RATIONAL EMOTIVE

BEHAVIORAL
THERAPY
JOSEMON P.GEORGE
V MBA(PT)
 Rational Emotive Behavioral
Therapy
• A form of cognitive-behavioral therapy in
which somebody is encouraged to examine
and change irrational thought patterns
(irrational thinking) and beliefs in order to
reduce dysfunctional behavior.
 History
• REBT – developed by Alfred Ellis
• After two decades of practicing
psychoanalysis he became increasingly
disillusioned by the limited progress clients
were making
• 1957 published How to live with a Neurotic
• 1975 published A New Guide to Rational
Living which continues to be one of his
most popular books
• 1977 published Handbook of Rational-
Emotive Therapy
 Current Status
• Albert Ellis institute established in 1959
teaches principles of healthy living
• Journal of Rational-Emotive Therapy and
Cognitive Behavior Therapy reports latest
findings
 Personality
• Basic tenet of REBT is that emotional
upsets, as distinguished from feelings of
sorrow, regret, annoyance, and frustration,
largely stem from irrational beliefs
• Problematic beliefs center around
words/concepts like … should, ought,
awful, must, I want, I need …
• This is the basic personality theory of
REBT … Humans largely create their
own distress
 View of Emotional Disturbance
• REBT views emotional disturbances as
the result of irrational thinking and
behaving.
• We learn irrational beliefs from significant
other during childhood
• REBT therapist teach clients to feel
“undepressed” even when they are
unaccepted and unloved by significant
others.
 View of Emotional Disturbance
• Blame is at the core of most emotional
disturbances
• Irrational idea (e.g., I must be loved by
everyone) internalize  self-defeating
• We have a tendency to make ourselves
emotionally disturbed by internalizing self-
defeating beliefs
• REBT hypothesizes that we keep ourselves
emotionally disturbed by the process of
self-indoctrination
• REBT holds that neurotic problems directly
stem from magical, “unvalidated”
thinking
• The solution for dealing with an individual's
demandingness most strongly supported by
REBT is decreasing demandingness

• Example: The myth of entitlement

 Irrational Ideas
• Irrational ideas lead to self-defeating
behavior
• Some examples:
– “I must have love or approval from all the
significant people in my life.”
– “I must perform important tasks competently
and perfectly.”
– “If I don’t get what I want, it’s terrible, and I
can’t stand it.”
 Ten Common Irrational Ideas
1. I should be loved and approved by significant
others and live up to their expectations.
2. I must be highly competent, adequate, intelligent
and achieving before I can me happy.
3. When people act unfairly I should blame them
and view them as bad people.
4. It is a terrible catastrophe when I am rejected,
treated unfairly, and things aren’t as I would like
them.
5. Since my feelings are caused by external factors,
I have little or no ability to control or change
them.
 Ten Common Irrational Ideas
6. I should be greatly concerned about dangerous
and fearful things and must center my attention
on them until the danger has past.
7. I can handle difficulties and responsibilities better
by avoiding them than by facing them.
8. People and things SHOULD turn out better than
they do, and when they don’t I should see them
as awful, terrible, etc.
9. My past remains all-important, and must influence
my feelings and behavior now because it once
did.
10. I can achieve maximum happiness by inaction or
by passively enjoying myself.
 The Therapeutic Process
• Therapy is seen as an educational process
• Clients learn
– To identify and dispute irrational beliefs
– To replace ineffective ways of thinking with
effective and rational cognitions
– To stop absolutistic thinking, blaming, and
repeating false beliefs
 Therapeutic Goals
• A basic goal is to teach clients how to
change their dysfunctional emotions and
behaviors via cognitive and behavioral
methods - into healthy ones.
• Two main goals of REBT are to assist
clients to achieving unconditional self-
acceptance and unconditional other
acceptance.
– As clients become more able to accept
themselves, they are more likely to
unconditionally accept others.
 Therapist’s function and Role
1. Encouraging clients to discover their
irrational beliefs and ideas
2. Making connection of how these irrational
beliefs lead to emotional disturbances
3. Challenging clients to modify or abandon
their irrational beliefs.
4. Dispute the irrational beliefs and substitute
rational beliefs and behaviors.
5. Displaying warmth toward clients may be
desirable but it is not necessary.
 Client’s Experience in Therapy
• Client is a student and learner--- the client learns
how to apply logical thoughts, experiential
exercises, and behavioral homework to problem
solving and emotional change.
• Focus on here-and-now experiences
• Does not spend much time to exploring clients’
early history and connecting present and past
• Expect to actively work outside the therapy
sessions.
 Relationship Between Therapist
and Client
• The role of the client in rational emotive
behavior therapy is like that of a student
and a learner
 Relationship Between Therapist
and Client
• Intensive therapeutic relationship is not
required. But, REBT therapist
unconditionally accept all clients and
teach them to unconditionally accept others
and themselves. (therapists accepts them as
persons but confront their faulty thinking
and self-destructive behaviors)
• Ellis believes that too much warmth and
understanding can be counter-productive,
fostering dependence for approval.
 Relationship Between Therapist
and Client
• Therapists shows great faith in their
clients’ ability to change themselves.
• Open and direct in disclosing their own
beliefs and values
• Transference is not encouraged,
when it occur, the therapist is likely to
confront it (e.g., clients believe that they
must be liked and loved by their
therapists.)
 Characteristics of
Rational Emotive Behavior
Therapy
1. Thoughts cause Feelings and Behaviors.

