Choice Theory was developed by Dr William Glasser as a way of empowering individuals and improving relationships. It is based on the understanding that the only real control we have is over ourselves and everything we do is an attempt to meet one or more of our five basic needs: survival, love and belonging, fun, freedom and power.
Do you sometimes wonder why your life seems so difficult? Choice Theory can help you find the answers you are looking for? Understanding the principles of Choice Theory will unlock the puzzle of why you behave the way you do, why others behave the way they do, and what you can do to achieve better outcomes.
For the individual, this means personal freedom and better relationships leading to increased happiness.
For businesses and organisations this means high-quality outcomes through maximising human potential. William Glasser developed Lead Management to:-
- improve leadership skills
- manage change develop a self-motivated and self-evaluating workforce
- improve workplace relationships
- improve commitment to and alignment with organisational goals
- produce higher quality work through a vastly improved workplace culture.
For educational organisations this means helping educators create quality learning environments. Glasser’s vision of Quality Schools included supporting students to motivate themselves, take responsibility for their own behaviour and have personal resilience, leading to better educational outcomes.
Jeff
Jeff has an early background in education having been a teacher and principal for 16 years. Using the principles of Choice Theory he has successfully conducted his own counselling and consulting practice for thirty years, offering counselling, coaching, and support to individuals, schools, business and organisations. Jeff has an exemplary record as an agent of change, a guide, and mentor. He continues to provide private counselling through Riviera Counselling Service.
Jeff is a board and faculty member of William Gasser International. He has supported international companies, school systems and government agencies in developing best practice lead management to create high quality outputs through cultural. Jeff continues this work via Choice Practice Institute.
Deb
I’m Deb, the author of this site and I also have a background in education, community services, writing and of course Choice Theory. I’ve used Choice Theory to manage my own mental health challenges and I’m passionate about offering others the same opportunity.
There are a number of ways you can do this
- Via our online learning portal
- Our online Stress and Anxiety Course
- An online, or face-to-face session with Jeff
- A 30-minute chat session with me (email me for this on deb.burns@choicepractice.org)
Why Should You Care?
Choice Theory was developed by Dr William Glasser in the latter part of the twentieth century but unless you have studied psychology or teaching you may never heard of it. Yet Choice theory is just as applicable today as it was last century. In fact, many of the claims made by Glasser decades ago are now accepted as mainstream in personal and professional development.
My goal is to communicate Choice Theory to a wider audience in a way that’s easy to understand, fun, and valuable.
I’m so glad you checked in and I really hope you’ll connect with us. Even if you aren’t looking for anything in particular right now you can jump on board and receive a free, original Choice Theory Meme delivered to your inbox everyday.
Best wishes
Deb
Very intriguing site! I have never heard the term “choice theory” but I am very interested in learning more about it. If your goal was to generate interest in your topic then mission accomplished!
I’m curious, what is your experience with choice theory in your own life? I realize this is a personal question, but I think that if you felt comfortable walking people step by step thru your experience, it might help people understand better what it is all about and encourage them to apply it to their own lives.
The content on your page is clear and easy to read and understand.
Thanks for creating this site and bringing this theory to people’s attention. I believe you will find success because of how passionate you are for this topic.
Andy
Thanks Andy, I appreciate your feedback. I will see if I can make the page clearer. To answer your question I have done Basic Intensive Choice Theory Training and Basic Practicum. My husband, who will be creating training on the site has trained to an Advanced Practicum level, has used Choice Theory in his practice with a range of clients for approximately thirty years and is a board member of William Glasser Australia, which is the organising body in Australia.
Many thanks to you for sharing such an excellent article with us .Through Choice Theory I find a lot of help finding my unknown answers .Through this I have been able to discover the powerful principles of internal control .It has helped me a lot in building a great relationship .It enhanced my personal freedom and improved relationships happiness .Leadership has to improve skills and through this I have been able to do that and I have had success and improved workplace relationships. Choice Theory is much easier to understand, fun and valuable.
Lastly I hope that everyone reading this article will benefit greatly and will share their new experiences with you soon.
Thank you so much Shanta 🙂
This is very interesting i have never heard of choice theory. It seems highly intriguing and its always enjoyable and productive to learn more about ones self and ones actions. How exactly can i use this to reflect upon myself? Is there specific methods or questions i should ask myself based upon my actions and thoughts?? If so might i ask what some of these basic questions might be?
Sorry for all the questions i just am higjly interested in this.
Hi Denton and thanks for your interest. You can get started by downloading our free pdfs at https://courses.choicetheory.org
I’m currently taking some short courses on the principles of psychology and so far I have not heard about the choice theory. I’m really intrigued to learn more about this program and how it empowers other people who may be struggling with their mental health. I’m really looking forward what this organization has in store for us!
Many thanks to you for sharing such an excellent article with us .Choice Theory has helped me find many unknown answers.Through Choice Theory I have been able to improve my work success and have improved my relationship with myself.And I’ve been successful in my personal life.After reading your article, everyone will know about the Choice Theory and will share new things with you soon.
Thank you Shariful 🙂
Hello,
I love your article.
I was not aware of Choice Theory before reading this article and that may be due to the reason its only though in Psychoogy.
It should be shared on the internet and spoken about more frequently as love and happiness is what we seek and choice theory might help us reflect on our selves.
I hope you continue your teaching and help educate everyone.
