5 REBT Techniques, Exercises, and Worksheets

rebt techniques

Ellis trained as a clinical psychologist but found the options for treating his patients lacking. His dissatisfaction with the results he was seeing drove him to develop his own brand of therapy that emphasized action instead of talk.

Read on to dive deeper into the theory behind REBT and look at some of the techniques and interventions that you might practice with this type of therapy.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive CBT Exercises for free . These science-based exercises will provide you with detailed insight into Positive CBT and give you the tools to apply it in your therapy or coaching.

This Article Contains:

A brief look at the theory, what techniques does rebt use, examples of rebt in action, common rebt questions, a look at rebt interventions, 3 rebt worksheets (incl. pdf), recommended books on the topic, a take-home message.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is based on the idea that it is not the things that happen to us that cause our problems; it is our thoughts and thinking patterns that lead to the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral issues that challenge us (Dryden, David, & Ellis, 2010).

This idea is captured in the acronym ABC:

A – The activating event or adversity B – Our beliefs about the event, ourselves, and the world in general C – The consequences of our emotions and behaviors

Ellis believed that far too much emphasis was placed on the activating events and that most of the consequences were actually determined by our beliefs (Albert Ellis Institute, n.d.).

This was a significant shift from the prevailing ideas of the day, and it gave new hope to clients who were frustrated with their lack of results from traditional therapy; after all, if our beliefs are the real culprit rather than the events, then we have much more control over the consequences than we may have thought.

REBT practitioners believe there are two categories of cognition: hot and cold. Cold cognition refers to the way we initially think about and understand what happens to us, while hot cognitions are evaluations of our cold cognitions (Turner, 2016).

We don’t have much control over our cold cognitions, as those are formed early on and are generally not consciously understood; however, we can influence how we evaluate those cold cognitions.

Further, REBT distinguishes between healthy negative emotions (or HNEs) and unhealthy negative emotions (or UNEs). HNEs follow from adverse events that we approach with rational beliefs and adaptive behaviors, while UNEs stem from irrational beliefs and maladaptive behaviors (Turner, 2016). REBT aims to help clients reduce these irrational beliefs and replace them with rational beliefs.

Grounded in these innovative ideas, REBT was designed as a practical approach to help people learn techniques that would allow them to overcome their obstacles and cope with life’s challenges more effectively.

rebt in action

Problem-solving techniques

Cognitive restructuring techniques.

  • Coping techniques (Raypole, 2018)

Each category of technique corresponds to part of the ABC model , giving clients techniques to use at each step.

Problem-solving techniques are intended to help clients address the A in the ABC model, addressing the activating event or adversity head on. Popular problem-solving methods include:

  • Problem-solving skills
  • Assertiveness
  • Social skills
  • Decision-making skills
  • Conflict resolution skills

Cognitive restructuring techniques are focused on helping the client change irrational beliefs (Clark, 2013).

Techniques include:

  • Logical or rationalizing techniques
  • Guided imagery and visualization
  • Using humor and irony
  • Exposing yourself to whatever you fear
  • Disputing irrational beliefs

Coping techniques

When a client can’t change the event and is struggling even though they are using rational thinking, coping techniques can help.

These techniques can include:

  • Mindfulness
  • Breathing exercises

homework assignment in rebt

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In a typical REBT session, the therapist will likely go over the “ABCs” with the client.

For example, here is a sample transcript from a session of REBT:

Client : I had a really difficult presentation at work this week, and I totally blew it.

Therapist : Tell me about it.

C: Well, I stumbled a little while presenting, and I just felt so stupid. In the end, there were tons of questions from management that I didn’t anticipate, and that makes me feel like I missed the mark on the whole presentation.

T: It sounds like you got your point across and engaged your audience, but maybe you didn’t give a perfect presentation. Why does that upset you so much?

C: I feel like I must not be a very good employee if I don’t hit the mark every time.

T: And so what if you don’t hit the mark every time?

C: I guess it’s not that big of a deal to miss the mark every once in a while.

T: We all make mistakes. It seems like it wasn’t giving an imperfect presentation that upset you; it was how you judged yourself afterward that made you feel down on yourself.

C: Yeah, I think you’re right. I shouldn’t feel so bad though; everyone makes mistakes.

At this point, the therapist will likely help the client come up with some statements based on their irrational belief that they must be perfect for every presentation. They might come up with statements like:

“I must ace my presentation, or I am a bad employee.” “I must be a model employee, or I have no value at all.” “I must present with ease, or I am incompetent.”

Next, the therapist will help the client explore some alternative beliefs, like:

“It’s okay to slip up sometimes.” “Making a mistake doesn’t mean I’m worthless.” “Even if I botch a presentation, I can still be a good employee overall.”

If you’re interested in seeing how the professionals apply the principles and techniques of REBT, check out this four-video series from Albert Ellis and his protégé Janet Wolfe.

Some of the most common questions in REBT relate to how it works and how it differs from other forms of therapy. For example, below are three common questions and the corresponding answers:

  • Question: How can REBT help me?
  • Answer: REBT can help you learn more about yourself and the irrational beliefs that are damaging you or holding you back, and it can teach you how to address these irrational beliefs when they crop up.
  • Question: Will REBT keep me from feeling emotions?
  • Answer: No, REBT will not keep you from feeling emotions; however, it will help you to recognize them, accept them, and respond to or cope with them in a healthier way.
  • Question: Do I need to go every week? For how long?
  • Answer: No, you do not need to go every week. You and your therapist can work out a schedule that works best for you. You might go every week at first, but every-other-week sessions and monthly sessions are also common. Sessions are usually between 30 and 60 minutes, but this is also dependent upon you and your therapist. Whatever works for you is a good length!

To dive even deeper into REBT, check out the Albert Ellis Institute’s Frequently Asked Questions section, where they tackle further questions like:

  • I’ve heard that REBT tries to do away with negative emotions altogether by making people think logically and objectively. Is that true?
  • But aren’t feelings such as anger and anxiety normal and appropriate?
  • With all this emphasis on “me,” doesn’t REBT encourage selfishness?
  • Does REBT force its own beliefs about what’s rational on people?

Rational emotive behavior therapy vs. cognitive therapy?

If you’re wondering how REBT is put into practice with clients, this section is for you. There are tons of resources out there for practitioners or those interested in trying the techniques for themselves.

Check out the activities, exercises, and worksheets listed below.

3 REBT activities and exercises

Imagine the Worst

Catastrophizing involves “worst-case” thinking and can be an extremely common cognitive distortion. Frequently, we fear the uncertainty of potential negative events, even despite a lack of objective facts to support their occurrence (Quartana, Campbell, & Edwards, 2009).

This can help them realize that:

  • The worst-case scenario is unrealistic and thus unlikely to occur.
  • Even if it did occur, the worst-case scenario will probably still be tolerable.
  • In the event that it happens, they would still be able to manage the outcome and prevent it from becoming catastrophic.

Blown Out of All Proportion

This technique involves both imagery and humor, combining two of the cognitive restructuring techniques for maximum effectiveness. It builds on “worst-case imagery” for reasons that will become obvious.

In a session, the therapist would ask the client to imagine that the thing they fear happening the most actually happened. However, instead of allowing the client to visualize it realistically, the therapist will guide them in visualizing it to an extreme, blow entirely out of proportion (Froggatt, 2005).

When things are this exaggerated, they become funny. Laughing at their blown-up fears will help the client get control over them. This exercise isn’t right for every fear, but it can be extremely useful in many cases.

You’ll find this intervention, with examples, in the Imagine The Worst PDF above.

Disputing Irrational Beliefs (DIBS) Handout

One of the most popular cognitive restructuring techniques is called disputing irrational beliefs (DIBS) or simply disputing (Ellis, n.d.). The point of DIBS is to question yourself on some of your limiting or harmful beliefs and essentially “logic” them out of existence.

Here are the questions to ask yourself, outlined in our Disputing Irrational Beliefs Handout :

  • What is the self-defeating irrational belief I would like to dispute and reduce?
  • Am I able to support this belief with objective facts?
  • What proof is there that this belief is false?
  • Is there any proof that this belief is true?
  • What is the worst possible outcome that could occur if I fail to get what I believe I must? What’s the worst possible outcome if I do get what I believe I mustn’t? What other negative things could happen to me?
  • What positive things could I cause to happen if my undesirable scenarios pan out?

Although this technique can be highly effective for irrational beliefs, it will not always work for your deepest or long-held beliefs. These are harder to dispute but not impossible; Ellis recommends recording your irrational belief and several disputes to the belief, then listening to it repeatedly and even allowing your therapist, therapy group, or loved ones to listen to it with you.

This technique has been adapted from Techniques for Disputing Irrational Beliefs by the Albert Ellis Institute into a client handout (Ellis, n.d.). For a more detailed exercise, check out our Challenging Questions Worksheet below.

Worksheets can make a great addition to REBT for clients or a satisfactory substitute for therapy in people with milder issues.

Check out these three worksheets on REBT techniques below.

1. Increasing awareness of cognitive distortions

Although it’s not necessarily an REBT-exclusive technique, this worksheet can fit in nicely with an REBT focus. It guides the user through identifying the cognitive distortions (irrational beliefs) that they hold.

First, the worksheet lists 11 of the most common cognitive distortions:

  • All-or-nothing thinking
  • Overgeneralizing
  • Discounting the positive
  • Jumping to conclusions
  • Mind reading
  • Fortune telling
  • Magnifying (catastrophizing) or minimizing
  • Emotional reasoning
  • Should statements
  • Labeling and mislabeling
  • Personalization

Once the user reads through the common cognitive distortions and some examples, they can move on to the worksheet. It’s split into three columns with instructions for each:

  • Feelings – Write down what feelings you are experiencing; these can include emotions and physical sensations.
  • Thoughts – Notice what thoughts are associated with your feelings and write those down here.
  • Cognitive distortions – Analyze your thoughts; is there a cognitive distortion there, or are your thoughts rational?

Take a few minutes each day to complete a row in this worksheet for at least one week, and you will improve your ability to identify your irrational beliefs, which is the first step toward correcting them. You can find the Increasing Awareness of Cognitive Distortions worksheet in the Positive Psychology Toolkit© .

2. Leaving the Comfort Zone

This worksheet will help educate the user on the four zones and motivate them to step outside of the comfort zone.

First, it defines the four zones:

  • Comfort zone : the space in which we feel safe and in control; things are easy, and we know what to do.
  • Fear zone : an uncomfortable space marked by uncertainty; we don’t know what to expect or what to do.
  • Learning zone : another uncomfortable space, but not as bad as the fear zone; we begin to acquire new skills and expand our comfort zone.
  • Growth zone : when we stay in the learning zone long enough, it becomes the growth zone, where we become comfortable with our new skills and experience.

Next, it directs the user to identify a comfort zone situation. It should be something coming up that will require the user to step out of the comfort zone and into the fear zone.

Once the user has identified a situation, they are instructed to identify their personal signs of fear or symptoms of their experience with fear.

In addition to noting the signs of fear, the user should identify what they would lose out on by not stepping into the fear zone. What opportunities or new potential benefits would they miss out on?

Further, the user should note the long-term possibilities of staying in the learning zone. How might they transform as a person? What could they gain from being in this zone over time?

Finally, the user finishes the worksheet by reflecting on how they would feel about themselves if they stuck it out in the growth zone, and how it would affect their relationships with others.

