Prepared by Ana Nelia Lopez Jumamil, PhD.

, RP

Albert Ellis
Aaron Temkin Beck
Judith S. Beck
Donald Meichenbaum

Born 1913Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Graduated w/ Ph.D. Columbia University 1947
Taught at Rutgers 1948-49
Initially trained as a psychoanalyst @ Horney Institute.
Began developing RT (Rational Therapy-now called REBT)
around 1955 because he was disenchanted w/
psychoanalysis; he thought it was too inefficient.
Has published hundreds of books and articles.
Founded Albert Ellis Institute in NYC and now there are
institutes around US and world.
Turned 90 in September 2002 an still going strong.

ALBERT ELLIS
Grandfather of Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Developed an approach to psychotherapy

known as the RATIONAL

BEHAVIOR THERAPY
AARON TEMKIN BECK
Developed the Cognitive

EMOTIVE

Theory of Depression
recognized as COGNITIVE THERAPY
Founder of the Beck Institute
Father of Cognitive Behavior Therapy

JUDITH

S. BECK

Opened the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy together

with his father
President of the institute
Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond (2011a),
Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems: What to do
When the Basics Dont Work (2005) and the Cognitive
Therapy Worksheet Packet (2011b)

DONALD

MEICHENBAUM

Conducted research on the development of Cognitive

Behavior Therapy (CBT)
Psychotherapeutic approach of Constructivist Narrative
Therapy

RATIONAL
EMOTIVE
BEHAVIOR
THERAPY (REBT)
Albert Ellis
COGNITIVE THERAPY (CT)
Aaron T. Beck and Judith S. Beck
COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY (CBT)
Donald Meichenbaum

The cognitive behavior therapies combine

both cognitive and behavioral principles and
methods in a short-treatment approach
(Dattilio, 2000a).

All of the cognitive

beha vior a pproca hes sha re
the sa me ba sic
cha ra cteristics a nd
a ssumptions a s tra ditiona l
beha vior thera py.

1.
2.

3.

A collaborative relationship between the

client and the therapist
The premise that psychological distress is
largely a function of disturbances in
cognitive processes
A focus on changing cognitions to produce
desired changes in affect and behavior

4. A present-centered, time-limited focus

5. An active and directive stance by the
therapist
6. An educational treatment focusing on
specific and structured target problems
Both CT and CBT are based on a structured
psychoeducational model, emphasize the
role of homework, place, responsibility on
the client to assume an active role both
during and outside therapy sessions.

emphasize developing a strong therapeutic

alliance and draw from a variety of
cognitive and behavioral strategies to bring
about the change.

Both cognitive therapy and cognitive

behavior therapy
are based on the
assumption that a reorganization of ones
self-statements
will
result
in
a
corresponding reorganization of ones
behavior .

REBT is a philosophically-based, humanistic approach that

emphasizes individuals capacity for creating their own selfenhancing and self-defeating emotions.
Ellis borrowed from philosophy. Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher
said, People are not influenced by things but their view of
things.
REBT holds that an individuals belief system affects whether s/he
attains maximum pleasure and self-actualization. Happiness is the
goal of all human beings.
REBT is a theory of how people (who want happiness) can
inadvertently create personality and emotional disturbance.

REBT
First of the cognitive behavior therapies
and continues to be a major cognitive
behavioral approach.
People
contribute
to
their
own
psychological problems , as well as specific
symptoms by the rigid and extreme beliefs
they hold about events and situations.

REBT is based on the assumption that

cognitions, emotions and behaviors interact
significantly and have a reciprocal cause-and
effect relationship.
REBT emphasized all three of these
modalities and their interactions, thus
qualifying it as an integrative approach.

Ellis gave credit to Alfred Adler as an

influential precursor of REBT and Karen
Horneys ideas on the tyranny of the
shoulds are apparent in the conceptual
framework of REBT.
Ellis acknowledged his debt to the ancient
Greeks especially the Stoic philosopher
Epictetus.

