NOTE: All those who have registered for the conference will be invited to choose their workshops before the conference begins.
THURSDAY 19 JUNE 2025
3:00 pm Registration opens
7:30 pm Meet and Mingle in the Bar
FRIDAY 20 JUNE 2025
9:15 am OPENING & KEYNOTE
KEYNOTE: Responsibility and Awareness – Brian Lennon
Viewing people’s responsibility in terms of their personal awareness and ownership of their behaviour and its consequences, Brian explores areas where this awareness is limited by the individual’s own cognitive development. He sees this as one way of developing Dr. Glasser’s Choice Theory ideas and encourages Choice Theorists to explore new ramifications and applications of Choice Theory psychology.
Brian Lennon did his Basic training with Dr. Glasser and has been an advanced instructor since 1989. He worked as a guidance counsellor and psychologist until retiring in 2009. He is founder and Chairperson Emeritus of William Glasser International, a Fellow of the William Glasser Institute Ireland and a Fellow of the Irish Institute of Guidance Counsellors. He recently published ‘The Practice of Reality Therapy’ and ‘The Practice of Choice Theory Psychology’ as well as editing the ‘Choice Theory in Action Series’. In dedicating his last book to Brian, Dr. Glasser wrote, ‘I have felt your mind is a mirror of mine’.
FRIDAY MORNING WORKSHOPS
The gift of psychotherapy: A new look at yourself – Martina Dumančić Vranješ & Katarina Rana Gluhan
Society sends us messages from birth that our worth is outside of us – I am worthy if others think I am worthy, I am worthy if I have excellent results, I am worthy if I live in accordance with some norms. With these messages, we develop ideas that our value is outside of us and that our self-esteem depends on what others will think of us. Living with these beliefs, it is difficult for us to love ourselves fully, because we believe that our worth is in someone else’s hands. By changing these traditional beliefs, we can become aware that our quality worlds are very different, and hence our perception and experience of the world and we can start looking at ourselves in a different way. At the workshop, we will work on this awareness through practical exercises, group work and exchange of experiences. Katarina Rana Gluhan is my co-host.
Martina Dumančić Vranješ, social pedagogue, Reality Therapy Psychotherapist with a European Diploma in Psychotherapy. Conducts individual and group psychotherapy. She is a member of the teaching council of the European Institute for Reality Therapy and is an educator of new generations of Reality Therapy counsellors and psychotherapists. She is a member of the European Association for Reality Therapy, the HURT Association for Reality Therapy, and the Croatian Chamber of Psychotherapists.
Katarina Rana Gluhan, social pedagogue, Reality Therapy Psychotherapist with a European Diploma in Psychotherapy. Conducts individual and group psychotherapy. She is a member of the teaching council of the European Institute for Reality Therapy, she is an educator of new generations of Reality Therapy counsellors and psychotherapists. She is a member of the European Association for Reality Therapy, the HURT Association for Reality Therapy, and the Croatian Chamber of Psychotherapists.
Client with dissociative disorder in psychotherapy room – a case study – Danko Butorac
In this workshop I’m going to present a case study of a woman diagnosed with dissociative disorder. I have been working with her for several months applying the Reality Therapy Psychotherapy approach. During the workshop we will delve into an understanding of dissociation, depersonalisation and derealisation from a theoretical perspective as well as from our own perspective through our own experiential resources. Through discussion in small groups we will discover our specific experiences as resources for a deeper understanding of the psychotherapy clients.
Danko Butorac is a psychologist and a psychotherapist working in his private practice in Senj, Croatia. He has a lot of expertise in divorce counselling, couples therapy, and working with people with diverse psychological distress as described in the DSM-V. Happily married, father of five children.
Core Connections, Quality Outcomes – Jane Newman
Amidst the current demands and challenges of the school environment, it’s easy for teachers to lose sight of the meaningful impact they make each day for their students. Often finding themselves consumed in the role of “human doings,” focused heavily on the list of responsibilities and tasks requiring completion… and while this can’t always be avoided, we know that true effectiveness and personal fulfillment stems from a deeper understanding and connection of oneself as a “human being”. Knowing and understanding who we are and what we stand for brings us closer to being our authentic selves in the classroom. This presentation is designed to empower educators with the tools and skills to navigate and intentionally decide how they are going to BE in the educational landscape, empowering them towards a brighter future for all!