This worksheet can help users reframe their thoughts about their fears and face them. You can find it in the Positive Psychology Toolkit© .

3. Challenging questions worksheet

This worksheet can help the user question their irrational beliefs and stop them in their tracks.

First, it lists 10 common irrational beliefs that users may recognize in themselves:

  • I am only as good as what I achieve.
  • If they don’t love me, then I’m worthless.
  • Other people should follow the rules I know to be right.
  • It’s not okay to have this feeling. I should just be happy.
  • The problems in this relationship are all my fault/their fault.
  • This situation is hopeless; nothing will ever improve.
  • If this person doesn’t like me, then other people must feel the same way.
  • I must be able to do it all; if I can’t, then there’s something wrong with me.
  • My life is too hard. Life shouldn’t be this difficult and frustrating.
  • Anger is not safe; I must not let myself get angry about this.

Then, it lists 12 challenging questions the user can use to confront their irrational belief:

  • What is the evidence for or against this idea?
  • Am I confusing habit with a fact?
  • Are my interpretations of the situation too far removed from reality to be accurate?
  • Am I thinking in all-or-nothing terms?
  • Am I using words or phrases that are extreme or exaggerated like always , forever , never , need , should , must , can’t , and every time ?
  • Am I taking selected examples out of context?
  • Am I making excuses? I’m not afraid; I just don’t want to go out. The other people expect me to be perfect. I don’t want to make the call because I don’t have time.
  • Is the source of information reliable?
  • Am I thinking in terms of certainties instead of probabilities?
  • Am I confusing a low probability with a high probability?
  • Are my judgments based on feelings rather than facts?
  • Am I focusing on irrelevant factors?

The worksheet leaves space for the user to pick one belief and four challenging questions to answer with a new, healthier perspective on the irrational belief.

Given the popularity of other types of therapies , REBT has not gained the mainstream recognition that it deserves for its realistic approach and practical techniques. As such, you won’t find as many books about it as you might for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or Dialectical Behavior Therapy, but there are some excellent options, including a few books from the founder himself.

Check out these books to learn more:

  • How to Stubbornly Refuse to Make Yourself Miserable About Anything—Yes, Anything! by Albert Ellis (Available on Amazon )
  • Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: A Therapist’s Guide  by Albert Ellis and Catharine MacLaren (Available on Amazon )
  • A Guide to Rational Living by Albert Ellis and Robert A. Harper (Available on Amazon )
  • A Primer on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy by Windy Dryden, Raymond DiGiuseppe, and Michael Neenan (Available on Amazon )
  • Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (Therapies of Psychotherapy) by Albert Ellis and Debbie Joffe Ellis (Available on Amazon )

In this piece, we went over the basic ideas behind REBT, learned about the techniques used, and walked through a few sample exercises and activities. I hope you have a better understanding of this type of therapy and its potential to help those struggling with irrational thoughts and harmful beliefs.

What are your thoughts on REBT? Does it make sense to you? Do you believe that our thoughts about what happens to us are more important than what actually happens to us? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. For more information, don’t forget to download our three Positive CBT Exercises for free .

  • Albert Ellis Institute. (n.d.). Rational emotive behavior therapy . Retrieved from https://albertellis.org/rebt-cbt-therapy/
  • Clark, D. A. (2013). Cognitive restructuring. In S. G. Hoffman, D. J. A. Dozois, W. Rief, & J. Smits (Eds.), The Wiley handbook of cognitive behavioral therapy (pp. 1–22). John Wiley & Sons.
  • Dryden, W., David, D., & Ellis, A. (2010). Rational emotive behavior therapy. In K. S. Dobson (Ed.), Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies (3rd ed.) (pp. 226–276). Guilford Press
  • Ellis, A. (n.d.). Techniques for disputing irrational beliefs. Retrieved from http://albertellis.org/rebt-pamphlets/Techniques-for-Disputing-Irrational-Beliefs.pdf
  • Froggatt, W. (2005). A brief introduction to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy . Rational.org. Retrieved from https://www.rational.org.nz/prof-docs/Intro-REBT.pdf
  • Quartana, P. J., Campbell, C. M., & Edwards, R. R. (2009). Pain catastrophizing: A critical review. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics ,  9 (5), 745–758.
  • Raypole, C. (2018). Rational emotive behavior therapy. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy
  • Turner, M. J. (2016). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), irrational and rational beliefs, and the mental health of athletes.  Frontiers in Psychology ,  7 .

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Steve A Johnson, PhD, ScD

The cognitive distortions mentioned in this article are typical of CBT rather than REBT. The latter has only four dysfunctional beliefs: demandingness, awfulizing, frustration intolerance and global negative rating of self, others, life, the world, and some add psychological processes.

Julia Poernbacher

Yes, that is absolutely right! Thank you for your feedback.

Kind regards, Julia | Community Manager

Joy

I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I made more sense to me and helping me to finish my course with ease. This article was very helpful

Kilama Peterson

It’s always pleasure I love the content as a psychology student

Caroline

I have been using this technique for 20 years in later life(I’m a pensioner) after a sad childhood. It helps with major life-long depression, even tho it gets tedious at times. It is well worth the slog!

Mika

Is there anything about Emotional Control Card?

Nicole Celestine, Ph.D.

While we do not discuss the Emotional Control Card technique here, this is highly relevant and useful as a ‘homework’ component of REBT.

For anyone wondering, the practice was put forward by Sklare, Taylor, and Hyland (1985) . They encouraged their clients/research participants to carry a wallet-sized card around with them which listed negative emotions in two columns: intense and mild .

When feeling overwhelmed by an intense emotion like ‘abandoned’ or ‘furious’, people were encouraged to engage in rational self-talk to change their emotional state to the corresponding mild version of that emotion (e.g., abandoned –> a bit unimportant; furious –> agitated).

It’s a useful technique that’s still used today. 🙂

– Nicole | Community Manager

Shrushti

From where can we download pdf of REBT worksheet ?

Hi Shrushti,

The PDF of the REBT Worksheet is available to members of the Positive Psychology Toolkit. You can learn more about this toolkit here .

touraj

that was great. it was usfull to me.

Insanningrat

problem solving techniques really help me,thank you so much

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A Practitioner's Guide to Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (3 edn)

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A Practitioner's Guide to Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (3 edn)

16 Homework Assignments

  • Published: August 2013
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A major component of REBT & CBT therapies is the use of homework assignments . Research supports the conclusion that homework enhances therapy outcomes . Homework may be cognitive , behavioral , or emotional in nature. This chapter discusses the five important characteristics shared by effective homework assignments- negotiate, consistency, specificity, systematic follow-through , and efficiency. Examples of homework assignments are provided. Techniques to trouble-shoot homework problems are discussed.

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TherapyByPro

10 Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) Exercises & Activities to do with your Clients

Albert Ellis developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy , commonly referred to as REBT, in the 1950s. REBT shares common concepts, and strategies with other humanistic therapies, however, there are a few distinct differences. As an example, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy differs in the way that cognitive distortions are approached. Additionally, Counselors and Therapists believe that helping clients think in a rational manner will improve their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, therefore improving overall daily functioning (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). Keep reading to learn 10 REBT exercises and activities you can do with your clients.

As REBT has developed over the years, it has become more compatible with other therapeutic approaches including narrative therapy , constructivist therapy, and existential therapy (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). REBT Counselors and Therapists pay respect to each client’s background and viewpoints, with the exception of rigid patterns that can be hurtful or damaging to their client (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

homework assignment in rebt

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When utilizing REBT with clients, Counselors and Therapists recognize changes in beliefs as progress, which often leads to a decrease in their overall level of distress (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). Counselors enable their clients to become more aware of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. However, more importantly, Counselors help clients learn strategies and skills that allow them to increase their ability to engage in rational thinking (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

There are six steps associated with REBT that Counselors and Therapists follow (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010):

  •   Identify the Client’s irrational beliefs
  •   Explore the negative consequences of their beliefs
  •   Disputing their irrational beliefs
  •   Replace their irrational beliefs with healthier and more rational beliefs
  •   A change in feelings occurs as a result of rational beliefs
  •   Behaviors then experience a positive shift as well

Mental Health Concerns That Can Benefit from REBT

Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy is an empirically based therapeutic approach that can be helpful for a range of clients. This includes various presenting concerns and diagnoses, healthcare settings, and various populations of clients (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

REBT can be utilized in group therapy, individual therapy, family sessions, couples counseling , and psychoeducation sessions (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

Clients who are living with mild and moderately severe mental health concerns can benefit from Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. This includes clients living with depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, adjustment disorders, anger and aggression difficulties, obsessiveness, and sexual difficulties (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). Additionally, REBT can be effective in some cases of substance use disorders and can be observed in a peer-led support group called SMART Recovery (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy does ask clients to engage in homework activities outside of the session. For this reason, it is important to ensure that clients are knowledgeable of REBT and have accurate expectations for their engagement outside of therapy sessions. For some clients, this can create a barrier that would then limit their ability to experience the full range of clinical gains associated with REBT.

REBT Exercises & Activities to do with Clients

Rational Emotive Behavior exercises can be used inside of therapy sessions, and be used as homework assignments outside of sessions. When REBT activities are used as homework, this would be explored in the subsequent session after a routine check-in regarding old business, their overall level of distress and functioning, and any major changes since their last session (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

Examples of Rational Emotive Behavior activities that can be used in a session include:

  • ABCDEF is a structured plan that can be used in sessions to identify, assess, dispute, and modify beliefs. The acronym can be useful for both ourselves and our clients in remembering the steps to follow. Spend time reviewing the steps with your client, and walk through an example based on a current challenge they are experiencing. TherapyByPro has an REBT ABCDEF Worksheet available that can be used during homework assignments.  

The acronym in length is as follows:  