As

Stoic philosopher Epictus said:

People are

distubed not by events, but by

the views which they take of them
This

can be stated as People disturb

themselves by the rigid and extreme beliefs
they hold about events

The therapys basic hypothesis is that our

emotions stem mainly from our beliefs,
which influence the evaluations and
interpretations we make of the reactions we
have to life situations.

The focus is on working with thinking and

acting rather than primarily with
expressing with feelings. The therapy is
seen as an educational process.
REBT does not place much value on free
association, working with dreams, focusing
on the clients past history, expressing and
exploring feelings, or dealing with
transference.

REBT is based on the assumption that

human beings are born with a potential for
both rational or straight thinking and
irrational or crooked thinking.
People have predispositions for self
preservation, happiness, thinking and
verbalizing, loving, communion with others
and growth and self actualization.

They also have propensities for self

destruction,
avoidance
of
thought,
procrastination, endless repetition of
mistakes,
superstition,
intolerance,
perfectionism and self blame, and
avoidance of actualizing growth potentials.
REBT ecnourages people to accept
themsleves even though they will make
mistakes.

We learn irrational beliefs from significant

others during childhood and then re-create
these irrational beliefs throughout our
lifetime.
We actively reinforce our self-defeating beliefs
through the processes or autosuggestion and
self-repetition, and then we behave in ways
that are consistent with these beliefs.
A major goal of REBT therapist is to
encourage clients to be less emotinally active

Ellis insists that BLAME is at the core or

most emotional disturbances.
If we want to become osychologically
healthy, we had better stop blaming
ourselves and others and learn to fully and
unconditionally accept ourselves despite
our imperfections.

I must do well and win the approval of others for

my performance or else I am no good.
Other people must treat me considerately, fairly,
kindly and in exactly the way I want them to treat
me. If the dont, they are no good and they deserve
to be condemned and punished.
I must get what I want, when I want it; and I must
not get what I dont want. If I dont get what I
want, its terrible, I cant stand it, and life is no
good for depriving me of what I must have.

This model provides a useful tool for understanding the

clients feelings, thoughts, events and behavior (Wolfe,
2007).
A the existence of a fact, or an activating event, or an
inference about an event of an individual
B the persons belief about A, largely creates C, the
emotional reaction
C the emotional and behavioral consequence or
reaction of the individual (can either be healthy or
unhealthy)
D the application of methods to help clients challenge
their irrational beliefs
E an effective philosophy
F a new set of feelings

event) B (belief) C (emotional and

behavioral consequence)

D (disputing intervention) E (effect) F (new

feelings)
A (activating

you mainly

feel the way you think

Three

components of the disputing process: detecting,

debating and discrimintating

First, clients learn how to detect their irrational

beliefs, particularly their shoulds and musts,
their awfulizing, and their self-downing.
Then clients debate their dysfunctional beliefs by
learning how to logically and empirically question
them and to vigorously argue themselves out of and
act against believing them.
Finally, clients learnt to discriminate irrational
(self-defeating) beliefs from rational beliefs (selfhelping)

Cognitive resrtucturing a central

technique of cognitive therapy that teaches
people to improve themselves by replacing
irrational beliefs with rational beliefs
Restructuring involves helping clients
learn to monitor their sel-task, identify
maladaptive self-talk and substitute
adaptive self-talk for their negative self-talk

1. Fully acknowledging that we are largely

responsible for creating our own emotional
problems
2. Accepting the notion that we have the
ability to change these disturbances
significantly
3. Recognizing that our emotional problems
largely stem from irrational beliefs
4. Clearly perceiving these beliefs

5. Seeing the value of disputing such self-defeating beliefs

6. Accepting the fact that if we expect to change we better
work hard in emotive and behavioral ways to
counteract our beliefs and the dysfunctional feelings
and actions that follow
7. Understanding what the rational alternative to these
irrational beliefs are
8. Practicing REBT methods of uprooting or changing
disturbed consequences and practicing their healthy
a
lternatives for the rest of our life

Therapists have the general goal of teaching

clients how to separate the evaluation of their
behavior from the evaluation of themselvestheir essence and totality- and how to accept
themselves in spite of their imperfections.
The process of REBT involves a collaborative
effort on the part of both the therapist and
the client in choosing realistic and selfenhancing therapeutic goals.