I bookmarked this blog so I can come for more later in the future.
Thank you so much!
Glad to be of help. Choice Theory has certainly changed my life 🙂
Hi! I’m glad I found your site and it has been nice to get to know a bit more about both of you, Jeff and Deb. I have been seeking improvement regarding workplace relationships and I have found a couple of useful things on your site. I’ll bookmark it for further consultations. Thanks!
You are very welcome Abel. If you would like to receive regular updates you can leave your details here https://courses.choicetheory.org and we will put you on our mailing list.
This is the first time I have heard of choice theory. I would like to learn more about it. Is there any good reference books on this subject? Learning to make ones life easier is always something everyone would like. I do believe people have a choice to make their lives better but someone people just don’t choose wisely, If individuals learn to to take advantage of their personal freedom and choose wisely, their could improve all aspects of their life. This post gave me many things to think about.
Thanks Jon 🙂 You can learn more about Choice Theory at https://courses.choicetheory.org.
Thank you so much for your information about Choice Theory. One thing that I learned in life is that everything eventually correlate. If you are happy with your work it will lead to a happy relationship then lead to the same cycle. It is just that it is hard to know and it is up to us to seek the knowledge. Cannot wait to read what you have in store for us 🙂
Thanks Nuttanee, although I don’t know that I agree. We can be happy in our work and miserable in our relationship and vice versa. It’s important to meet our needs in all areas of our lives.
This is very interesting and I am always looking for avenues for self improvement, especially in the areas of relationships with family, work, and other organizations that are important to me. It seems there is a real spiritual aspect to Choice Theory, is that accurate. Looking for the right answers usually encompasses understanding the big questions such as: Why am I here? What is my purpose? Where do I want to go? that would be on an individual level. The same type of questions exist on the organizational side of things as well.
Choice Theory actually stays away from any spiritual context so that that it can be applied to people of all spiritual beliefs.
This choice theory sounds really interesting, it is something I would like to read through over and over again. Have personal relationships with some certain individuals seem to be like a really big sacrifice to make. They can be very happy and jovial with you when they have something to gain from you especially materially and financially. Once this good deeds on your part seizes to flow then you are the most unimportant person in the world. I hope this choice theory can help me expand my knowledge.
Thank you Samikingss. It sounds like you have had a bad time with a relationship? If people choose to treat us badly then the bet choice we can make is to choose to not engage with them. Unfortunately some people keep trying to change the other person and ‘help’ them see the error of their ways. This rarely works; for some people it is only through other people turning away that they learn that their behaviour is unacceptable.
Hello Deb,
Thank you very much for this wonderful product, I have used the link on the page to sign up for th free learning on choice theory, from your writing, you have used it personally and I believe that learning from you will help me know why I do what I do and help me understand people generally
Wonderful Parameter, I hope it is helpful and I would love you to come back and give me your feedback.
Thanks a lot for such an amazing review about What Is Choice Theory? and the explanation is given.
I heard about What Is Choice Theory? from a friend, I found it very interesting so I said to read more about it on the internet. I read many articles but this is the best I have read. We are in 2020 people have the right to choose and It makes their life better and easier.
Thanks again for this post! If you don’t mind, I will share this article on my social media account. Good luck!
Thank you so much for sharing such an excellent article with us. Your article was interesting and informative. I have got a lot of information about choice theory. Frankly, I didn’t know about this before. After reading your article I came to know about this topic and found valuable information. Your blog tells us about your life you have told us and we have learned about it. I love learning about your life and the way you try to explain to viewers about Choice Theory is simple, fun and valuable. I like it very much and I understand very easily and am very pleased with your info. I will share the website with my friends so that my friends can benefit from getting this valuable information.
Thanks MD, I’m glad you are finding it valuable, interesting and enjoyable.
I had never heard of this theory before but the sketch of its principles makes it seem very logical and that it would benefit a great many people. This article has definitely piqued my interest and I can’t wait to learn more. It sounds like you have a real passion for it and that is contagious! I look forward to reading your next article on this interesting avenue of thought.
I am passionate about it because I had made so many wrong turns in my life. Since learning Choice Theory I have a lot more awareness about my needs and my life.
Hi Deb, just like the other guys, I must admit the fact that this is my first time to hear of the phrase “Choice Theory”. From what I have understood so far in this article and with my own understanding of the word “Choice”, I’d say that Choice Theory states that what we achieve in life or what ever becomes the outcome of a situation is totally dependent on the action that preceded. I hope I am not wrong? If I am wrong, please let me know.
I can see that this theory has worked for your husband and many others and even for me too without me actually knowing about this theory.
Hi Mr Bitat zy
Yes you are right in a way but unfortunately in our society a lot of what happens to us is blamed on things outside of ourselves. How many times have you heard: he made me, or it made me. It may be hard to believe but no one can make us do anything. There is always a choice, even if it is very unpalatable.
Interesting! This is my first time of hearing about the site ‘Choice theory’. I find interest in it as it may give answers to my questions on internal control/ behavior. If Choice theory will also help my mental health condition, then I’ll be very happy. Thanks for sharing this informations on this site, it’s helpful.
I’ve recently started a website, the info you provide on this website has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work. “Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles.” by George Jean Nathan.
Very interesting info !Perfect just what I was looking for! “Better and ugly face than an ugly mind.” by James.
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself? Plz reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks