamentally different experience compared to other modalities.

EIRT develops and delivers psychotherapeutic training in line with European standards. The training is accredited by the European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP). The accreditation is a hallmark of quality, which is confirmed by a European Psychotherapy Certificate upon successful program completion.

Currently, the training is only offered in English, and the Bulgarian Association for Reality Therapy (BATR) is working locally to promote the method in Bulgaria. Here’s what the students have to say:

“I like that the first phase of the training is focused on self-reflection and building competence through personal experience. The school focuses on transforming my thought patterns by becoming aware of them through observation and changing language as a means of expressing beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and sensations. It was very beneficial for me that in the first year, we had the opportunity to practice self-reflection under supervision, and in the second year, we started learning how to apply the method with clients.” – Stefanka Rumenova, positive psychotherapist.

“After ten years in a cognitive-behavioral interpretation of human behavior, it was a significant challenge for me to transition to a completely different paradigm. The experience in reality therapy helped me gain much greater flexibility and acquire a completely new perspective on mental health. Contact with colleagues from different cultures, languages, and schools is extremely enriching.” – Karina Byalkova, clinical psychologist, CBT clinician.

For more information about Reality Therapy, “Days of Leon Lojk”, or other current events in Bulgaria and abroad, you can contact the Bulgarian Association for Reality Therapy at the email address info@batr.bg.