  • A: Activating Event
  • B:  Belief about the activating event
  • C: Consequences of the belief]
  • D: Dispute the belief
  • E: Effective
  • F: New feelings and behaviors
  • In order to do the work associated with REBT, our clients need to spend time exploring their thoughts and feelings. Without doing so, they may not know how to get to the beliefs that are leading to their distress. Asking your client to explore their thoughts and feelings is a cognitive strategy that can be given as a fluid homework assignment. Maybe your client would benefit from doing this as a journal entry, or possibly doing this internal exploration while going for a peaceful walk. Help your client determine how they would best engage in self-exploration, and use this as a homework assignment. Allow for time to follow up in their following session.
  • When working with your client to identify unhealthy beliefs, many find it helpful to provide clients with a worksheet that offers examples of common unhealthy beliefs. TherapyByPro offers an REBT Irrational Belief Worksheet that can also be used to track rational beliefs that can be used to replace irrational beliefs. Encourage your client to be mindful of their beliefs outside of the session and to note any other beliefs that they found themselves having outside of the session.   
  • Out of all the relationships that our clients have, one of the most important relationships that they have is with themselves. The person that they talk to the most is themselves, so another good REBT exercise is to explore their self-talk. How our clients speak to themselves is a direct result of the beliefs they have about themselves, and has an undoubtable effect on their emotions and behaviors. Encourage your client to take notice of the self-talk they have and the impact it has on their feelings and behaviors. You can then explore the belief that their self-talk stems from, and see how they can tweak their self-talk to be healthier.
  • TherapyByPro offers a Consequences Analysis Worksheet that can be used to walk through the different consequences that your client experiences for their irrational beliefs. This can be a helpful tool if your client is unable to see the full effect of their belief and to navigate what the best approach would be moving forward. After using the worksheet, check in with your client to review how they responded to their irrational beliefs and any changes they experienced regarding their typical consequences.  
  • Another cognitive strategy that can be used as an REBT activity would be to have your client develop a rational thought to replace an irrational one. Once that is done, ask your client to write their new thought repeatedly. Clients can verbalize the new thought in addition to writing it down. This exercise can be done in the session and continued outside of the session. Allow for time to follow up regarding your client’s experience with this exercise and any impact they observed on their feelings and behaviors.
  • Emotional reasoning is an example of an unhealthy thinking pattern that can have a significant impact on an individual’s day-to-day life.  TherapyByPro’s REBT Emotional Reasoning Worksheet can be used to help clients identify their extreme beliefs and rational beliefs for specific situations. This can help clients narrow down the extreme beliefs that are having the most significant impact on themselves.
  • Relaxation techniques are often introduced to clients who are engaging in Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy. This can include meditation, breathing exercises, visualization, and guided imagery. Spend time introducing your client to multiple relaxation techniques, and allow for time to practice some in session. This can be useful on techniques that can be challenging to use, or confusing to your client. Encourage your client to practice using these strategies outside of the session, both when they are in distress and when they are not. Allow for time to follow up regarding their experience and any shift in their thoughts, emotions, and feelings that they observed.
  • Another unhealthy thinking pattern that our clients may be living with is jumping to conclusions and fortune-telling. The  REBT Jumping to Conclusions and Fortune Telling Worksheet can be used to identify unhealthy beliefs that clients may have for certain situations, and rational beliefs that can be used in their replacement. Encourage clients to be mindful of the discussed beliefs outside of the session. 
  • For clients to manage their distress, they first need to learn about healthy coping skills . After you introduce your client to a variety of new coping skills they can use, an effective REBT exercise would be to work with them to create a challenging situation where they would then be able to practice using their new coping skills. As an example, if your client picks out their clothes in the evening for the next day, a challenge for them may be to wait until the morning to choose their outfit. Encourage your client to use their new coping skills during the created challenge, and allow for time in your next session to process their experience. 

Final Thoughts On Choosing Activities for REBT

Thank you for reading our resource on 10 REBT exercises and activities you can do with your clients. REBT can be an effective therapeutic approach for clients who present to counseling with varying concerns. With plenty of supportive research, we know that this can be a helpful tool for clients who are struggling with certain concerns and are willing to practice skills and other strategies outside of therapy.

If you are interested in learning more about Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, we encourage you to look into continuing education courses and specialized training opportunities in your area. 

TherapyByPro is an online mental health directory that connects mental health pros with clients in need. If you’re a mental health professional, you can Join our community and add your practice listing here . We have assessments, practice forms, and worksheet templates mental health professionals can use to streamline their practice. View all of our mental health worksheets here .

Seligman, L. & Reichenberg, L.W. (2010). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: Systems,  strategies, and skills (3 rd Edition, pp 251-269). Pearson Education, Inc.

Kayla Loibl, MA, LMHC

Author: Kayla Loibl, MA, LMHC

Kayla is a Mental Health Counselor who earned her degree from Niagara University in Lewiston, New York. She has provided psychotherapy in a residential treatment program and an outpatient addiction treatment facility in New York as well as an inpatient addiction rehab in Ontario, Canada. She has experience working with individuals living with a variety of mental health concerns including depression , anxiety, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder , and trauma .

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10 REBT Therapy Activities & Exercises to do with your Clients in Therapy

In the 1950s, Albert Ellis pioneered Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), which is commonly known as REBT. While REBT shares some concepts and strategies with other humanistic therapies, there are notable differences. One such difference is in the approach to cognitive distortions . In REBT, counselors and therapists emphasize the belief that assisting clients in thinking rationally can lead to improvements in their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and overall daily functioning (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). Keep reading to learn 10 REBT Therapy activities and exercises you can do with your clients.

Over the years, REBT has evolved to integrate and align with other therapeutic approaches such as narrative therapy , constructivist therapy, and existential therapy (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). REBT counselors and therapists value and acknowledge each client’s unique background and perspectives, while also recognizing and addressing any rigid patterns that may be detrimental or harmful to their clients (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

CBT Worksheets Bundle

CBT Worksheets Bundle (Editable, Fillable, Printable PDFs)

REBT Worksheets Bundle PDF Templates

REBT Worksheets Bundle (Editable, Fillable, Printable PDFs)

View all of our REBT Worksheets

When applying REBT with clients, counselors and therapists recognize that changes in beliefs can lead to a reduction in overall distress (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). They assist clients in developing awareness of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, while also helping them acquire strategies and skills to enhance their capacity for rational thinking (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

REBT follows a six-step process that guides counselors and therapists (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010):

  • Identify the client’s irrational beliefs.
  • Explore the negative consequences of these beliefs.
  • Challenge and dispute the irrational beliefs.
  • Substitute the irrational beliefs with healthier and more rational beliefs.
  • Experience a change in emotions as a result of adopting rational beliefs.
  • Observe positive shifts in behaviors as well.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a highly effective and evidence-based therapeutic approach that may be chosen for several compelling reasons:

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Approach : REBT is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy ( CBT ) that focuses on the connections between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It helps individuals identify and challenge irrational beliefs and replace them with more rational and adaptive ones.
  • Effective for a Range of Issues : REBT has been proven effective for a wide range of mental health issues, including anxiety disorders, depression , anger management , substance abuse, phobias, and more.
  • Emotion Regulation : REBT equips individuals with practical strategies to regulate their emotions by changing their thought patterns. It promotes emotional well-being and resilience.
  • Goal-Oriented and Solution-Focused : REBT is goal-oriented and solution-focused, helping individuals set specific objectives and develop strategies to achieve them.
  • Evidence-Based : REBT is supported by substantial empirical evidence, demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing symptoms and improving overall psychological functioning.
  • Identification of Irrational Beliefs : REBT helps individuals identify irrational beliefs and cognitive distortions that contribute to their emotional distress and self-defeating behaviors.
  • Empowerment : It empowers individuals by teaching them that they have control over their emotional responses and that they can change unhelpful thought patterns.
  • Resilience Building : REBT fosters resilience by helping individuals develop adaptive beliefs and coping strategies that enable them to handle life’s challenges more effectively.
  • Customized Treatment : REBT can be tailored to address the specific beliefs and issues of each individual, ensuring that therapy is personalized and comprehensive.
  • Long-Term Benefits : Many individuals who complete REBT report sustained improvements in their mental health, with reduced relapse rates even after therapy has concluded.
  • Positive Therapeutic Relationship : REBT emphasizes a strong therapeutic relationship characterized by empathy, support, and collaboration between the therapist and the client.
  • Transdiagnostic Application : While REBT was initially developed for specific issues, it has been adapted to address a broader range of concerns, making it suitable for clients with diverse mental health challenges.
  • Philosophical Framework : REBT incorporates a philosophical framework that encourages individuals to adopt a rational and philosophical approach to life’s difficulties.
  • Enhanced Self-Acceptance : REBT promotes self-acceptance and self- compassion , helping individuals develop a healthier self-concept.
  • Adaptable for Group Therapy : REBT principles can be adapted for group therapy settings, making it a versatile approach for various therapeutic contexts.

While REBT offers numerous benefits, it is important to consider individual preferences and needs when selecting a therapy approach. REBT may be particularly well-suited for those seeking a cognitive-behavioral approach to address their emotional distress and improve their overall mental health and well-being. Keep reading to learn REBT therapy activities you can do with your clients.

Mental Health Concerns That Can Benefit from REBT

Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) is an evidence-based therapeutic approach that offers valuable assistance to a wide range of clients. It proves effective in addressing various presenting concerns, diagnoses, and populations across healthcare settings (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

REBT can be applied in diverse therapeutic contexts, including group therapy, individual therapy, family sessions, couples counseling , and psychoeducation sessions (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

Clients dealing with mild to moderately severe mental health concerns can benefit from REBT. This includes individuals with depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, adjustment disorders, anger and aggression difficulties, obsessiveness, and sexual difficulties (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). Additionally, REBT can show effectiveness in certain cases of substance use disorders, as exemplified in the peer-led support group known as SMART Recovery (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

It’s important to note that REBT involves clients engaging in homework activities outside of therapy sessions. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that clients possess a comprehensive understanding of REBT and have accurate expectations regarding their involvement outside the therapy sessions. For some clients, this requirement may present a barrier that limits their ability to fully experience the clinical benefits associated with REBT.

REBT Exercises & Activities to do with Clients

Rational Emotive Behavior exercises can be used inside of therapy sessions, and be used as homework assignments outside of sessions. When REBT activities are used as homework, this would be explored in the subsequent session after a routine check-in regarding old business, their overall level of distress and functioning, and any major changes since their last session (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010).

Examples of Rational Emotive Behavior activities that can be used in a session include:

  • ABCDEF is a structured plan that can be used in sessions to identify, assess, dispute, and modify beliefs. The acronym can be useful for both ourselves and our clients in remembering the steps to follow. Spend time reviewing the steps with your client, and walk through an example based on a current challenge they are experiencing. TherapyPatron.com has an REBT ABCDEF Worksheet available that can be used during homework assignments.  

The acronym in length is as follows:  

  • A: Activating Event
  • B:  Belief about the activating event
  • C: Consequences of the belief]
  • D: Dispute the belief
  • E: Effective
  • F: New feelings and behaviors
  • Another cognitive strategy that can be used as an REBT activity would be to have your client develop a rational thought to replace an irrational one. Once that is done, ask your client to write their new thought repeatedly. Clients can verbalize the new thought in addition to writing it down. This exercise can be done in the session and continued outside of the session. Allow for time to follow up regarding your client’s experience with this exercise and any impact they observed on their feelings and behaviors.
  • In order to do the work associated with REBT, our clients need to spend time exploring their thoughts and feelings. Without doing so, they may not know how to get to the beliefs that are leading to their distress. Asking your client to explore their thoughts and feelings is a cognitive strategy that can be given as a fluid homework assignment. Maybe your client would benefit from doing this as a journal entry, or possibly doing this internal exploration while going for a peaceful walk. Help your client determine how they would best engage in self-exploration, and use this as a homework assignment. Allow for time to follow up in their following session.
  • When working with your client to identify unhealthy beliefs, many find it helpful to provide clients with a worksheet that offers examples of common unhealthy beliefs. TherapyPatron.com offers an REBT Irrational Belief Worksheet that can also be used to track rational beliefs that can be used to replace irrational beliefs. Encourage your client to be mindful of their beliefs outside of the session and to note any other beliefs that they found themselves having outside of the session.
  • Emotional reasoning is an example of an unhealthy thinking pattern that can have a significant impact on an individual’s day-to-day life.  TherapyPatron.com’s REBT Emotional Reasoning Worksheet can be used to help clients identify their extreme beliefs and rational beliefs for specific situations. This can help clients narrow down the extreme beliefs that are having the most significant impact on themselves.
  • Out of all the relationships that our clients have, one of the most important relationships that they have is with themselves. The person that they talk to the most is themselves, so another good REBT exercise is to explore their self-talk. How our clients speak to themselves is a direct result of the beliefs they have about themselves, and has an undoubtable effect on their emotions and behaviors. Encourage your client to take notice of the self-talk they have and the impact it has on their feelings and behaviors. You can then explore the belief that their self-talk stems from, and see how they can tweak their self-talk to be healthier.
  • Relaxation techniques are often introduced to clients who are engaging in Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy. This can include meditation, breathing exercises, visualization, and guided imagery. Spend time introducing your client to multiple relaxation techniques, and allow for time to practice some in session. This can be useful on techniques that can be challenging to use, or confusing to your client. Encourage your client to practice using these strategies outside of the session, both when they are in distress and when they are not. Allow for time to follow up regarding their experience and any shift in their thoughts, emotions, and feelings that they observed.
  • TherapyPatron.com offers a Consequences Analysis Worksheet that can be used to walk through the different consequences that your client experiences for their irrational beliefs. This can be a helpful tool if your client is unable to see the full effect of their belief and to navigate what the best approach would be moving forward. After using the worksheet, check in with your client to review how they responded to their irrational beliefs and any changes they experienced regarding their typical consequences.
  • Another unhealthy thinking pattern that our clients may be living with is jumping to conclusions and fortune-telling. The  REBT Jumping to Conclusions and Fortune Telling Worksheet can be used to identify unhealthy beliefs that clients may have for certain situations, and rational beliefs that can be used in their replacement. Encourage clients to be mindful of the discussed beliefs outside of the session.
  • For clients to manage their distress, they first need to learn about healthy coping skills. After you introduce your client to a variety of new coping skills they can use, an effective REBT exercise would be to work with them to create a challenging situation where they would then be able to practice using their new coping skills. As an example, if your client picks out their clothes in the evening for the next day, a challenge for them may be to wait until the morning to choose their outfit. Encourage your client to use their new coping skills during the created challenge, and allow for time in your next session to process their experience.