The therapists task is to help clients

differentiate between realistic and unrealistic
goals and also self-defeating and selfenhancing goals.
A basic goal is to teach clients how to change
their dysfunctional emotions and behaviors
into healthy ones.

Two of the main goals of REBT are to assist

clients in the process of achieving
unconditional self- acceptance (USA) and
unconditional other acceptance (UOA) AND
to see how these are interrelated.
As clients become more able to accept
themselves, they are more likely to
unconditionally accept others.

The first step is to show clients how they have

incorporated many irrational absolute
shoulds , oughts, and musts.
The therapists disputes clients irrational
beliefs and encourages clients to engage in
activities that will counter their self-defeating
beliefs and to replace their rigid musts with
preferences

The second step in the therapeutic process is to

demonstrate how clients are keeping their
emotional disturbances active by continuing to
think illogically and unrealistically.
Third step is helping the clients modify their
thinking and minimize their irrational ideas.
The therapist encourages clients to identify the
irrational beliefs they originally unquestioningly
accepted and demonstrates how they are
continuing to indoctrinate themselves with
these beliefs

Fourth step in the therapeutic process is to

challenge clients to develop a rational
philosophy of life so that in the future they
can avoid becoming the victim of other
irrational beliefs.
The therapists takes the mystery out of the
therapeutic process, teaching clients about
the cognitive hypothesis of disturbance and
showing how rigid and extreme irrational
beliefs to disturbed negative consequences.

Once clients begin to accept that their beliefs

underpin their emotions and behaviors, they
are able to participate effectively in the
cognitive restructuring process.

Clients learn how to apply logical thought,

participate in experiential exercises, and carry
out behavioral homework as a way to bring
about change.
Clients can realize that life does not always
work out the way that they would like to it.

Even though life is not always pleasant,

clients learn that life can be bearable and that
even suffering can be honourable.
The therapeutic process largely focuses on
clients experiences in the present.
Clients are expected to actively work outside
the therapy sessions.

Home Work- is carefully designed and agreed

upon and is aimed at getting clients to carry
out positive actions that induce emotional
and attitudinal change.
Towards the end of therapy, clients review
their progress, make plans, and identify
strategies for dealing with continuing or
potential problems.

Because REBT is essentially cognitive and

directive behavioural process, a warm
relationship between therapist and client is not
required.
REBT practitioners strive to unconditionally
accept all clients and to teach them to
unconditionally accept others and themselves.
REBT practitioners accept their clients as
imperfect beings who can be helped through a
variety of techniques such as teaching,
bibliotherapy, and behaviour modification

Rational emotive behaviour therapists are

often open and direct in disclosing their own
beliefs and values. Some are willing to share
their own imperfections as a way of disputing
clients unrealistic notions that therapists are
completely put together person.

Rational emotive behavior therapists are

multimodal and integrative.
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
Generally starts with clients disturbed feelings
and intensely explores these feelings in
connection with thoughts and behaviors.

REBT practitioners tend to use a number of

different modalities (cognitive, imagery,
emotive, behavioral and interpersonal ) to
dispel these self defeating cognitions and to
teach people how to acquire a rational
approach to living.

Relies heavily on thinking, disputing,

debating,
challenging,
interpreting,
explaining, and teaching clients in how to
deal with self-statements so they would no
longer believe in them, encouraging them to
acquire a philosophy based on reality.

Disputing irrational beliefs

Doing cognitive homework
Bibliotherapy
Changing ones language
Psychoeducational methods

Clients go over a particular must absolute

should or ought until they no longer hold
that irrational belief or at least until it is
diminished in strength.
Sample questions:
Why must people treat me fairly?
How do I become a total flop if I dont succeed at

important tasks I try?