Jane Newman has spent more than 25 years working in various teaching and leadership roles in primary schools and across the Early Childhood sector in Queensland, Australia. She completed her Basic Intensive Training during her first year of teaching and from this point has been passionate about Choice Theory and the teachings of Dr Glasser. Jane is a strong advocate for teacher and leader wellbeing and is passionate about working with people to grow and expand into the best, mentally fit versions of themselves. Having completed her Masters in Education and coupled with her years of educational experience and leadership, in 2022 Jane launched ‘New Core, learning starts within’ where she provides training, coaching, and consultation to schools, early childhood settings and organisations to transform and maximise the functioning of their biggest assets – the people!
Adolescents with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in a Reality Therapist’s Office – Marija Sitar
During the workshop, the presenter will offer foundational information about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their impact on child development, attachment to caregivers, and later attachment in other relationships. The presenter will share the understanding that families served as environments for their growth and how they, with their implicit and explicit memories, formed and reinforced their core beliefs about themselves, others and the world. Additionally, the presenter will allow the participants to experience some expressive art activities with Choice Theory used in work with adolescents who have experienced ACEs. Utilising expressive art with Choice Theory can potentially create an environment where young individuals may slowly start changing their (own) beliefs about themselves, others and the world around them and gain more balanced control over their (own) lives.
Marija Sitar is a master of social pedagogy, psychotherapist (PRT, ECP), Reality Therapy teacher, play therapy practitioner, POY L.2, and international school counsellor with an international school counselling certificate and 20 years of experience working with children and adolescents, supporting them directly and indirectly through work with their teachers and parents. Currently working as a Personal Counsellor in a residential school in India and collaborating closely with a school doctor who often refers students for therapeutic work. Marija was an active member of the CART Quality School Group. Additionally, Marija co-authored a book, Socio-pedagogical Mosaic: Developing a Support Model for Students with Behavioral Disorders, and supported various national projects while working in Croatia.
Two Case studies /fibromyalgia/depression/ – Dubravka Stijacic
I will present how I as an RT psychotherapist understand the client’s frustration and what I do with this understanding. When things in our lives are not as we would like them to be, we do our best to make it better. If we are choosing our behaviour according to our external control beliefs, it will get worse. Our efforts to lower frustration end up deepening it. And we end up with a diagnosis.
Dubravka Stijacic, univ.mag.paed.soc., Psychotherapist RT. I am President of the Croatian Association of Reality Therapy. I have worked in a Psychiatric Hospital with individuals and groups as a Mental Health Professional and as a Psychotherapist for 35 years. Since 2016 I do counselling and psychotherapy in a private setting. Since 1989 I am Faculty of WGI. Since 1996 I am faculty of the European Institute for Reality Therapy.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON
2:00 PM KEYNOTE: Teach them who they are – Anatomy of one idea – Boba Lojk
Since the establishment of the European Association for Reality Therapy, significant efforts have been made to secure the recognition that Reality Therapy deserves. Our breakthrough came in 2008 when Reality Therapy was officially recognized as a psychotherapy modality, on a par with other recognized approaches. This achievement would not have been possible without presenting evidence that our method is scientifically grounded and that it fulfills the requirements for training future psychotherapists, as well as meeting the standards of other established modalities. The journey toward this recognition began in 1998, a decade earlier, with the intensive development of a teaching approach rooted in the evolution of the author’s original ideas. Inspired by Dr. Glasser’s book Choice Theory, we began to transform and refine our understanding of Choice Theory, leading to the development of the Reality Therapy approach. With the support of the author, we were able to attain this important recognition. I will now elaborate on this journey.
Boba Lojk, social worker and psychotherapist, has developed an original approach in teaching the New Reality Therapy based on personal experiences. Along with her husband Leon she set up the five years Reality Therapy psychotherapist training as well as four years Reality Therapy counsellor training. Boba is the EART general secretary, confounder of the European Institute for Reality Therapy (EIRT) and it’s Director of Training. Her contribution is that EIRT in 2011 has been recognized by EAP as The European Accredited Psychotherapy Training Institute (EAPTI). Thanks to this recognition as EAPTI every student who becomes an RT psychotherapist through EIRT’s program automatically gets the European Certificate for Psychotherapy (ECP) awarded directly by EAP.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS
Personal Growth and Development using Choice Theory and Adlerian Psychology – Bruce Tate
The theory and practice of Choice Theory and Adlerian Psychology are well aligned and both are forward looking and optimistic in approach. Glasser and other Choice Theory practitioners were aware of Adler’s work. Personal responsibility and growth in a social setting are emphasised in each. They are fundamentally practical and seek to identify alternative ways of feeling, thinking and behaving. Creativity is important in personal growth and we will explore different aspects of this including creating (and changing) meaning and the use of metaphors. Creativity requires courage and we will look at ways of recognising or reconnecting with our personal capabilities and resources in order to enhance our quality worlds. This presentation will introduce the key aspects of Adlerian Psychology and how these sit alongside Choice Theory. It will include a live demonstration to illustrate how some of these ideas can be brought together and applied in practice.
After working in training/personnel management for over a decade with British Antarctic Survey I embarked on training to become an Adlerian counsellor/psychotherapist. Since completing my own training in 2008 I have been involved in contributing to and then from 2010 coordinating the Adlerian training programme at Bottisham Village College until 2023. I have worked as a therapist in NHS settings and later in independent practice since 2006. In spring 2024 I started the certification programme in Choice Theory and Reality Therapy in order to develop my integrative approach to therapy. In 2014 I was invited to join the faculty of the international Adlerian summer school and have taught there each year since then. I have also facilitated training for the Adlerian Network of Ireland as well as in Singapore, Shanghai and Athens.
Festina lente – Aligning the Psychoterapist with the Client in the Psychotherapy Process – Cvita Vasilj Studak & Nikolina Essert
In this interactive workshop, we will explore the process of aligning the psychotherapist with the client. It often happens that we believe we know what is best for the client, operating from the idea that we need to ‘save’ them. Sometimes, we may rush the process or think that the client should work on a different topic rather than the one they have proposed. We will reflect on the role of the therapist and their task in accompanying the client throughout the psychotherapy process.
Cvita Vasilj Studak: Social pedagogue, Reality Therapy Psychotherapist with a European Diploma in Psychotherapy (ECP). She has been working in social services for 18 years with children and young people with behavioural disorders and their parents. She has years of experience in providing psychotherapy for clients with eating disorders. As a member of the teaching council of the European Institute for Reality Therapy, she provides educational programs, supervision and personal experience therapy.
Nikolina Essert: Psychologist, Reality Therapy Psychotherapist, member of the Teachers’ Council of the European Institute for Reality Therapy. She is employed in her own private psychotherapy practice. She works with individuals, couples and groups. For the last 10 years, she has worked with people with eating disorders. For ten years, she has worked in a preschool institution as a psychologist. She has many years of experience in the field of parenting through experiential and educational workshops as well as through individual counselling for parents.
Single Session Therapy in a Walk-in Centre – Jimmie Woods
The workshop looks at what is distinctive about this way of working and asks the question “Is Choice Theory a useful model for working in single session therapy?” We will also look at the experiences of people who have worked in this way.
Jimmie Woods is a senior faculty member of William Glasser Institute and holds the European Certificate in Psychotherapy (ECP). He worked as a Guidance Counsellor in schools for over 30 years and has experience of working in a walk-in counselling centre for many years. He also works as a Supervisor with Guidance Counsellors.
