Ch 9. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

core irrational beliefs (REBT)

12 irrational beliefs paired down to 3. 1. I must always be approved of an liked/loved by everyone. 2. You should always treat me well and act the way i think you should 3. Life should always be fair and just.

Absolutistic musts and should's (REBT)

A cognitive distortion. Believing that one must or should act a certain way.

Awfulizing (REBT)

A cognitive distortion. Exaggerating an event so that is seems horrible, terrible, awful or catastrophic.

ABCDE's of feelings and behaviors (REBT)

A: Activating event. B: irrational Belief about the activating event C: Consequential feeling or behavior. Cognitive self statement D: Dispute the irrational belief E: create a new Effective response

Step 5: Reinforcing change and terminating the relationship (REBT)

Armed with the tools of change originating from REBT philosophy, clients can terminate therapy and work on their own. Ultimately the client will adopt a new style of relating to the world in which they replace irrational beliefs with rational beliefs and concurrent behaviors and feeling that go along with such beliefs.

Encouraging the disputing of dysfunctional, cognitions, behaviors and emotions (REBT)

As the client learns REBT they realize that many of their cognitions, behaviors and emotions have not been healthy. Thus they are encouraged to dispute the unhealthy ones and replace them with healthy ones.

Step 1: Assess Clients situation and hypothesize how the ABCs apply (REBT)

Assess the clients situation and come up with a hypothesis as to how the client is cognitively distorting events and causing distress. This is done with standardized tests, biographical data, client self reporting and interviewing. The assessment process allows the therapist to consider how the ABCs apply.

Behavioral disputations (REBT)

Behavioral changes to coincide with cognitive changes. Challenging the irrational beliefs that are responsible for the behaviors.

Step 4: Directing the change process (REBT)

Change can occur on 3 levels. Congnitive, feeling and behavioral. This occurs using disputations. Change occurs when the client are able to dispute their irrational thoughts, dysfunctional behaviors, and their emotional distress. Therapist will actively suggest ways in which the client can rid themselves of irrational and dysfunctional thoughts behaviors and feelings.

Challenging clients (REBT)

Challenging occurs when therapists suggest to their clients that they examine their current way of understanding their thinking, feeling and behavioral processes. It should not be confused with heavy duty confrontation.

Demonstrating unconditional acceptance (REBT)

Clients should immediately be seen as fallible human beings. This basic understanding allows the therapist to show unconditional acceptance. At the same time recognize the inevitability of the fact that as fallible human beings people will sometimes exhibit behaviors that are toxic for themselves and others. The acceptance of the individual by the therapist allows clients to freely discuss their thoughts feelings and behaviors

Demands (REBT)

Cognitive distortion. Demanding that oneself, or another, act in a certain manner.

People-ratings (REBT)

Cognitive distortion. Viewing a person as if he or she has all or none of a quality (good, bad worthless)

I-cant-stand-its (REBT)

Cognitive distortion. Worrying about an event to the point where it feels unbearable.

Disputations (REBT)

Disputations can occur cognitively behaviorally or emotionally.

Cognitive disputations (REBT)

Disputing their irrational beliefs regarding the activating event. This involves helping clients challenge their existing irrational beliefs and in this process use questions that draw out the reasons for the person behaving the way he or she does. e.g. "What evidence do you have to support this belief?" "How is that true?" "Might there be another way to think about the situation?" "Has thinking this way been productive for you?"

Dispute the irrational beliefs (DIB) (REBT)

Disputing their irrational beliefs regarding the activating event. This involves helping clients challenge their existing irrational beliefs and in this process use questions that draw out the reasons for the person behaving the way he or she does. e.g. "What evidence do you have to support this belief?" "How is that ture?" "Might there be another way to think about the situation?" "Has thinking this way been productive for you?"

cognitive distortions (REBT)

Dualistic and inflexible thinking develop these distortions. These include abolutistic must and shoulds, awfulizing, i-cant-stand-its, demands and people rating. Such distortions are in turn responsible for irrational thinking which makes one feel "crappy."

Self-defeating thoughts (REBT)

Ellis looked at how self defeating thoughts and irrational thinking are the road to negative and emotional pain.

Consequential feeling or behavior (REBT)

In conjunction with our irrational beliefs. e.g Feeling Consequences-depression, hopelessness Behavioral Consequences-isolation, suicidal attempts

Irrational belief (REBT)

It is not the event (A) that causes us to feel poorly, it is how the event is filtered through our cognitive distortions which then, in turn, impacts the development of irrational beliefs (B).

Step 3: Demonstrating how the clients situation fits the REBT model (REBT)

Once REBT is understood the client can hear how the therapists hypothesis applies to their situation. This is done by presenting the hypothesis in the ABC formulation. Sometimes a handout describing the 12 irrational beliefs and three core beliefs are distributed to clients.

Effective response (REBT)

Once the irrational belief is identified the belief is disputed in an effort to develop a new effective response. The result is a new rational belief which results in new consequences that are less stressful and healthier.

Giving homework (REBT)

REBT Therapist will actively encourage clients to practice techniques at home. e.g. practice disputation techniques.

Unconditional acceptance (REBT)

REBT asserts that healthy function comes through acceptance of self, acceptance of others and acceptance of life even when those are not what one would like them to be. Clients are taught how to accept themselves and to not rely on others for their self-esteem.

Psychoeducational approach (REBT)

REBT teaches the individual more effective ways of living in the world and helps the individual learn about his or her psychological self. This includes: Demonstrating unconditional acceptance, teaching the REBT philosophy, being active and directive, challenging clients, demonstrating the ABC's of feeling and behaving, encouraging the disputing of dysfunctional cognitions, behaviors and emotions, using humor, using metaphors and stories, and giving homework.

Humor (REBT)

REBT therapist will use humor to help clients see the ridiculousness of their plight.

Rational beliefs (REBT)

Replaces the irrational belief that results in new consequences that are less stressful and healthier.

Core musturbatory or grandiose irrational beliefs (REBT)

SAME AS CORE IRRATIONAL BELIEFS 12 irrational beliefs paired down to 3. 1. I must always be approved of an liked/loved by everyone. 2. You should always treat me well and act the way i think you should 3. Life should always be fair and just.

Activating event (A) (REBT)

The event that we ruminate on and develop irrational beliefs about e.g. My lover has left me.

Being active and directive (REBT)

The therapist will administer assessment techniques, queston the client, and encourage the client to talk, as he or she gathers information from the client to assess how the client distorts events and uses irrational thinking.

Demonstrating the ABCs of feeling and behaving (REBT)

The therapist will use the ABC's to demonstrate to clients how their irrational beliefs, not their situation, are causing emotional distress.

Step 2: Teaching the REBT

Therapist need to actively encourage clients to take on the REBT philosophy. This is done by teaching the philosophy. To reinforce this pamphlets, books, internet resources, and other aids might be suggested.

Evidence (REBT)

Through philosophical discourse clients are challenged to show evidence that their irrational beliefs are true. Since this is an impossibility (irrational beliefs are by their very nature false and thus disputable) clients have no recourse but to accept the irrationality of his or her self-statement

Dispute (REBT)

When cognitions, behaviors, and emotions have not been healthy clients are encouraged to dispute the unhealthy ones and replace them with healthy ones.

12 Irrational beliefs (REBT)

page 328