Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Theory

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an insight-focused therapy that emphasizes the here-and-now. It is typically brief and time-limited, collaborative in nature, fairly structured and empirically based (Freeman, Felgoise, Nezu, Nezu, & Reinecke, 2005). Aaron Beck is a major name that arises when discussing the origins of CBT. Beck (1970) contends that individual perceptions of events shape feelings and behaviors. This theory places emphasis on the concept of automatic thoughts. Automatic thoughts are linked to the client’s core beliefs about self and worldview. When a client’s automatic thoughts are maladaptive, it can often be traced to irrational core beliefs; this in turn elicits emotional and behavioral difficulty. In other words, this phenomenon describes what Beck termed “cognitive distortions” which are unrealistic negative thoughts and beliefs that influence perception of events, feelings, and reactions (Beck, 1970).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the inspired work of Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck which emphasizes the need for attitudinal change to promote and maintain a behavior modification (Nichols, 2010 p. 167). Ellis believed, people contribute to their own psychological problems, as well as specific symptoms, by the rigid and extreme beliefs they hold about events and situations (Cory 2012, p. 291). CBT is based on an educational model with a scientifically supported assumption that most emotional and behavioral responses are learned. Therefore, the goal of therapy is to assist clients unlearn their unwanted behaviors and to learn new ways of behaving and thinking when he/she is faced with an

According to Hayes, emphasis shifted towards exploration of one’s interpretation of the world and interpretation of emotionally relevant situations, and shapes experience. This second generation of developments included rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) developed by Albert Ellis, and Beck and colleagues’ cognitive therapy.

In order to evaluate whether modern behavioural therapies can help a client accept the uncertainty of their future, I am going to look in detail at two Modern Behavioural therapies, REBT – Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy and CBT – Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to ascertain their use in therapy with a client.

In the cognitive behaviour approach to counselling the use of potential outcomes of cognitive behaviour therapy, looking at the fact that there are emotional disorders that result from negative thoughts and thinking on unrealistic terms, and this in time can be altered by changing the unrealistic terms and negative thoughts to positive thoughts and realistic ideas. Rational emotional therapy is there to assist the client to make enlightened changes to themselves. In 1962 Ellis stated that “ human thinking and emotions are, in some of their essences, the same thing, and that by changing the former one does change the latter ( Dryden 2001). This would let the client to give up the demands of their own psyche, others and the world, and change it to suit their choices and to allow themselves to accept themselves for who they really are. If the counsellor can get the client to do this, they can experience healthy negative emotions such as sadness, concern and disappointment, while still retaining their desires, wishes and needs. The client will rarely experience unhealthy

Moreover, finding different ways of dealing with the negative interpretation of an individual's schema is what Cognitive-behavior therapy strives to do. Many of the ideas of Cognitive-behavior therapy derive form Albert Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy are deemed the early stages and development of Cognitive-behavior therapy, but REBT takes the confrontational route which means that the counselor would tell the client that their schemas are impractical (Henderson, 2016). Cognitive-behavior therapy believes that the relationship between counselor and client is important, therapeutic, and effective for the client's recovery. Moreover, there are three assumptions that Cognitive-behavior therapy goes by; one cognitive activity effects and individuals behavior. Second, cognitive activity can be changed through moderation. Finally, through cognitive change the client can be accomplished by desiring change. The following studies show Cognitive-behavioral therapy in action and its effects on

Psychological problems are any conditions that merit clinical attention. In rational emotive behav- iour therapy (REBT; Ellis, 1994, 2000), for example, inappropriate emotions (emotional upsets) and self-defeating behaviours are the primary cate- gories of psychological problems. At the most basic level, psychological problems consist of patterns of behaving (including physiological responses

CBT was first described by Professor Aaron Beck in the early 1950’s (Wilding & Milne, 2008). In contrast with many of the psychological therapy models of the time, CBT was based on the belief that maladaptive thoughts and behaviours arise not from what has happened in our lives, but from how we think about what has happened to us (Taylor, 2006; Newman, 2013). A variety of approaches are considered to fall within the domain of CBT – these include Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (Dryden, 2009), Beck’s CBT approach, and Meichenbaum’s Cognitive Behaviour Modification (Meichenbaum, 1977) These approaches share 3

The current research paper will go into detail about the behavioral theory, REBT (Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy). REBT is a form of therapy that helps individuals replace negative thoughts into positive thoughts, this kind of therapy helps the individual acquire the necessary tools to obtain a healthier emotional well-being. Dr. Albert Ellis is the main contributor and founder of REBT and is known as one of the most influential psychotherapist and psychologist in history (Ellis, 1993). This research paper will go into detail about the individual’s behavior in counseling sessions, societal problems, solutions to the societal problem and future research as well as various examples of how REBT can help different individuals in various settings and of any age. The ABC model will also be explained and shown how it can be applied in REBT.

I also found the three theories for this week readings interesting in general. Emotive behavioral therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, in my point of view, are so similar that using both in therapy would be a good mix in order to help clients. An interesting disadvantage when using rational emotive behavioral therapy in counseling children, according to Henderson and Thompson (2011), is the fact that children do not generalize well from one situation to another. Therefore, the “improved behavior may be limited to the specific circumstances” (Henderson & Thompson, 2011, p. 403).

A major focus will be on the rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT), while incorporating other behavioral and cognitive techniques relevant in supporting Jane (Corey, 2005) A cognitive counsellor would facilitate a guided discovery and Socratic dialogue to gather information about past events (Weiten et al., 2009). Therefore, signaling evidence of potential cognitive distortions Jane has learnt and integrated that may have established rigid and unrealistic thoughts patterns. Hence, the goal is to replace these distortions with constructive automatic thoughts and core schemas by obtaining new ways to think and behave (Weiten et al., 2009). A counsellor would help Jane to identify cognitive distortions that contribute to behavioral problems and

Rationale Emotive Therapy looks at the causes of dysfunction and maladaptive behavior. Incorporating Ellis’s ABC model along with the Bowen Theory’s eight components can enhance the clients counseling session. I also believe that combining these two theories helps to bring balance of the cognitive and emotional components during the session.

Short- Term Goals: Client will learn how to identify irrational and negative thoughts that effect behavior and how to initiate behavioral change. Through Rational Emotive Behavioral therapy, the client will identify their distressing thoughts and evaluate how realistic these thoughts are. The client will learn how to change their distorted thinking. This will be measured by his demonstration of these skills during therapy sessions and bringing homework assignments for two consecutive weeks that show how he practiced them between

The father of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is Albert Ellis. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1913, New York became Dr. Ellis’ home since his family move there when he was four years old. Ellis struggled with health problems and physical ailments from childhood until his death in 2007. As a child, Ellis survived on his own as his parents were absent. His father was a traveling business person and his mother was emotionally absent (Albert Ellis Institute, 2012). The foundation of REBT developed when a youthful Ellis utilized a philosophy of viewing life to deal with his physical and family issues (Corey, 2013).

The Cognitive Behavioural approach to therapy sees the client-therapist relationship as a collaborative effort to identify disturbances in the client’s cognitive processes and to then transform these processes to create beneficial changes in thought and behaviour (Corey, 2013). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a structured therapy whereby the therapist may take a direct approach in collaborating with the client to set goals and create a therapeutic agenda (Josefowitz & Myran, 2005). Cognitive Behaviour Therapy makes use of an array of interventions which promote skills within the client to facilitate self-directed change (Josefowitz & Myran, 2005). Rational Emotive Behaviour