Mental Freedom: You Hold The Key – Kim Olver
Discover how a psychoeducational approach can empower you to take charge of your mental health – distinct from counseling and coaching – by adopting a commonsense “operating system,” one based on internal rather than external control. In this workshop, you’ll learn the core principles of Mental Freedom®, a self-directed framework built on Choice Theory®, proven to help people from diverse backgrounds handle life’s complexities. Taught in just six sessions, Mental Freedom offers practical tools for reducing stress, improving relationships, and building lasting resilience. Expect an engaging, interactive presentation with real-life examples that give you firsthand experience of this transformative method. No prior knowledge is necessary – anyone seeking more effective ways to navigate life’s ups and downs is welcome. Come unlock the power of Mental Freedom for yourself! It’s also ideal if you’re interested in Mental Freedom Certification, giving you the option to share these principles with your own students or clients.
Kim Olver is a recognized authority in personal growth and mental well-being. As a senior instructor in Choice Theory and the former Executive Director of the William Glasser Institute from 2013 to 2023, she is dedicated to teaching people how to harness internal control to create happier, more fulfilling lives. Kim is an award-winning author, speaker, and coach who developed the concept of Mental Freedom as a practical, accessible tool for transforming everyday challenges into opportunities for growth. Her interactive presentations combine research, real-world examples, and down-to- earth guidance, leaving participants inspired and equipped to make impactful changes.
SATURDAY 21 JUNE 2025
9:15 am KEYNOTE: Head, Heart, and Hands of Choice Theory – Kim Olver
Join Kim Olver as she shares her personal journey with Choice Theory in this engaging keynote. Drawing on her experiences, Kim outlines the evolution of Choice Theory and demonstrates how aligning our minds, hearts, and actions can create meaningful change. Her thoughtful insights and practical strategies offer a balanced perspective on harnessing the power of choice for both personal and professional growth.
Kim Olver is a recognized authority in personal growth and mental well-being. As a senior instructor in Choice Theory and the former Executive Director of the William Glasser Institute from 2013 to 2023, she is dedicated to teaching people how to harness internal control to create happier, more fulfilling lives. Kim is an award-winning author, speaker, and coach who developed the concept of Mental Freedom as a practical, accessible tool for transforming everyday challenges into opportunities for growth. Her interactive presentations combine research, real-world examples, and down-to- earth guidance, leaving participants inspired and equipped to make impactful changes.
SATURDAY MORNING WORKSHOPS
Using role play in the training process – Boba Lojk
The workshop offers experience in the preparation and application of the role play in the training process. Since the training is based on personal experiences we consider role play as very important part of it because of : a) enabling direct experience of how total behaviour works; b) enabling direct experience of how CT works for us in the client’s role during the role-playing and c) enabling direct experience to the student in the therapist’s role to develop an authentic relationship with a client and an opportunity to apply CT beliefs. The audience will also have an opportunity to see the role play with a chosen client.
Boba Lojk, social worker and psychotherapist, has developed an original approach in teaching the New Reality Therapy based on personal experiences. Along with her husband Leon she set up the five years Reality Therapy psychotherapist training as well as four years Reality Therapy counsellor training. Boba is the EART general secretary, confounder of the European Institute for Reality Therapy (EIRT) and it’s Director of Training. Her contribution is that EIRT in 2011 has been recognized by EAP as The European Accredited Psychotherapy Training Institute (EAPTI). Thanks to this recognition as EAPTI every student who becomes an RT psychotherapist through EIRT’s program automatically gets the European Certificate for Psychotherapy (ECP) awarded directly by EAP.
Unmasking Identity: A Personal Journey – Lynn Sumida
For years, I meticulously crafted an identity based on achievements and societal roles, believing it to be unshakable. However, a profound personal loss shattered this facade, revealing deep cracks in my foundation, plunging me into a crisis of self-esteem. Is it possible to develop an unshakable sense of self? This presentation will explore the evolution of identity through the lens of Choice Theory. Our identities are shaped by the pictures in our quality world – our beliefs, roles, desires and ultimately the behaviours we’ve adopted to meet our psychological needs. Some of these beliefs and behaviours align with our true selves, while others stem from external conditioning. We’ll examine the stages of the identity continuum and identify key Choice Theory principles that are significant at each stage of the journey. This is an opportunity to engage in a conversation that promises to challenge your perceptions and inspire your personal development.