Final Thoughts On Choosing Activities for REBT

Thank you for reading our resource on 10 REBT Therapy activities and exercises you can do with your clients. REBT can be an effective therapeutic approach for clients who present to counseling with varying concerns. With plenty of supportive research, we know that this can be a helpful tool for clients who are struggling with certain concerns and are willing to practice skills and other strategies outside of therapy.

If you are interested in learning more about Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, we encourage you to look into continuing education courses and specialized training opportunities in your area. 

TherapyPatron.com helps mental health professionals better serve their clients. Our (editable, fillable, printable PDF) therapy worksheets can help you streamline your practice, effectively deliver different types of therapy, and support your clients be the best version of themselves.

Seligman, L. & Reichenberg, L.W. (2010). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: Systems,  strategies, and skills (3 rd Edition, pp 251-269). Pearson Education, Inc.

Author: Kayla VanGuilder, MA, LCMHC

Kayla is a Mental Health Counselor who earned her degree from Niagara University in Lewiston, New York. She has provided psychotherapy in a residential treatment program and an outpatient addiction treatment facility in New York as well as an inpatient addiction rehab in Ontario, Canada. She has experience working with individuals living with a variety of mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder , and trauma .

homework assignment in rebt

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What is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)?

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

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Saul Mcleod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul Mcleod, Ph.D., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years experience of working in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

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Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is a type of psychotherapy introduced by Albert Ellis in the 1950s. It is an action-oriented approach focused on helping people deal with their irrational beliefs and learning how to manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in a healthier and more realistic way.

REBT focuses mostly on the present to help someone understand how their perceptions of situations can cause emotional distress, leading to unhealthy actions and behaviors that interfere with their life goals.

Once identified, understood, and adjusted to more rational thoughts, this can help people develop better relationships and approaches to situations and events.

Healthcare concept of professional psychologist doctor consult in psychotherapy session or counsel diagnosis health.

REBT can be particularly helpful for people living with a variety of issues, but especially those experiencing the following:

  • Addictive behaviors
  • Procrastination
  • Disorder eating habits
  • Sleep problems
  • Overwhelming feelings of anger, guilt, shame, or rage.

Although REBT is considered under the umbrella of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) , Albert Ellis was considered the pioneer of CBT, influential to Beck.

This therapy was originally called rational therapy until it went on to include emotion and behavior, taking into account these other fundamental components of the therapy.

REBT was developed as a departure from psychoanalysis, probably the most popular therapy at the time. Psychoanalysis was thought to be useful for making people feel better after getting everything off their chests.

However, Ellis questioned whether psychoanalysis helped people deal with the root cause of their problems or helped them feel better at all in the long term.

Ellis believed that humans are naturally goal-directed, but they are also self-defeating and irrational. He believed that most people are unaware that many of their thoughts about themselves are irrational and negatively affect how they behave in relationships and situations.

According to Ellis, these thoughts can result in people suffering negative emotions and engaging in self-destructive behaviors.

Ultimately, REBT recognizes that our cognition, emotions, and behavior are all connected, interacting and influencing each other.

Core principles of REBT

A core concept of REBT is the ABC model. This model explains how, while we may blame external events for our unhappiness, our perception of these events lies at the heart of psychological distress.

REBT is grounded in the idea that people generally want to do well and reach their goals.

However, sometimes, irrational thoughts and feelings get in the way of these goals. These beliefs are thought to influence how an individual perceives circumstances and events.

The ABC model is as follows:

abc ellis2

  • A – Activating – the activating event is when something happens in the environment that triggers a negative reaction or response.
  • B – Belief – this describes the thoughts about the triggering event or situation, usually irrational thoughts about the activating event.
  • C – Consequence – this is the emotional response to the belief, usually distressing emotions resulting from irrational thoughts or beliefs.

Irrational Beliefs Addressed By REBT

Below are some examples of irrational beliefs that may be addressed in REBT:

  • “If I fail this exam, my life is ruined.”
  • “If I don’t excel in every area of my life, I’m a complete failure.”
  • “I must always be on top of everything; any slip-up is unacceptable.”
  • “My partner didn’t respond to my text, so they must be mad at me.”
  • “I messed up that presentation, just like I always do.”
  • “My friend is in a bad mood, and I know it’s because of me.”

Holding irrational beliefs can make it almost impossible to respond to activating situations in a healthy way.

Unhealthy feelings of anxiety are often driven by rigid and extreme attitudes, characterized by phrases like “must,” “should,” “have to,” and “need to.” These attitudes can lead to intense negative emotions.

Goals Of REBT

In REBT, individuals learn to differentiate between healthy negative feelings, which can be constructive during challenging situations, and unhealthy feelings of anxiety. Healthy negative feelings can guide a person to take appropriate action or accept situations beyond their control.

ABC Model2

REBT emphasizes personal responsibility for emotions and encourages the use of constructive language.

REBT helps individuals shift from blaming external circumstances for their distressing emotions to recognizing that their thoughts and beliefs are the primary drivers of those emotions.

During REBT, the therapist will help the client learn how to apply the ABC model to their daily lives. They work with the individual to change those beliefs and their emotional response to situations.

An important step in this process is recognizing the underlying beliefs that lead to psychological distress. In many cases, these come as absolutes such as ‘I must,’ ‘I should,’ and ‘I can’t’ statements.

The therapist will usually discourage people from using these statements as they are unhelpful and irrational.

Below are some of the techniques of REBT:

Problem-solving

Problem-solving is intended to help the person address the A in the ABC model.

This involves addressing the activating event or adversity head-on. Some common problem-solving methods include:

  • Teaching assertiveness
  • Learning social skills
  • Learning decision-making skills
  • Learning conflict resolution skills

Cognitive restructuring

Cognitive restructuring focuses on helping the person to change their irrational beliefs with techniques such as:

  • Rationalizing techniques
  • Guided imagery and visualization
  • Using humor
  • Exposing yourself to the fear

The REBT therapist may also use disputation to challenge a client’s irrational beliefs.

This involves questioning the validity of these beliefs, asking for evidence, and exploring alternative, more rational perspectives.

The therapist helps the client see that their irrational beliefs are not based on facts and encourages them to adopt more rational, evidence-based thinking, which can lead to healthier emotional responses and behaviors.

Coping techniques

Coping techniques are taught to be learned in situations where the person cannot change the event or is struggling even though they are using rational thinking. Some coping techniques include:

  • Mindfulness
  • Breathing exercises

The therapist will usually teach their clients three forms of acceptance:

  • Unconditional self-acceptance – this is where the person recognizes that they have good and bad points – they are flawed, but this doesn’t make them any less worthy than another person.
  • Unconditional other-acceptance – this is where the person recognizes that some people won’t treat them fairly, and there is no reason why everyone should treat them fairly. Although others will not treat them fairly, these people are no less worthy than any other person.
  • Unconditional life-acceptance – this is where the person recognizes that life is not always going to go the way they want, and there is no reason why it must go the way they want. They learn to accept that they may experience some unpleasant things in life, but life itself is never awful and is usually always bearable.

REBT Activities

Imagining the worst.

Often, people will catastrophize situations, meaning that they use worst-case thinking. Catastrophizing is a common cognitive distortion where people fear the uncertainty of potential negative events despite a lack of objective evidence to support this.

REBT therapists can encourage clients to imagine the worst-case scenario when attempting to avoid thinking about it for fear of becoming more anxious. Utilizing the worst-case scenario can help the client realize the following:

  • The worst-case scenario is unrealistic and, therefore, unlikely to happen.
  • Even if it did occur, the worst-case will probably still be tolerable.
  • If the worst does happen, they would still be able to manage the outcomes and prevent them from becoming catastrophic.

Blown out of all proportion

This activity involves the use of imagery and humor to tackle irrational thoughts. The therapist will ask the client to imagine the thing they fear the most actually happening.

However, instead of encouraging them to visualize this realistically, the therapist will ask them to visualize it to an extreme level.

When their worst fears become exaggerated, they can become humorous. The idea is that laughing at blown-up fears will help the client get more control over them.

Disputing irrational beliefs (DIBS)

DIBS is one of the most popular cognitive restructuring techniques in which the therapist questions the client’s beliefs head-on, causing them to rethink them, or they could ask the client to imagine another point of view that they may not have considered before.

Rather than the therapist being warm and supportive all the time, Ellis suggests that therapists should sometimes be blunt and honest to push people toward challenging their thoughts.

Disputing is a skill that can be learned in the long term to help people manage their emotional responses and limit some of their harmful beliefs.

A DIBS activity may include writing down a core belief someone holds and then considering the following:

  • Are there any objective facts to support this belief?
  • What proof is there that this belief is true/false?
  • What is the worst outcome that could occur?

Ellis recommended recording the irrational belief and then writing several statements to dispute this so the person can see more evidence suggesting their belief is false rather than true.

How Effective is REBT?

REBT has shown to be effective in addressing a variety of mental health conditions and situations as outlined below:

  • REBT is effective in reducing attachment anxiety , psychological inflexibility, obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms, and emotional dysregulation (Hoseini et al., 2013).
  • REBT has lasting positive effects even after therapy has ended and is as effective as cognitive therapy and medication for treating depression (David et al., 2008).
  • In an educational context, REBT group counseling has been found to reduce anxiety in school students compared to regular group counseling (Misdeni et al., 2019).
  • REBT is effective in reducing academic stress for students, and its benefits persist for months after therapy concludes (Priya & Padmavathi, 2021).
  • In the workplace, group REBT can reduce job-related stress and burnout while increasing job satisfaction and commitment (Kim & Yoon, 2018).
  • In the realm of sports psychology , REBT is an effective treatment option for athletes experiencing mental health issues, helping them manage unhelpful beliefs, emotions, and anxiety (Turner, 2016).

Limitations of REBT

While REBT has evidence to support its efficacy, some limitations and critiques have been noted.

