Mike Rice takes an honest, sometimes humorous look at the aging process, grief and mortality from a Choice Theory point of view. Kim Olver, Executive Director of William Glasser International and William Glasser Institute - US _____"I used to joke by saying, 'If you want to look young . . . hang out with old people.' I thought this was a clever line until one day, all of my older friends were no longer living and I became the old one." _____The bitter, yet merciful, lesson which death teaches us is to distinguish the gold from the tinsel, the true values from the worthless chaff. The terrible events of life are great eye-openers. They force us to learn that which it is wholesome for us to know, but which habitually we try to ignore - namely, that really we have no claim on a long life; that we are each of us liable to be called off at any moment, and that the main point is not how long we live, but with what meaning we fill the short allotted span - for short it is at best.Felix Adler_____"As we get older it seems "organ recitals" become a regular occurrence with every social gathering."
About the Author: Michael Rice is a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor who is certified in Reality Therapy and Choice Theory by the William Glasser Institute. Choice Theory differentiates from conventional psychiatry that diagnoses mental illness and brain disorders for conditions that have no pathology and are treated with psychotropic medications. Choice Theory is based upon personal choices, personal responsibility, and personal transformation. What is being diagnosed and medicated as a mental illness is, in reality, the behavior of someone who is acting out of frustration and unhappiness. The unhappiness and frustration is the result of an unsatisfying relationship with someone important to them . . . something that is occurring in the present. The frustration and unhappiness is the result of several unsuccessful attempts to control a situation that will result in an acceptable relationship. The relationship problem may also be the client's own relationship with him/herself. Mike has been in private practice since 1998 and over the years has helped over four thousand clients for substance abuse and several other behavioral health and emotional concerns. His years of practice and experience has encompassed group therapy, one-on-one, and couples counseling, helping others to better understand themselves by teaching Choice Theory methods of improving their relationships with the important people in their lives. Mike has been an active member of the William Glasser Institute, having served as the Regional Director of the Western states as well as having served on the U.S. Board of Directors of the Institute. Mike has presented several workshops at conferences in AZ, CA, NV, TN, CT, and Bogota, Columbia. He has presented at the AZ Psychological Association and the Sierra Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence in Sacramento, CA. Along with Dr. Kenneth Larsen, Mike co-emceed the opening ceremonies of the William Glasser International Conference at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in June of 2012. Mike remains the CEO and Director of Court Counseling Services in Mesa, AZ, which he started in 1998. He continues to assess clients for substance abuse, teaches life-skills, and shares his experiences with client issues and Choice Theory applications in his books and articles.