I have been exploring identity from the time of my birth. Being of mixed racial background, and one of 5 adopted children, it makes sense that this question would arise. But this is not what propelled me to explore identity. After receiving my MSW degree I worked in schools and took a Basic Intensive course after reading Schools Without Failure. I completed Certification in 1980 and later became a Basic and Senior Instructor. In 1981 I went into private practice and was suddenly navigating an onslaught of abuse disclosures. In search of more skills, I trained in family therapy and became an NLP Trainer. My mission – to help people move from surviving into thriving. I developed a core transformative process called Prime Potential that resets the nervous system; and offers through Expanding You Inc. online and in-person programmes to give people the skills to live life from their true authentic Identity.
I am the captain of my life, of course, BUT… (understanding BUT as a RT Psychoterapist) – Živana Stegić-Ivas
Most of us would say that we are the captains of our lives. Of course, who else can be? But in everyday life, especially working with clients, we can see that most people actually don’t believe it. Because often after these words there is a “BUT”. BUT other people’s behaviour, circumstances and life itself don’t match with our expectation and we start to have a feeling that something else runs our life. Until we really embrace the belief that we are always the captains of our lives, the ones who choose how to perceive and what meaning gives to every situation and that is what really makes us happy or not, we will be dissatisfied, often feeling as a victim.
Teacher, Reality Therapy Psychotherapist with a European Diploma in Psychotherapy, member of the Teaching Council of the European Institute for Reality Therapy and the Croatian Association for Reality Therapy, WGI basic instructor with many years of experience in teaching students in RT/CT education. I have been engaged in psychotherapy and counselling since 2009.
The Self in Choice Theory – Brian Lennon
Dr. Glasser always claimed that the self was in the Quality World. But which self? The ideal, real, existential or some other? In this presentation we will explore the significance of this powerful Quality World picture and look at it from a variety of different angles.
Brian Lennon did his Basic training with Dr. Glasser and has been an advanced instructor since 1989. He worked as a guidance counsellor and psychologist until retiring in 2009. He is founder and Chairperson Emeritus of William Glasser International, a Fellow of the William Glasser Institute Ireland and a Fellow of the Irish Institute of Guidance Counsellors. He recently published ‘The Practice of Reality Therapy’ and ‘The Practice of Choice Theory Psychology’ as well as editing the ‘Choice Theory in Action Series’. In dedicating his last book to Brian, Dr. Glasser wrote, ‘I have felt your mind is a mirror of mine’.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS
Living the Dream – Ken Lyons
Here Ken presents, what he considers to be a collection of the best ideas of Choice Theory teachers, gathered over the years. From the beginning, Ken was captivated by Glasser’s assertion that ‘fun is the genetic reward for learning’; he saw this embodied in the exercises, energisers, warm ups and ice breakers that have helped teachers, instructors, counsellors and lead managers to have a deeper understanding of, and really live, Glasser’s ideas. He earnestly hopes that participants will bring and share their experiences of exercises and insights that really moved them during their Choice Theory journey and finally he will try to envisage exercises that might become crucial in teaching Choice Theory as brain science and research gives us deeper insight into Glasser’s thinking.
Though now gloriously retired, Ken has been living, teaching and presenting on Choice Theory since Dr. Glasser first brought his revolutionary ideas to Ireland. During this time he was privileged to have experienced some of the most exhilarating and creative presenters and teachers that peopled the world wide Glasser family.
Can You Hear The Music of Choice Theory? – Roisin Mellett
Can you hear the music of Choice Theory ? (Looking at Choice Theory through the lens of music and exploring creativity within Choice theory) explores how Choice Theory concepts can be related to song lyrics. This is highlighted with extracts from a number of songs and a music video. It also features an original song I composed which captures key concepts of Choice Theory and the chart. I am also asking this question in a deeper sense. In the movie “Oppenheimer”, Bohr asked the young physicist Oppenheimer, “Can you hear the music, Robert?” It is speculated that this means, “Do you have an intuitive understanding of physics and the possibilities it can create?” “Can you hear the music of Choice Theory?” can be interpreted as “Can you embrace the endless possibilities that CT offers?”, and invites us to be composers of the story of our lives.