The confrontational style of disputing irrational beliefs directly is a major area of controversy. This approach could potentially re-traumatize clients who have experienced abuse or invalidation in the past.

The confrontational style may also not suit clients from certain cultural backgrounds who value indirect communication and humility.

Additionally, REBT could arguably simplify psychological distress too much by focusing only on irrational beliefs. Factors such as childhood experiences and trauma play an important role as well.

From a neuroscience perspective, it can be questioned whether REBT sufficiently addresses emotional processing in the limbic system of the brain. While REBT aims to change thoughts and behaviors, emotions may not change as easily. More research is still needed into the neurobiology of REBT.

Finally, REBT may feel less personalized than other therapies and provides manualized rather than individualized treatment.

Personal Experiences of REBT

Below are accounts of individuals’ experiences of REBT sessions:

REBT vs. CBT

Below are some of the main differences between REBT and CBT:

The choice between REBT and CBT depends on individual preferences, specific issues, and therapy goals. Both approaches share common principles but have distinct philosophical and practical differences.

The Therapeutic Relationship in REBT

A strong therapeutic relationship is important for the success of REBT. Because this approach can involve blunt, confrontational disputing of your irrational beliefs, having a solid bond and trust between you and the therapist is crucial.

The therapist must establish rapport and be sensitive in challenging you. The confrontational style is not intended to attack you but to question your harmful thought patterns. Still, this approach can feel aggressive if proper trust is not built between you and the therapist.

You must feel safe being vulnerable and opening up to the therapist. The therapist also needs to demonstrate competence, care, and integrity for you to feel respected and understood. When you feel this trust with the therapist, you will be more receptive to the direct disputation techniques.

A safe therapeutic alliance gives you the confidence to take risks in changing your beliefs and behaviors. The therapist also provides encouragement through this challenging REBT process. With a good relationship as a foundation, the confrontational approach can be an effective catalyst for change.

Getting the Most out of REBT

To optimize outcomes from REBT, your active engagement is vital. Being more open to change and willing to challenge your thoughts/behaviors means you’re likely to benefit more.

Completing homework assignments between sessions gives you the opportunity to apply REBT techniques to your daily life. This helps cement new thinking patterns. Attending all therapy sessions is also important so you can get the full scope of REBT – missed appointments disrupt the process.

You should be prepared to feel some discomfort – it’s never easy to acknowledge and let go of irrational beliefs that may have developed over a lifetime. But leaning into the confrontation and fully committing to the REBT process is key. Change is difficult, but very worthwhile when you and the therapist work together actively.

Do you need mental health support?

If you or a loved one are struggling with symptoms of an anxiety disorder, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

1-800-662-4357

Contact the Samaritans for support and assistance from a trained counselor: https://www.samaritans.org/; email [email protected] .

Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (this number is FREE to call):

Rethink Mental Illness: rethink.org

0300 5000 927

David, D., Szentagotai, A., Lupu, V., & Cosman, D. (2008). Rational emotive behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and medication in the treatment of major depressive disorder: a randomized clinical trial, posttreatment outcomes, and six‐month follow‐up. Journal of clinical psychology, 64(6), 728-746.

Hoseini, T. H. M., Vaziri, S., & Kashani, F. L. (2013). The Effect of REBT on Reducing Somatization Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Interpersonal Sensitivity of Women living in Qom.

Kim, H. L., & Yoon, S. H. (2018). Effects of group rational emotive behavior therapy on the nurses’ job stress, burnout, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention.  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing ,  48 (4), 432-442.

Marsinun, R. (2016). The effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behavior (REB) counseling to reduce anxiety in facing student exams at SMPN 150 Jakarta. In Proceedings of the National Seminar Series (pp. 306-327).

Meaden, A. (2010). The experience of rational emotive behaviour therapy.

Misdeni, M., Syahniar, S., & Marjohan, M. (2019). The effectiveness of rational emotive behavior therapy approach using a group setting to overcome anxiety of students facing examinations. International Journal of Research in Counseling and Education, 3(2), 82-88.

Priya, S. S., & Padmavathi, P. (2021). Assess the effectiveness of rebt on academic stress Among Adolescent Girls.  TNNMC Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Nursing ,  9 (2), 36-41.

Turner, M. J. (2016). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), irrational and rational beliefs, and the mental health of athletes.  Frontiers in psychology ,  7 , 1423.

Further Information

David, D., Cotet, C., Matu, S., Mogoase, C., & Stefan, S. (2018). 50 years of rational‐emotive and cognitive‐behavioral therapy: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of clinical psychology, 74(3), 304-318.

Russo-Netzer, P., & Ameli, M. Optimal Sense-Making and Resilience in Times of Pandemic: Integrating Rationality and Meaning in Psychotherapy.

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What Is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)?

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

homework assignment in rebt

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

homework assignment in rebt

  • How It Works
  • Beliefs Addressed
  • Effectiveness
  • Factors to Consider
  • Getting Started

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) developed by psychologist Albert Ellis . REBT is an action-oriented approach that’s focused on helping people deal with irrational beliefs and learn how to manage their emotions , thoughts, and behaviors in a healthier, more realistic way.

When people hold irrational beliefs about themselves or the world, problems can result. REBT helps people recognize and alter those beliefs and negative thinking patterns in order to overcome psychological problems and mental distress.

How Rational Emotive Therapy Works

According to REBT, our cognition, emotions, and behavior are connected. In order to understand the impact of events and situations that people encounter throughout life, it’s essential to look at the beliefs people hold about these experiences and the emotions that arise as a result of those beliefs.

The main goal of REBT is to help people respond rationally to situations that would typically cause stress, depression, or other negative feelings. When faced with this type of situation in the future, the emotionally healthy response would be to realize that it is not realistic to expect success in every endeavor. All you can do is learn from the situation and move on.

Main Beliefs

Rational emotive behavior therapy operates under a few main beliefs. The three main beliefs of REBT are:

  • You are worthy of self-acceptance no matter what even when you struggle or make mistakes; there is no need for shame or guilt.
  • Others are also worthy of acceptance, even when their behavior involves something that you don’t like.
  • Negative things will sometimes happen in life, and that doesn’t mean that things are happening in a way they shouldn’t be. Life is not positive all of the time, and there’s no rational reason to expect it to be.

A core concept of REBT is the ABC model. This model explains how, while we may blame external events for our unhappiness, it is our interpretation of these events that truly lies at the heart of our psychological distress.

"ABC" is an acronym for:

  • A : Activating event, which is when something happens in the environment around you
  • B : Belief, which describes your thoughts about the event or situation
  • C : Consequence, which is your emotional response to your belief

During REBT, your therapist will help you learn how to apply the ABC model to your daily life.

If you’re feeling depressed due to a conflict in your relationship , for example, a rational emotive behavior therapist may help you identify the activating event for your problem before encouraging you to figure out which beliefs led to your negative feelings. They would then work with you to change those beliefs and, ultimately, your emotional response to the conflict.

Common Irrational Beliefs Addressed With REBT

An important step in the therapeutic process is recognizing the underlying beliefs that lead to psychological distress. In many cases, these are reflected as absolutes, as in "I must," "I should," or "I can’t."

Some of the most common irrational beliefs addressed in rational emotive behavior therapy include:

  • Feeling excessively upset over other people’s mistakes or misconduct
  • Believing that you must be perfectly competent and successful in everything to be valued and worthwhile
  • Believing that you will be happier if you avoid life’s difficulties or challenges
  • Feeling that you have no control over your own happiness; that your contentment and joy are dependent upon external forces

Holding unyielding beliefs like these makes it almost impossible to respond to activating situations in a psychologically healthy way. Possessing rigid expectations of ourselves and others only leads to disappointment, recrimination, regret, and anxiety.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Techniques

A couple of different techniques can be used during rational emotive behavior therapy.

Disputation

One step toward changing your beliefs is undergoing a process called disputation . Disputation is meant to teach you life-long skills to help you manage your emotional response and overall mental health.

During disputation, your therapist will challenge your irrational beliefs using direct methods. They may question your beliefs head-on, causing you to rethink them, or they could ask you to imagine another point of view that you haven’t considered before. 

While each therapist may approach disputation differently, challenging your beliefs is part of the process. Ellis suggested that rather than simply being warm and supportive, therapists need to be blunt, honest, and logical in order to push people toward changing their thoughts and behaviors.

Targeting Emotional Responses

An important part of the REBT process is learning how to replace your irrational beliefs with healthier ones. This process can be daunting and upsetting, and it’s normal to feel some discomfort or to worry that you’ve made a mistake. 

While REBT uses cognitive strategies, it focuses on emotions and behaviors as well. In addition to identifying and disputing irrational beliefs, therapists and clients also work together to target the emotional responses that accompany problematic thoughts.

Techniques that might be encouraged include:

  • Guided imagery

Conditions REBT Can Help With

REBT has some data to support its benefit for a variety of conditions, including:

  • Anxiety and distress
  • Disruptive behavior in children
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • Social anxiety disorder
  • Psychotic symptoms

REBT has also shown promise in sports psychology , where it can be used to help athletes overcome irrational beliefs that may be negatively impacting their mental health and performance.

Benefits of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

When developing REBT, Ellis’s goal was to create an action-oriented approach to psychotherapy that produced results by helping people manage their emotions, cognitions, and behaviors. Indeed, research suggests that REBT is effective at reducing irrational beliefs and changing behavior.

We see the same results in sports psychology, where REBT can decrease irrational beliefs and reduce anxiety for athletes.

Overall, REBT offers several behavioral benefits, like:

  • Reduced feelings of anger, anxiety, depression, and distress
  • Improved health and quality of life
  • Better school performance and social skills

Effectiveness of REBT

REBT has a wide range of potential applications. Because it’s focused on education and taking action, it may be effective for a variety of situations and mental health conditions. It may even lead to lasting change in those who undergo this form of therapy.

Burnout at School or Work

Researchers have studied the impact that REBT has on professional and academic performance. One 2018 study showed that this approach was effective in reducing symptoms of burnout for undergraduate students and continued to help even months after therapy concluded.

Another 2018 study showed similar results for nurses. Group REBT reduced their job-related stress and burnout while increasing their job satisfaction and commitment to their organization.

Depression and Anxiety

REBT may be effective in reducing symptoms for people with depression or anxiety. The positive effects also appear to last even after therapy ends.

REBT has also shown promising results for adolescents experiencing depression. This may be due to its emphasis on teaching techniques like:

  • Identifying cognitive errors
  • Challenging irrational beliefs
  • Separating individuals from their behaviors
  • Practicing acceptance

Sports-Related Issues

REBT is quickly gaining popularity as a treatment option for athletes who are experiencing mental health issues. It can be used to restore and maintain athletes’ mental health, helping them learn how to change their outlook and manage their emotions. This often improves their athletic performance, though the goal of REBT in sports psychology is to care for the athlete’s mental well-being first and foremost.

Factors to Consider With REBT

REBT can be a daunting process. For some, disputation may feel aggressive or confrontational, and facing irrational thought patterns can be difficult, as it’s not easy to accept these beliefs as unhealthy. The process of changing these thoughts can be even more challenging, as it may involve learning to let go of long-held beliefs.

REBT is meant to teach you life-long skills and, as such, it’s not a passive process. Your sessions may involve reading assignments and homework , and you’ll likely have to step out of your comfort zone to get the benefits of this form of therapy.

How to Get Started With Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

To begin REBT, check with your doctor for any recommendations of local therapists or search for mental healthcare professionals who offer this approach either in person or online .

