Pilgrim in America

PROGRAM GUIDE:

Lil Hosman: Choosing Your Way
This one-day workshop will introduce you to the ideas of William Glasser and his work in Reality Therapy. Choice Theory will provide a method for: understanding why we behave the way we do; planning with others in a way that allows all involved to get their needs met; understanding why we insist on repeating non-productive patterns in our lives; and teaching ways to communicate with others, without putting them on the defensive. Plan to have fun while you participate in a variety of learning activities, get connected with others in First Church, learn about yourself, and walk away with usable communication tools. (Bring a sack luch.)

Facilitator: Lil Hosman - is a First Church member and faculty member of the William Glasser Institute who has taught and trained internationally with schools, social services and mental health organizations. Details: One Saturday: Oct. 17; 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.; B102. Fee: Pledging $35 / Non-pledging: $45

Room B102 is on the ground floor of the new building (Buchan Building). Chairs in a circle, writing board, tea, coffe, cookies. We are 13 people, including two therapists, too. Friends arrive: Linda and Ralph, I am glad to see them.

We introduce ourselves and the object which we brought to represent ourselves. I brought nothing because for me symbols are those things we hide behind (let me add: in accordance with Francis David's theory). Lil Hosman explains the Reality Therapy of William Glasser. She reads a poem by Portia Nelson: Autobiography in Five Chapters. She asks questions, writes our answers on the board and then makes conclusions. We are to make a drawing of our life story. Lil uses coloured pieces of cloths with inscriptions symbolizing main ideas of William Glasser's theory, and she places them on the floor, thus reconstructing relationship of the individual and environment. The method has a main point: you are to ask the right questions and refrain to suggest solutions. The patient has to find them himself. Most important question: "And what are you going to do about it?"

During the break we went out for a walk in pairs to have a talk about ourselves. We had to listen and then tell our story. I told my partner about the Hungarian Unitarianism and my project.

Afterwards: exercise. We chose partners and became therapists and patients. First, I was supposed to play the part of a 14-year-old under the overwhelming influence of his mother, and a small elderly lady was my therapist (later on I met her again on several occasions). Then I was supposed to ask my 60-years-old overweight patient how many pounds he wanted to loose. Instead of that I'm afraid I started psychoanalysing the poor guy, anyway, I took a great pleasure in immersing myself in the mysteries of my partner's imagined problems.

Afterwards Lil had a personal therapy discussion with Ralph and with one of the therapists so that we could have an idea what the theory looked like in practice when applied to a real case.

This is the first time I took part in a therapy course. In the end I said goodbye and thanked Lil for receiving me as a guest.