Practicing the A, B, Cs

Albert Ellis and REBT

Albert Ellis and REBT

1913-2007

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

(a.k.a. Cognitive Behavior Therapy)
PhD in Clinical Psychology form
Columbia 1947
Broke with psychoanalysis
New approach to change clients selfdefeating beliefs and behaviors.
Reduce irrational beliefs.
I must be perfect
Everyone must love me.

Dating experiment
As teenager Ellis was

extremely shy around

women.
Wanted to change behavior.
Forced himself to talk to 100
women in one month at
Bronx Botanical Gardens.
No dates but lost his fear of
rejection.

Basics of REBT
Humanistic approach: individuals have the

capacity to create their own self-enhancing and

self-defeating emotions.
Happiness is the goal: an individuals belief
system affects the level of happiness and selfactualization
Source of unhappiness: people inadvertently
create personality and emotional disturbances
through their irrational beliefs.

ABC Model
A.

Activating event (thought or image)

B. Beliefs about the event

C. Beliefs will lead to emotional and/or

behavioral Consequences

Belief leads to consequence

A. Someone zips into the parking space you

had your eye on.

B. What are some possible beliefs?
C. What are the consequences of those
beliefs?

Another example
A. Your best friend hasnt returned your

phone calls for several days.

B. You think ____________.
C. What is the consequence of that belief?

Consequence
A. You and your partner have a fight.
B. You think I never do anything right.
C. You feel (or do) ______________.

Alternative belief
A. You and your partner have a fight.
B. You think she (he) was in an awful mood.
C. You feel (or do) ______________.

Another alternative belief

A. You and your partner have a fight.
B. I can always clear up misunderstandings.
C. You feel (or do) ______________.

The ABC Model at work

ABC model helps people understand the

connection between belief and consequence.

Individuals are influenced by what they tell
themselves (what they believe to be true).
Most people begin only seeing that the
consequence stems from the activating event.
For example: I yelled at the jerk who stole my
parking place.
Dont stop to consider or challenge their belief.

Rationality is the key

We all have the potential to think rationally.
Emotional disturbances comes from irrational

thinking.
REBT theory holds that, if you think more
rationally in the face of negative events, you
will have less emotional distress.
Rationality is the key to achieving happiness.

Ways of Thinking
Rational
Empirically consistent
with reality, testable
Logical
Flexible
Preferential: expresses
a desire not a demand

Irrational
Inconsistent with reality,
lacks empirical validity
Illogical
Dogmatic, nonflexible
Demanding: states
demand rather than a
desire. Ellis calls this
musturbation

Handling negative emotions

Adversity may lead to negative emotions.
Some negative emotions are more rational than others.
Appropriate
Sadness (I lost something

Inappropriate
Depression (Im no

I cared about)
Remorse (Im sorry)
Concern (I need to take
care of this)

good, worthless)
Guilt (Ive sinned)
Anxiety (Ill never
be able to handle
this)

Three REBT insights

Beliefs, not events, cause disturbance. We

remain disturbed by adhering to irrational

beliefs.
We perpetuate these beliefs by using them
repeatedly. We make the same connections
again and again, thereby strengthening our
irrational beliefs.
We will have to work hard to restructure the
beliefs that create unhappiness.

REBT Techniques
Homework: Clients are asked to complete

homework assignments, keeping track of

ABC connections.
Emotive Techniques: try out techniques
through role playing, group sessions, using
emotive imagery, laughter.
Behavioral Techniques: relaxation exercise,
distraction, rewards.

Homework assignment
Until next class, work the A, B, Cs.
Adversity: describe situation being as

objective as possible.
Belief: how did you interpret the adversity.
Separate thoughts and feelings.
Beliefs can be evaluated.
Emotions must be accepted.

Consequences: what you did

Next step
A. Smell cigarette smoke
B. I could start again and control it.
C. Bum a cigarette
D. Stop (Distraction or Disputation)

Doing the D
Distraction: think about something else.

Think Stop sign or snap wrist band

Dispuation: argument with self.

Remember negative consequences

Find good evidence
Come up with alternatives
Consider the implications
Decatastrophize

Active disputation
Therapist engaging client by asking questions.
Why is ______ so terrible or awful?
Is there another way you can think about this?
What is preventing you from doing so?
Why must you have it this way?
What is the worst that could happen if you give

up this belief?
What is the best that could happen?

Tom and Mr. Jones

A. Tom not cast by good friend, Mr.

Jones to be in community theater play.

B. Many: all negative
C. No longer friends. No contact.
D. Suggest possibilities to avoid
pessimistic consequence.
E. Suggest more positive outcome.

Last step: Energize

Act on the energy created by resolution
Release the burden of carrying around

negative thoughts and feelings

When not to use optimism

If your goal is to plan for a risky and uncertain

future
Where the cost of failure is high.
Be careful is using optimism in cases of
counseling others when the future is dim.
Important to focus on the changeable and
specific.

Reinhold Neibuhr (1932)

God give me the serenity to

accept things which cannot be

changed.
Give me the courage to change
things which must be changed.
And the wisdom to distinguish
one from the other.