counsel lect10

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy - Philosophical Precursors

Stoic philosophers, Eastern philosophers,

Stoic philosophers

Epictetus & Marcus Aruelius "People are not disturbed by things, but by the view which they take of them"

Eastern philosophers

Confucius, Lao-Tsu, & Buddha "Each morning we are born again. What we do today matters most." "Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think."

Alfred Adler "Meanings are not determined by situations, but

we determine ourselves by the meaning we give to situations"

Karen Horney's "tyranny of the shoulds"

"Inherent in man are evolutionary constructive forces, which urge him to realize his given potentialities, that man by his very nature and of his own accord, strives toward self-realization, and that his values evolve from such striving. With such a belief in an autonomous striving toward self-realization, we do not need an inner straight jacket with which to shackle our spontaneity, nor the whip of inner dictates to drive us to perfection."

REBT - Theory of Personality - Physiological

emphasizes some biological aspects of human personality. Humans are born with a tendency to want, to "need", and to condemn i) themselves, ii) others, and iii) the world when they do not immediately get what they supposedly "need." Also believe in innate self-actualizing tendency too!

REBT - Theory of Personality - Social

we are reared in social groups, spend much of our lives trying to impress, live up to expectations of, and outdo the performances of other people

Emotional disturbance =

caring too much what others think

Belief

a person can accept themselves only if others think well of them

REBT - Theory of Personality - Psychological

11 irrational ideas that lead to maladaptive behaviour (Ellis & Harper, 1997)

Irrational belief #1 - you must have approval or

love from all people you find significant

Irrational belief#2 "musterbation"

"I must not fail" or you must be thoroughly competent, adequate, and achieving in all things.

Irrational belief #3 "damning"

when people act unfairly, you should blame them and damn them/see them as bad, wicked, horrible people

Irrational belief #4 "awfulizing"

you have to see things as awful, terrible, and horrible when things go wrong. "I can't stand it!"

Irrational belief #5 - belief that emotional unhappiness stems from

external pressures and that you have little capacity to control or to change your feelings.

Irrational belief #6 "catastrophizing"

It is awful & catastrophic when your life's conditions are not the way you would like them to be.

Irrational belief #7 avoiding

life's challenges is more rewarding than seeking challenges

Irrational belief #8 - idea that you need to be dependent on

someone stronger than yourself

Irrational belief #9 - notion that past events in our lives determine

our destinies and that because an event once had a strong influence on our lives, it will continue to do so.

Irrational belief #10 - it is irrational for us to become

unduly upset about other people's problems.

Irrational belief #11 it is irrational for you to believe that there is always

a right, precise, and perfect solution to human problems, AND it is catastrophic if this perfect solution is not found.

REBT - Theory of Personality Two most common beliefs

Approval from others and Perfection

Approval from others

"If I am not liked or approved of by others, that is awful, and I am no good"

Perfection

"If I don't always do a good job then I am worthless"

REBT - Humans are largely responsible for creating their own emotional consequences due to

a) innate processes that make us prone to do this b) and is often strengthened with social conditioning, to exaggerate this innate process BUT have ability to change self-sabotaging beliefs!

REBT - Therapeutic Process

Designed to help clients gain a more realistic, rational philosophy of life, Little therapy time dedicated to client history & their difficult, morbid narratives, Challenge irrational beliefs within first few sessions, Intended to be brief therapy (1 to 10 sessions) e.g., learn A-B-C model & irrational beliefs

Speed up therapy process

a) listen to taped sessions to know their problems and REBT way of handling them, b) use REBT Self-Help form between therapy sessions

REBT - Therapeutic Relationship

Therapist/collaborator/teacher relationship A. Do not believe that a warm relationship between client-therapist is necessary or sufficient for successful therapy. B. therapists emphasize unconditional acceptance & close collaboration, but encourage clients to accept themselves unconditionally

REBT Therapist provides clients with 3

powerful insights

REBT Insight #1 - a person's self-defeating behaviour usually stems from

the interaction of A (adversity) & B (belief about the adversity). A+B = C (disturbed consequences)

Insight #2 - understanding that people have made themselves

emotionally disturbed because they keep indoctrinating themselves with similar irrational beliefs

Insight #3 - clients recognize that only hard work & practice will

correct irrational beliefs

REBT Therapist Primary role

focus on the main irrational ideas that lie behind the feelings clients have expressed in therapy (especially unfair treatment by others), Plays active role, contradicting clients' irrational ideas with evidence from clients' lives & therapist general knowledge of people, Helps clients acknowledge and admit "shoulds" & "musts," Encouraging insistence that clients can feel something other than anxiety & depression

Three phases of REBT therapy

cognitive phase, emotive phase, behaviouristic phase

Cognitive phase

therapists present cognitive rationale for REBT to client. Clients write down troublesome thoughts and learn to dispute them.

Emotive phase

clients learn to control their emotions by becoming aware of the thoughts that support such emotions & learning alternative thoughts

Behaviouristic phase

clients are taught to change their behaviour

Role of Client in REBT

More effective with clients with a single major symptom (e.g., depression), Openness to engage in re-education process, Willingness to focus on the present, not the past, Motivated to actively participate & complete assignments

Cognitive Methods

i. Disputing irrational beliefs ii. Cognitive homework iii. Changing one's language

Disputing irrational beliefs (persuasive!)

challenge these beliefs in session and teach clients how to challenge beliefs on their own

Cognitive Method - target

absolute must, should, ought statements e.g., Why must people treat me fairly? If I don't get the job I want, it may be disappointing, but I can certainly stand it.

Cognitive homework

• client makes list of problems, look for rigid beliefs, challenge them - apply ABC model in everyday situations - encouraged to approach risk taking situations to test self-limiting beliefs

Changing one's language

• from "musts" to preferences; from "awful" to "inconvenient"

B. Emotive Methods

i. Rational emotive imagery ii. Using Humour iii. Role playing iv. Shame attacking exercises

i. Rational emotive imagery

• vividly imagine one of the worst things that might happen to them

Emotive Methods - target

images associated with disturbing feelings - taught how to replace these feelings with more healthy ones

Using Humour

• to shed a new perspective and stop taking ourselves so seriously! - laugh at our self-defeating ways of thinking

Role playing

• cognitive, emotional, and behavioural elements - therapists may interrupt to illustrate what clients are saying to themselves to create disturbances

iv. Shame attacking exercises

• increasing self-acceptance, mature responsibility

C. Behavioural Methods

i. Invivo desensitization (implosive!) ii. Systematic desensitization iii. Operant conditioning iv.Self-management principles v. Relaxation techniques

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy Emphasizes philosophical stance of unconditional acceptance of

Self (USA), Others (UOA), The World (UWA)

Self (USA)

Acknowledging and accepting ourselves unconditionally, rather than rating ourselves globally based on discrete behaviors or attributes

Others (UOA)

accept others no matter how well or how badly people perform/behave

The World (UWA)

accept the world as it is and not provide global ratings regarding situations