2. Brief and Time-Limited.

3. Emphasis placed on current behavior.

4. REBT is a collaborative effort between the
therapist and the client.
Client role - define goals, express concerns,
learn & implement learning
Therapist role - help client define goals, listen,
teach, encourage.

5. Teaches the benefit of remaining calm or

at least neutral when faced with difficult
situations. (If you are upset by your
problems, you now have 2 problems: 1) the
problem, and 2) your upsetness.
6. Based on "rational thought." - Fact not
assumptions.
7.REBT is structured and directive. Based
on notion that maladaptive behaviors are
the result of skill deficits.
8. Based on assumption that most emotional
and behavioral reactions are learned. 
Therefore, the goal of therapy is to help
clients unlearn their unwanted reactions and
to learn a new way of reacting.
9. Homework is a central feature of REBT.
 HOMEWORK
Probably the most important REBT strategy is
homework. This can include such activities as:
Reading
Self-help exercises
Experiential activities
Journaling
Thought Stopping
Intentional Reframing
Therapy sessions are really ‘training sessions’, between
which the client tries out and uses what they have
learned.
 Clinical Applications of REBT
● Depression
● Anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder,
agoraphobia, specific phobias, generalised anxiety, posttraumatic
stress disorder, etc.
● Eating disorders, addictions, impulse control disorders
● Anger management, antisocial behaviour, personality disorders
● Sexual abuse recovery
● Adjustment to chronic health problem, physical disability, or mental
disorder
● Pain management
● General stress management
● Child or adolescent behaviour disorders
● Relationship and family problems
● Personal growth
● Workplace effectiveness
 
 REBT effective for use with
  ● Self / Personal Growth
● Individual Clients
● Groups
● Marriage / relationships
● Family
● Workplace
● Varying Intellectual ability/learning impairments
 
 Principles of REBT

The basic aim of REBT is to leave clients at the completion of

therapy with
 ● The freedom to choose their emotions, behaviours and lifestyle
(within physical, social and economic restraints)
A method of self-observation and personal change that will help
them maintain their gains.
● Realistic thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that are in
proportion to the events and circumstances an individual
experiences.
● A Here and Now orientation.
 ● Finally, the emphasis is on profound and lasting change in
the underlying belief system of the client, rather than simply
eliminating the presenting symptoms. The client is left with
self-help techniques that enable coping in the long-term
future.
 LEARNING TO USE REBT
  ● Techniques of REBT are best learned
by attending an appropriate training
course.
● To practice it is important to have a
good understanding of irrational thinking.
● The most effective way to learn how
to help clients uncover and dispute
irrational beliefs is to practice on oneself.
• REBT helps clients acquire a more realistic,
tolerant philosophy of life
• REBT practitioners often employ a rapid-fire
active-directive-persuasive-philosophical
methodology
• The solution for dealing with an individual's
demandingness most strongly supported by
REBT is decreasing demandingness