During your first session, your therapist will likely discuss your goals and the activating event (or events) that prompted you to seek treatment. They may want to delve into REBT techniques right away; this form of therapy is very active and focused, so your therapist is not likely to spend a lot of time on casual conversation.

Throughout your treatment, you will probably receive homework assignments to complete and new behaviors to experiment with. Your willingness to try out new beliefs and different behaviors will impact how beneficial REBT is for you.

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Turner MJ. Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), irrational and rational beliefs, and the mental health of athletes . Front Psychol . 2016;7:1423. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01423

Russo-Netzer P, Ameli M. Optimal sense-making and resilience in times of pandemic: Integrating rationality and meaning in psychotherapy . Front Psychol . 2021;12:772. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.645926

Ellis A, Ellis DJ. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Second Edition . Washington, DC; 2019. doi:10.1037/0000134-001

David D, Cotet C, Matu S, Mogoase C, Stefan S. 50 years of rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis . J Clin Psychol . 2018;74(3):304-318. doi:10.1002/jclp.22514

Turner M, Barker JB. Examining the efficacy of rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT) on irrational beliefs and anxiety in elite youth cricketers . J Appl Sport Psychol . 2013;25(1):131-147. doi:10.1080/10413200.2011.574311

Ogbuanya TC, Eseadi C, Orji CT, et al. Effect of rational-emotive behavior therapy program on the symptoms of burnout syndrome among undergraduate electronics work students in Nigeria . Psychol Rep . 2019;122(1):4-22. doi:10.1177/0033294117748587

Kim H-L, Yoon S-H. Effects of group rational emotive behavior therapy on the nurses’ job stress, burnout, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention . J Korean Acad Nurs . 2018;48(4):432-442. doi:10.4040/jkan.2018.48.4.432

Zhaleh N, Zarbakhsh M, Faramarzi M, Branch AA. Effectiveness of rational-emotive behavior therapy on the level of depression among female adolescents . 2014;4(4):102-107 J Appl Environ Biol Sci .

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

homework assignment in rebt

Research in REBT\cognitive behavioral therapy has shown that your attempt to do homework is the  most critical variable  in achieving progress in psychotherapy. To change in ways that you desire, you first need to understand REBT’s core ideas and strategies and then soon after you need to  implement  these things into your life through new behaviors in challenging circumstances. Below is a list of homework recommendations.  Keep in mind that any homework is better than no homework. Do not demand of yourself that you do homework correctly or you will avoid attempting to do homework. Allow yourself to do homework imperfectly, and in time you will see progress. You can bet on this! The adage which applies here to homework is “ You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”   You need to get yourself to do homework. I cannot do it for you.   Early Phase of Treatment Homework (Understanding phase)

  • Read handouts and books to gain knowledge of REBT\cbt skills and ideas. Start with  The REBT Pocket Companion Guide by Dr. Dryden  which I have given to you.
  • Forcefully repeat to yourself a few times per day the rational attitudes I have written on index cards and given to you.
  • Go to REBTDoctor.com and sign up for my free emails on REBT. Read and act on those emails.
  • Attend my free  Saturday morning Zoom conversations  and watch another person discuss a problem with me. Watching them struggle with their rigid and extreme self-defeating attitudes will help you learn REBT and apply it to your life.
  • Listen to free audio recordings found at REBTDoctor.com while driving, cleaning, cooking, walking to work, etc. Listen to the same presentation multiple times to deepen your understanding.
  • Watch the free video at REBTDoctor.com to gain a good understanding of REBT philosophy & skills. 
  • Practice listening to  relaxation training audio or self-hypnosis audio  found at REBTDoctor.com.

  Middle Phase of Treatment Homework (Action\Implementation Phase)

  • Experiment with writing down the letters ABCDE when upset or procrastinating and changing your Basic Attitude at point B through disputing and reflection.  
  • Experiment with new behaviors that are  uncomfortable, awkward, unfamiliar and therapeutic
  • Assertive behaviors 
  • Calculated risk-taking behaviors 
  • Practical shame attacks  
  • Experiment with Rational Emotive Imagery for 3 minutes per day for 30 days
  • Use rewards and penalties to influence your behavior. For strong procrastination, avoidance and resistance, penalties that sting may be necessary.
  • Use your phone’s recorder to make a recording in your voice of all the rational attitudes I have written on index cards for you. Then listen to it multiple times to enhance your conviction in those views.Make new recordings as my work with you goes on.
  • Continue to refresh and deepen understanding of essential REBT skills and ideas by reading any book by Dr. Albert Ellis, Dr. Windy Dryden or me. Also relisten to REBT audio found at REBTDoctor.com when driving, cleaning, bathing, cooking, walking to work, etc. 

  Homework to Maintain Treatment Gains (Maintenance\Self-Therapy Phase)

  • Repeat any previous homework assignments you have found to be helpful in the past.
  • Create homework assignments aimed at extending your growth as a person and maintaining gains already achieved.  
  • Continue to use & master new behaviors (e.g., assertiveness, calculated risk-taking, shame attacks). 
  • Teach and model REBT to others in a way that is not disagreeable to them.
  • Download and read Dr. Ellis’s short paper on How to Maintain Your Treatment Gains which is found below:​

An Introduction to Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy

Photo of Dr Greg Mulhauser, Managing Editor

Rational emotive behaviour therapy focuses on uncovering irrational beliefs which may lead to unhealthy negative emotions and replacing them with more productive rational alternatives.

Underlying Theory of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy

Therapeutic approach of rational emotive behaviour therapy, criticisms of rational emotive behaviour therapy, best fit with clients, further reading on rational emotive behaviour therapy.

Rational emotive behaviour therapy (‘REBT’) views human beings as ‘responsibly hedonistic’ in the sense that they strive to remain alive and to achieve some degree of happiness. However, it also holds that humans are prone to adopting irrational beliefs and behaviours which stand in the way of their achieving their goals and purposes. Often, these irrational attitudes or philosophies take the form of extreme or dogmatic ‘musts’, ‘shoulds’, or ‘oughts’; they contrast with rational and flexible desires, wishes, preferences and wants. The presence of extreme philosophies can make all the difference between healthy negative emotions (such as sadness or regret or concern) and unhealthy negative emotions (such as depression or guilt or anxiety). For example, one person’s philosophy after experiencing a loss might take the form: “It is unfortunate that this loss has occurred, although there is no actual reason why it should not have occurred. It is sad that it has happened, but it is not awful, and I can continue to function.” Another’s might take the form: “This absolutely should not have happened, and it is horrific that it did. These circumstances are now intolerable, and I cannot continue to function.” The first person’s response is apt to lead to sadness, while the second person may be well on their way to depression. Most importantly of all, REBT maintains that individuals have it within their power to change their beliefs and philosophies profoundly, and thereby to change radically their state of psychological health.

REBT employs the ‘ABC framework’ — depicted in the figure below — to clarify the relationship between activating events (A); our beliefs about them (B); and the cognitive, emotional or behavioural consequences of our beliefs (C). The ABC model is also used in some renditions of cognitive therapy or cognitive behavioural therapy, where it is also applied to clarify the role of mental activities or predispositions in mediating between experiences and emotional responses.

ABC model.

The figure below shows how the framework distinguishes between the effects of rational beliefs about negative events, which give rise to healthy negative emotions, and the effects of irrational beliefs about negative events, which lead to unhealthy negative emotions.

Negative events and healthy vs. unhealthy responses.

In addition to the ABC framework, REBT also employs three primary insights:

  • While external events are of undoubted influence, psychological disturbance is largely a matter of personal choice in the sense that individuals consciously or unconsciously select both rational beliefs and irrational beliefs at (B) when negative events occur at (A)
  • Past history and present life conditions strongly affect the person, but they do not, in and of themselves, disturb the person; rather, it is the individual’s responses which disturb them, and it is again a matter of individual choice whether to maintain the philosophies at (B) which cause disturbance.
  • Modifying the philosophies at (B) requires persistence and hard work, but it can be done.

The main purpose of REBT is to help clients to replace absolutist philosophies, full of ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’, with more flexible ones; part of this includes learning to accept that all human beings (including themselves) are fallible and learning to increase their tolerance for frustration while aiming to achieve their goals. Although emphasizing the same ‘core conditions’ as person-centred counselling — namely, empathy, unconditional positive regard, and counsellor genuineness — in the counselling relationship, REBT views these conditions as neither necessary nor sufficient for therapeutic change to occur.

The basic process of change which REBT attempts to foster begins with the client acknowledging the existence of a problem and identifying any ‘meta-disturbances’ about that problem (i.e., problems about the problem, such as feeling guilty about being depressed). The client then identifies the underlying irrational belief which caused the original problem and comes to understand both why it is irrational and why a rational alternative would be preferable. The client challenges their irrational belief and employs a variety of cognitive, behavioural, emotive and imagery techniques to strengthen their conviction in a rational alternative. (For example, rational emotive imagery, or REI, helps clients practice changing unhealthy negative emotions into healthy ones at (C) while imagining the negative event at (A), as a way of changing their underlying philosophy at (B); this is designed to help clients move from an intellectual insight about which of their beliefs are rational and which irrational to a stronger ‘gut’ instinct about the same.) They identify impediments to progress and overcome them, and they work continuously to consolidate their gains and to prevent relapse.

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To further this process, REBT advocates ‘selective eclecticism’, which means that REBT counsellors are encouraged to make use of techniques from other approaches, while still working specifically within the theoretical framework of REBT. In other words, REBT maintains theoretical coherence while pragmatically employing techniques that work.

Throughout, the counsellor may take a very directive role, actively disputing the client’s irrational beliefs, agreeing homework assignments which help the client to overcome their irrational beliefs, and in general ‘pushing’ the client to challenge themselves and to accept the discomfort which may accompany the change process.

As one leading proponent of REBT has indicated, REBT is easy to practise poorly, and it is from this that one immediate criticism suggests itself from the perspective of someone who takes a philosophical approach to life anyway: inelegant REBT could be profoundly irritating! The kind of conceptual disputing favoured by REBT could easily meander off track into minutiae relatively far removed from the client’s central concern, and the mental gymnastics required to keep client and therapist on the same track could easily eat up time better spent on more productive activities. The counsellor’s and client’s estimations of relative importance could diverge rather profoundly, particularly if the client’s outlook really does embody significant irrationalities. Having said all that, each of the preceding sentences includes the qualifier ‘ could ‘, and with a great deal of skill, each pitfall undoubtedly could be avoided.

Perhaps more importantly, it would appear that the need to match therapeutic approach with client preference is even more pressing with REBT than with many others. In other words, it seems very important to adopt the REBT approach only with clients who truly are suitable, as it otherwise risks being strongly counter-productive. On this point, however, it is crucial to realize that some clients specifically do appreciate exactly this kind of approach, and counsellors who are unable or unwilling to provide the disputation required are probably not right for those clients.

REBT is much less empirically supported than some other approaches: the requisite studies simply have not been completed yet, and the relevant data points for determining the best match with clients are therefore thin on the ground. However, one may envision clients responding particularly well who are both willing and able to conceptualise their problems within the ABC framework, and who are committed to active participation in the process of identifying and changing irrational beliefs (including performing homework assignments in support of the latter). Clients will also need to be able to work collaboratively with a counsellor who will challenge and dispute with them directly, and a scientific and at least somewhat logical outlook would seem a pre-requisite. REBT would be less suitable for clients who do not meet one or more of the above. And as hinted above in the section on Criticims, one might also speculate that clients who are already highly skilled in philosophical engagement could find the approach less useful. (Perhaps REBT-style self help could be of more benefit for such clients?)