Roisin is of teacher of Music and RE in a large vibrant secondary school in Dublin and has 30 years experience in that role. Roisin holds an M.A. in School Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care and has been a member of the school’s Critical Incident Team for a number of years. Roisin is privileged to witness the journey of growth that students make as they travel the road from their early teens to emerging young adults. Roisin aspires to provide a nurturing environment where young people can grow and flourish. Roisin embarked on her Basic Training almost 2 years ago and has completed her Advanced Practicum and is looking forward to the final step of Certification.
Getting through the Small Stuff Well and Dealing with the Big Stuff Better – Denise Landers
In this presentation we will review current research in relation to the mental health status of various generations including the Millennials. We will consider further research from a number of countries including Australia that provides evidence-based information on strategies to increase mental health and wellbeing. After examining what the research concludes we will consider how to do a better job of managing mental health from a personal and professional perspective. As helping professionals, partners, parents, carers, grandparents and everything else in between, what do we do when life becomes tougher than expected, and how can our own experiences help others to achieve a state of ‘Flow… that magical place where you’re completely absorbed in what you’re doing, where time seems to pass so fast it’s like it doesn’t exist at all’. Dr. William Glasser refers to the state of flow as a Positive Addiction (1925).
Denise Landers has worked as a teacher and counsellor in Australia for more than thirty years. Since completing a Master in Guidance and Counselling in 1998, Denise has worked as a Guidance Counsellor in rural and remote schools. In her work, Denise has supported families, and their children from birth to eighteen years, who have diverse learning needs including disability, complex behaviours and mental health concerns, social, emotional and medical needs impacting on school engagement and learning. The goal is to assist students to establish and maintain a mentally healthy outlook to improve engagement in learning and achieve success inside and outside the school environment. Using the Choice Theory framework, the focus is always strengths based. She finds working as school a Guidance Counsellor immensely satisfying.
It can always be better! – Sr Marinela Delonga
“It can always be better!” “It can always be better!” (Working with a focus group) – A focus group is a way for people who are looking to improve the quality of their lives through focus group meetings can get information about how only we ourselves, through our own efforts, can find and build our happiness with the people close to us and dear to us in our lives. Glasser’s idea was to offer a form of teaching to people who do not need counselling, but who need to live their lives as contentedly as they would like. I will present the experience of working in a focus group, the experiences of people who have greatly benefited from participating in the focus group, who have raised the quality of their lives by accepting Glasser’s view of human behavior. The experience that Glasser’s idea makes sense.
I am a nun working as a primary school religion teacher. I have been in CT education for 23 years and for 10 years I have been a teacher-supervisor at WGI. Choice Theory is a part of my life in all areas where I work (school, choir, focus group…) where I share my beliefs. The motto that guides me in life is Humble love is what moves the world…
A Reality Therapist’s Perspective on Somatoform Disorders – Marija Posavec
“Symptoms serve as signals”, but for whom and to what end? Are they indicators of wellness, improvement, or deterioration? The concept of asymptomatic disorders challenges the notion of symptoms as necessary signals. While psychopathology is understood as intentional behavior, do somatic illnesses follow distinct biological principles? Psychosomatic conditions blur these boundaries, presenting as mental health disorders with physical manifestations. If the underlying cause is resolved, recovery is expected – but why does this not always occur? This presentation explores the complexities of symptomatology, intentionality in psychopathology, and the interplay between mind and body in psychosomatic disorders.
Medical doctor, specialised in school health and adolescent medicine, finished CT/RT training in 2017 and has been working as a psychotherapist ever since. Currently a practicum supervisor in the European Institute for Reality Therapy and vice president of the Croatian Association of Reality Therapy.
WORKSHOP CHOICES
Once you have registered for the conference, you may go to THIS PAGE to submit your preferences for the workshops. These will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to choose your workshops as soon as possible.