By applying the ABC theory, the therapist

teaches the client how to think differently,
or models for them, as opposed to other
forms of Cognitive behavior therapy.
In carrying out homework, clients are
encouraged to put themselves in risktaking situations that will allow them to
challenge self-limiting beliefs.

Clients are encouraged to carry out specific assignments

during the sessions and, especially, in everyday situations
between sessions.
In this way, clients gradually learn to deal with anxiety
and challenge basic irrational thinking.
As therapy is seen as an educational process, clients are
also encouraged to read REBT self-help books, such as
Elliss How to Make Yourself Happy and Remarkably Less
Disturbable (1999). They also listen to and evaluate
tapes of their own therapy session.

REBT and other CBT approaches can be

delivered to some degree in a
bibliotherapeutic format.
Best to utilize bibliotherapy as an adjunctive
form of treatment.
Advantages include cost effectiveness,
widespread availability and the potential of
reaching a broad spectrum of populations.

musts

oughts
shoulds

It would be absolutely awful if..

They learn to say
It would be inconvenient if

REBT programs introduce clients to various

educational materials.
Therapists educate clients about the nature
of their problems and how treatment is likely
to proceed.
They ask clients how particular concepts
apply to them.

RATIONAL EMOTIVE IMAGERY

USING HUMOR
ROLE PLAYING
SHAME ATTACKING EXERCISES

Although REBT employs a variety of emotive and forceful

therapeutic strategies, it does so in a selective and
discriminating manner.
These strategies are used both during therapy sessions and as
homework assignments in daily life.
Their purpose is not simply to provide a cathartic experience
but to help clients change some of their thoughts, emotions,
and behaviors.

This technique is a form of intense mental

practice designed to establish new emotional
patterns.
Clients imagine themselves thinking, feeling,
and behaving exactly the way they would think,
feel, and behave in real life.
Ellis (2001a, 2001b) maintains that if we keep
practicing REI several times a week for a few
weeks, we can reach the point that we no
longer feel upset over negative events.

The steps, showing an illustrative example, are

as follows:

Procedures

1. Imagine, vividly and clearly, the event

or situation with which you have
trouble.
Allow yourself to feel strongly the
self-defeating emotion which
follows.
Note the thoughts creating that
emotion.
Force the emotion to change to a
more functional (but realistic)
feeling. It is possible to do this, even
though briefly.
Note the thoughts you used to
change the emotion.
Practice the technique daily for a
while.

Example

Situation: You have to inform a staff member

their request for promotion has been turned
down due to their poor performance record.
Anxiety
He will be upset. I couldn't stand feeling
responsible. I must find a way to say it
without him getting upset.
Concern
It will be uncomfortable, but it won't kill me.
While I would prefer him not to get upset, his
emotions are his responsibility - I cannot
control his feelings or be responsible for
them.

The exercises are aimed at increasing self

acceptance and mature responsibility.
Helping clients see that much of what they
think of as being shameful has to do with the
way they define reality for themselves.
Clients may accept a homework assignment
to take the risk of doing something that they
are ordinarily afraid to do because of what
others might think.

Force and energy are a basic part of shameattacking exercises.

It helps client go from intellectual to emotional
insight by showing clients how to conduct
forceful dialogues with themselves in which they
express their unsubstantiated beliefs and then
powerfully dispute them.
Reverse role playing- the therapist strongly cling
to the clients self-defeating philosophy and ask
the client to vigorously debate with the therapist
to give up these dysfunctional ideas.

Operant conditioning
Self-management principles
Systematic desensitization
Relaxation techniques
Modeling

Treatment of anxiety, hostility, character disorders,

psychotic disorders, depression, to problems of sex,
love, and marriage, to child rearing and adolescence,
to social skills training and self-management
Developed to make psychotherapy shorter and make it
more efficient than most other systems; Hence, often
a brief therapy

ABC approach to changing basic disturbancecreating attitudes can be learned in 1-10

sessions.
Most clients who are seen for individual
therapy have 1 session weekly for anywhere
from 5 to 50 sessions
Also suitable for group therapy