Our annotated bibliography includes pointers to additional reading on this and other therapeutic approaches. The comment referenced in the section on Criticisms, on the easiness of practising REBT poorly, is due to Dryden (2002b) , p. 367; the notion of ‘selective eclecticism’ is due to Dryden (1987) . Note that REBT is closely related to cognitive therapy and is viewed by many as a subset of it.

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All clinical material on this site is peer reviewed by one or more clinical psychologists or other qualified mental health professionals. This specific article was originally published by Dr Greg Mulhauser, Managing Editor on April 22, 2011 and was last reviewed or updated by Dr Greg Mulhauser, Managing Editor on December 20, 2014 .

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Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

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Links to external resources.

Psychology Tools makes every effort to check external links and review their content. However, we are not responsible for the quality or content of external links and cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time.

Information (Professional)

  • Emotional disturbance in a nutshell | Albert Ellis Download Primary Link Archived Link
  • Structured disputing of irrational beliefs | Windy Dryden Download Archived Link
  • What is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)? Outlining the approach by considering the four elements of its name | Windy Dryden Download Primary Link Archived Link

Presentations

  • The Empirical Status of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) Theory & Practice | Daniel David | 2014 Download Archived Link

Treatment Guide

  • First steps in using REBT in life coaching – Windy Dryden | Dryden, W. | 2011 Download Archived Link
  • REBT Depression Manual: Managing Depression Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) | David, Kangas, Schnur, Montgomery | 2004 Download Archived Link
  • Albert Ellis and Gloria – full counselling session youtube Download Primary Link
  • 21 Ways To Stop Worrying | Albert Ellis | 1991 Download Primary Link
  • Substituting rational thinking for irrational thoughts – Albert Ellis youtube Download Primary Link
  • Substituting Rational Thinking For Irrational Thoughts | Albert Ellis | 1984 Download Primary Link
  • REBT Network Download Primary Link

Recommended Reading

  • A brief introduction to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) | Wayne Froggatt | 2005 Download Primary Link Archived Link
  • David, D. (2014). The Empirical Status of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) Theory & Practice. Therapy, 3, 175-221 Download Primary Link Archived Link
  • Dryden, W. (2013). On rational beliefs in rational emotive behavior therapy: A theoretical perspective. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 31(1), 39-48 Download Primary Link Archived Link
  • Ellis, A. (1980). Rational-emotive therapy and cognitive behavior therapy: Similarities and differences. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 4(4), 325-340 Download Primary Link Archived Link

What Is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy?

Assumptions of rebt.

  • Most people consciously and unconsciously train themselves to be to some degree emotionally disturbed.
  • People’s self-defeating cognitions, emotions, and behaviors are intrinsically and holistically connected.
  • If they choose to do so, and work hard at modifying their thinking, feeling, and behaving, they can teach themselves to lead more satisfying lives.
  • ‘I absolutely must perform well at important tasks and be approved by significant others—or else I am an inadequate person!’
  • ‘Other people must absolutely treat me kindly, considerately, and fairly—or else they are bad individuals!’
  • ‘Conditions under which I live absolutely must provide me with what I really want—or else my life is horrible, I can’t stand it, and the world’s a rotten place!’
  • Ellis, A. (2002). Rational emotive behavior therapy. In M. Hersen & W. H. Sledge (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy, Volume 2  (pp. 483–487). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Academic Press.
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What is REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy): How REBT Works

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Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a form of psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy first developed by Dr. Albert Ellis in the 1950s. REBT is one of the pioneering cognitive behavioral therapies and has influenced the development of other popular therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Table of Contents

REBT is based on the belief that people’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all interconnected. The way we think about events in our lives shapes how we feel emotionally and influences how we act or behave. REBT aims to help people identify, understand and change irrational, unrealistic and unhelpful beliefs that can lead to psychological distress or unhealthy behaviors.

The main premise of REBT is that it’s not events themselves that cause distress, but our beliefs about those events. For example, failing an exam doesn’t inherently lead to depression. However, irrationally believing “I am a total failure because I failed this exam” can understandably lead to depressed feelings. REBT helps people move from irrational, self-defeating thinking to more rational, self-helping beliefs.

Some key principles of REBT include:

  • Psychological problems are largely caused by irrational thinking and beliefs.
  • Irrational beliefs can lead to unhealthy negative emotions and dysfunctional behaviors.
  • Identifying and disputing irrational beliefs can lead to improved mental health.
  • Taking responsibility for our emotions and behavior is empowering.
  • People can learn to identify and dispute their own irrational beliefs.

Albert Ellis, an American psychologist, is considered the founder and creator of REBT. He initially trained as a psychoanalyst but became dissatisfied with the slow pace of insight-oriented psychotherapy. Ellis began testing out his ideas about the role of irrational beliefs in the 1950s and continued refining REBT over the next few decades. His book “Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy” published in 1962 outlined the core principles of his new approach.

Some of the key contributions Ellis made to the development of REBT include:

  • Emphasizing the role of irrational beliefs in psychological disturbances vs. merely unconscious drives or motivations.
  • Focusing on the present rather than the past origins of issues.
  • Taking an active-directive therapy style vs. passive listening.
  • Collaborative empiricism: Testing beliefs against reality.
  • Teaching clients to become their own therapists through disputing irrational beliefs on their own.

Ellis continued developing REBT until his death in 2007. Today, REBT remains an influential school of psychotherapy practiced around the world. Researchers also continue investigating and validating the principles of REBT.

Theoretical Basis of REBT

The role of cognition, emotions and behavior.

A key premise of REBT is that a person’s thoughts, feelings/emotions, and behaviors are all interconnected and influence each other. This is sometimes referred to as the cognitive-emotional-behavioral interaction model.

For example, let’s imagine a student fails an important exam. The activating event is failing the exam. They then have a thought or belief about this event, such as “I’m stupid and worthless because I failed.” This belief triggers an emotion – the student feels depressed and demotivated. The emotional consequence then leads to a behavioral result: the student stops studying and drops out of school.

In this example, the student’s belief about the event led to unhealthy negative emotions and behaviors. REBT aims to break this cycle by identifying and disputing irrational beliefs.

REBT theorizes that while we cannot always control external activating events, we can control our beliefs about those events. By changing our thinking patterns, we can take control of our subsequent emotions and behaviors.

The Role of Irrational Beliefs

A core principle of REBT is that irrational, unrealistic and unhelpful beliefs are major contributors to psychological distress and dysfunctional behaviors. Common irrational beliefs include:

  • Catastrophizing or exaggerating the negativity of events
  • Overgeneralizing from isolated incidents
  • Black and white thinking
  • Believing you “should,” “must” or “have to” do something
  • Believing that happiness and worth depend on achieving certain standards

For example, let’s say a woman’s partner breaks up with her. She may have an irrational belief like “I am completely worthless and unlovable now because he left me.” This extreme belief could understandably lead to feelings of depression.

REBT aims to help clients identify and challenge these types of irrational beliefs. The therapist works collaboratively with the client to test the validity of the belief and develop more rational, constructive alternatives.

Main Beliefs of REBT

REBT is based on three main philosophical beliefs developed by Albert Ellis:

  • Humans are inherently rational, meaning they have an innate capacity to think logically and solve problems. However, they also have a tendency towards irrational thinking.
  • Dysfunctional emotions and behaviors often result from irrational beliefs.
  • People can learn to identify and dispute irrational beliefs on their own. This enables them to develop more rational thinking processes and healthier emotions/behaviors.

These philosophical beliefs shape the goals and methods of REBT. The therapist aims to teach clients how to spot irrational beliefs on their own through logical analysis. They collaboratively work to develop more rational, flexible thought patterns.

A few key irrational belief patterns that REBT aims to change include:

  • Demandingness:  Believing events “must” or “should” be a certain way. Eg. “My partner absolutely must love me all the time or it’s intolerable.”
  • Catastrophizing:  Exaggerating the negativity of an event. Eg. “Failing this test means I’ll never get a good job and my life is ruined.”
  • Low frustration tolerance:  Believing you can’t stand or cope with discomfort. Eg. “I can’t bear feeling sad or anxious.”
  • Global evaluation:  Judging your self-worth based on a single event. Eg. “Getting rejected means I’m a total loser.”

The goal is to develop more rational, flexible beliefs. For example, “I want my partner’s love but don’t need it to be happy.” “This test is disappointing but it’s not the end of the world.”

REBT vs Other Therapies

REBT has similarities to other cognitive-behavioral therapies but also some key differences.

REBT vs CBT

Both REBT and cognitive behavioral therapy focus on the role of thoughts in emotional/behavioral outcomes. However, CBT places more emphasis on mood management techniques like relaxation or scheduling pleasant activities. REBT puts more focus directly on belief change through disputation.

CBT also gives more attention to the role of cognitive “schemas” – broad belief patterns built from past experiences that shape perceptions. In contrast, REBT focuses more on current irrational beliefs about activating events.

REBT vs DBT

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has some overlap with REBT but adds concepts like mindfulness and distress tolerance skills. DBT also emphasizes validation – acknowledging the truths in a client’s thoughts/feelings before gently challenging them. In contrast, REBT takes a more direct approach to disputing irrational beliefs as soon as they arise.

Techniques Used in REBT

REBT uses a range of techniques and methods to help clients identify and change irrational thinking patterns. Some common techniques include:

  • Cognitive Restructuring:  Learning to identify irrational beliefs and replace them with more rational alternatives through logic and reason.
  • Disputing:  Actively challenging irrational beliefs through Socratic questioning, logic, and empirical hypothesis testing.
  • Rational coping statements:  Creating new self-statements to repeat when irrational beliefs arise. Eg. “I don’t like this but I can cope.”
  • Shame attacking exercises:  Doing embarrassing activities intentionally to challenge beliefs that we “must” avoid shame.
  • Imagery:  Visualizing feared outcomes coming true but coping well to challenge beliefs about catastrophe.
  • Mindfulness:  Observing thoughts non-judgmentally to gain distance from irrational beliefs.
  • Journaling:  Writing about irrational beliefs and more rational alternatives.
  • Bibliotherapy:  Reading books with REBT principles to reinforce learning.
  • Meditation:  Practicing meditation to reduce reactivity to thoughts.
  • Roleplaying:  Practicing healthy responses to situations through imaginary roleplays.

The therapist selects from this toolkit based on the client’s specific irrational beliefs. The overall goal is to teach clients how to dispute their own irrational thinking through reason, logic, and evidence.

The ABC Model in REBT

A core tool in REBT is the ABC Model. This model explains the link between activating events, beliefs, and emotional/behavioral consequences:

  • A – Activating Event:  Some situation occurs in the client’s life.
  • B – Belief:  The client has some belief or thought about the event. This belief can be rational and helpful or irrational/unhelpful.
  • C – Consequence:  The client then experiences an emotional reaction and shows some behavioral response based on the belief.

Using the ABC model helps clients and therapists pinpoint exactly where irrational beliefs are arising and leading to unhealthy consequences. Some examples:

  • A:  Nancy’s boyfriend breaks up with her unexpectedly.
  • B:  Nancy has the thought “I’m unlovable and will always be alone now.” (irrational belief)
  • C:  Nancy feels depressed and stops socializing or dating.
  • A:  Jim’s boss criticizes his work.
  • B:  Jim thinks “I’m incompetent at this job and should quit before I get fired.” (irrational belief)
  • C:  Jim feels anxious and starts calling in sick frequently.

