Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy

Paper Summary:

The paper argues that although rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) has been described as an anti-humanistic theory, REBT does subscribe to many of the same premises that characterize a humanistic perspective. The paper describes these premises as they apply to working with children and adolescents, such as the fact that REBT espouses the establishment of a therapeutic relationship, it stresses self-actualization, self-efficacy and self-reliance and it emphasizes affective education.

Outline:
Introduction
Discussion
Empowerment
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Although rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) has been tested with many disorders and has fared well in psychotherapy and counselling outcome studies, critics throughout the years have maintained that REBT places too little emphasis on the therapeutic relationship (David, & Belloiu, 2002, 93-131), and that rational is equated with being "cold, calculating, and certainly manipulative".
"Consequently, according to Irish study for these as well as other reasons, REBT has often been described as an anti-humanistic theory. People who listen to the critics not only fail to distinguish between therapeutic conditions and therapeutic style, but they also practice a form of irrational thinking by over generalizing and assuming that all REBT practitioners are insensitive, display poor interpersonal skills, and must be as linguistically colourful as its founder Albert Ellis (Ellis, & Dryden, 2007, 11-13)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• David, D., Schnur, J., & Belloiu, A. (2002). Another search for the "hot" cognition: Appraisal irrational beliefs, attribution, and their relation to emotion. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy, 20, 93-131.
• DiLorenzo T. A., David, D., & Montgomery, G. (2007). The interrelations between irrational cognitive processes and distress in stressful academic settings. Personality and Individual Differences, 42, 765, 776.
• Ellis, A. (2000). A continuation of the dialogue on issues in counselling in the post-modern era. Journal of Mental Health Counselling, 22, 97-106.
• Ellis, A. (2001). Overcoming destructive beliefs, feelings and behaviours: New directions for rational emotive behaviour therapy. Cambridge. 21-23
• Ellis, A. (2004). Rational emotive behaviour therapy: It works for me -- it can work for you. Oxford. 12-15

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