The therapist helps the client identify alternative, rational beliefs that could lead to healthier consequences, such as “I’m disappointed he broke up with me but I will find love again.” “I made some mistakes but I’m capable and can improve.”

The Reciprocal Influence of A, B, and C on each other

  • A affecting B and C
  • B affecting A and C
  • C affecting A and B

rebt

How to do disputing?

Disputing is often done in three parts

1) Detecting – the client and therapist detect the irrational beliefs that underlie activating events

2) Discriminating – They discriminate irrational from rational beliefs

3) Insight does not automatically change people if accepting 1 and 2and working hard to effect change.

Disputing helps to bring client to the point where he/she develops change his irrational belief and makes new rational belief. Once the client changes his belief system he comes with a new healthy emotion that helps him to function well. This is shown into ABCDE model.

How Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Works

Cognitive Distortions in REBT

Cognitive distortions are patterns of irrational or unhelpful thinking. REBT identifies several key cognitive distortions that contribute to psychological disturbances:

  • All-or-nothing thinking:  Viewing outcomes or traits as absolute rather than on a spectrum. Eg. “If I’m not perfect, I’m a total failure.”
  • Overgeneralization:  Broadly applying beliefs beyond the specific situation. Eg. “All men are selfish jerks.”
  • Catastrophizing:  Exaggerating or imagining the worst case scenario. Eg. “Getting a bad grade means I’ll flunk out and have a terrible life.”
  • Should statements:  Unreasonable rules about how you or others “should” behave. Eg. “People should always be kind to me.”
  • Emotional reasoning:  Mistaking feelings for facts. Eg. “I feel stupid in math class, so I must be bad at math.”
  • Labeling:  Assigning rigid judgments of self or others. Eg. “I made a mistake – I’m an idiot.”
  • Mental filter:  Dwelling on the negatives while ignoring the positives. Eg. “My date said I looked nice but didn’t seem interested. He must have hated me.”

The REBT therapist helps the client become aware of these distorted thinking patterns and how they contribute to irrational beliefs. Learning to recognize cognitive distortions is an important step in replacing irrational thinking with more balanced rational beliefs.

Problem-Solving Techniques in REBT

Some clients struggle with irrational beliefs around problem-solving, like “My problems are unsolvable!” REBT uses several techniques to improve problem-solving ability:

  • Defining the problem:  Clearly stating the problem that needs solving.
  • Generating solutions:  Brainstorming multiple possible solutions without judging them yet.
  • Evaluating options:  Looking at pros/cons of different solutions objectively.
  • Implementing:  Creating an action plan to carry out the chosen solution.
  • Evaluating results:  Assessing if the solution helped resolve the problem.

The therapist models effective problem-solving techniques through roleplays and examples. They encourage clients to apply the steps to real-life problems between sessions.

Improving problem-solving skills helps build self-efficacy. Clients learn they can take constructive action to solve problems rather than catastrophizing about them. It provides an alternative to irrational beliefs like “I can’t stand having problems!”

Cognitive Restructuring Techniques in REBT

Cognitive restructuring means identifying irrational thoughts and consciously replacing them with more rational, balanced thinking. REBT uses several cognitive restructuring techniques, including:

  • Examining the evidence:  Looking at objective evidence to see if a belief is accurate vs. exaggerated.
  • Considering alternative viewpoints:  Generating other ways to view a situation.
  • Putting it in perspective:  Comparing the belief to the bigger picture of one’s life.
  • Evaluating pros and cons:  Weighing the advantages and disadvantages of a belief.
  • Scaling:  Rating the accuracy of a belief from 0 to 100%.
  • Socratic questioning:  Asking a series of guided questions to evaluate a belief.

The therapist might ask questions like “What evidence supports/refutes this belief?”, “How might someone else view this situation?”, “How important is this belief in the broader context of your life?” This helps clients develop more balanced, rational perspectives.

REBT in Action

To understand REBT in practice, it can be helpful to look at examples of therapy sessions. In an initial session, the therapist typically gathers background information, builds rapport with the client, and introduces the ABC model. The therapist may have the client fill out a questionnaire to identify common irrational beliefs. Or they might ask about a recent upsetting event and have the client analyze their beliefs and reactions using the ABC framework.

In later sessions, the therapist demonstrates disputation strategies to challenge specific irrational beliefs. For example, with a client who thinks “I’m a failure if I’m not loved by everyone,” the therapist could question what evidence supports this belief, examine the logic behind it, and dispute the idea that self-worth depends on others’ affection.

The therapist takes an active, collaborative role – providing structure, guidance and encouragement. But a key goal is for the client to learn how to spot and dispute their own irrational beliefs through logic and reason. REBT sessions focus on transferring these skills to the client.

Examples of REBT Sessions

In REBT sessions, the therapist takes an active, collaborative approach to help the client identify and dispute their irrational beliefs. Some examples of REBT in action:

  • The therapist asks the client to describe a recent situation that caused distress. For example, a job rejection.
  • Using the ABC model, the therapist helps the client identify the activating event (job rejection), their belief (e.g. “I’m incompetent”), and the emotional/behavioral consequence (depressed mood, loss of motivation).
  • The therapist then disputes the irrational belief by asking questions like “Is there any evidence this belief is 100% true versus just an exaggeration?” This helps the client see their self-judgment might be extreme.
  • The client is guided to develop a more rational belief, like “I’m disappointed I didn’t get the job, but one failure doesn’t mean I’m incompetent overall.”
  • The therapist assigns homework to practice applying the new rational belief in real-life situations.

Role of the Therapist

In REBT sessions, the therapist takes an active, teaching role:

  • Helps the client identify irrational beliefs using the ABC model
  • Actively disputes irrational beliefs through questioning, logic, humor
  • Models rational thinking and coaches the client through the process
  • Assigns homework to practice disputing beliefs independently
  • Provides unconditional positive regard, regardless of client’s progress
  • Tailors the approach to the client’s specific irrational beliefs

The therapist aims to teach the client how to challenge their own thinking and become their own therapist.

Common Questions About REBT

Some common questions about REBT include:

  • How is REBT different from traditional psychoanalysis? REBT focuses on current beliefs rather than past origins of issues and takes an active style.
  • Does REBT encourage selfishness by focusing on the self? No – REBT teaches unconditional self-acceptance but also encourages compassion for others.
  • Can REBT actually eliminate emotions like anxiety entirely? No – REBT helps manage unhealthy negative emotions, not eliminate normal human emotion.
  • Does REBT force rational thinking on people? No – The therapist collaborates with clients to examine the evidence for beliefs non-judgmentally.
  • Can REBT help with my specific issue? REBT has research support for conditions like depression, anxiety disorders , anger issues, OCD, and addictions.

Addressing these frequent misconceptions helps clients understand the principles and scope of REBT.

REBT Worksheets and Exercises

REBT worksheets and exercises help clients apply the techniques outside of sessions. Some examples:

  • ABC model forms to track activating events, beliefs, and consequences in daily life
  • Lists of common cognitive distortions like black-and-white thinking, overgeneralization, etc.
  • Thought records to identify irrational beliefs and dispute them
  • REBT coping statements worksheets with examples of rational self-talk
  • Decisional matrices to weigh the pros and cons of beliefs
  • Homework assignment sheets to practice techniques independently

Using REBT worksheets between sessions helps clients recognize irrational thinking patterns and practice replacing them with more rational, balanced beliefs.

Conditions Treated with REBT

Overview of conditions treated.

REBT has been applied to a wide range of conditions, including:

  • Anxiety disorders
  • Anger issues
  • Disordered eating
  • Relationship issues
  • Psychotic disorders
  • Personality disorders

It has also been used in organizational, educational, and sports settings.

Effectiveness of REBT

Research overall supports the effectiveness of REBT for many conditions. For example:

  • Multiple meta-analyses found REBT effective for anxiety and depression, with lasting benefits.
  • Studies show REBT decreases anger and aggression levels.
  • REBT has successfully treated addictions like alcoholism and nicotine dependence.
  • REBT is effective at reducing OCD symptoms.
  • For phobias, REBT has been shown to reduce fear and avoidance behaviors.

So research generally supports the efficacy of REBT as a psychotherapy approach, making it a good option for many mental health conditions.

REBT in Sports Psychology

Use in sports psychology.

In sports settings, REBT can help athletes overcome performance anxiety, perfectionism, anger issues, and burnout by identifying and disputing irrational beliefs.

For example, an athlete who catastrophizes failure may learn to dispute beliefs like “If I don’t win, I’m a total failure.” This reduces anxiety and risk of burnout.

Benefits for Athletes

Key benefits of using REBT in sports psychology include:

  • Reduced anxiety and improved resilience
  • Healthier perfectionism levels
  • Less anger/frustration with losses
  • Coping skills to manage stressors
  • Increased motivation and confidence
  • Improved concentration and focus

By managing irrational beliefs, REBT helps athletes enhance performance and enjoy sports more fully.

REBT in Educational Settings

Use in education.

In schools, REBT has been applied to help students with issues like test anxiety, perfectionism, anger, and underachievement by changing irrational beliefs.

Teachers can also use REBT principles to manage job stress and burnout by disputing beliefs like “I must get perfect evaluations or I’m a failure.”

Benefits for Students

Benefits of using REBT in education include:

  • Lower test anxiety
  • Reduced perfectionism and fear of failure
  • Improved academic performance
  • Less self-defeating thinking
  • Increased resilience and motivation

By reducing irrational beliefs like “I must get all A’s”, REBT helps students feel less distressed and perform up to their potential.

REBT in Organizational Settings

Use in organizations.

In workplaces, REBT helps employees manage stress, burnout, and anger by targeting performance-undermining irrational beliefs.

It can be applied in individual coaching or group training on concepts like disputing catastrophizing thoughts about failure.

Benefits for Employees

REBT offers employees several key benefits:

  • Lower job-related distress
  • Reduced risk of burnout
  • Greater job satisfaction
  • Improved work performance
  • Healthier perfectionism
  • Increased productivity and motivation
  • Better anger management skills

By changing irrational beliefs that impair effectiveness, REBT helps employees thrive.

In summary, REBT is a practical, action-oriented form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that has demonstrated effectiveness for a wide range of conditions and settings. It focuses on identifying and disputing irrational beliefs to develop healthier, more adaptive emotions and behaviors. When applied correctly, REBT can lead to lasting improvements in mental health, performance, and quality of life.

Overview of Research

Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of REBT for treating a wide range of psychological issues:

  • Multiple meta-analyses have found REBT to be effective for anxiety and depression, with moderate to large effect sizes. [1][3]
  • REBT has been successfully used to treat addictions like alcoholism, nicotine dependence, and opioid abuse. [5]
  • For anger issues, REBT has been shown to reduce anger levels and aggression. [5]
  • In treating OCD symptoms, REBT is consistently effective in reducing obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. [5]
  • For phobias, REBT helps decrease fear and avoidance behaviors. [5]

So overall, substantial research supports the efficacy of REBT across various conditions.

Long-Term Benefits

In addition to short-term improvements, studies indicate REBT can have lasting benefits:

  • A meta-analysis found REBT continued to show significant effects at follow-up across anxiety and depression. [1]
  • REBT helps instill lifelong skills for disputing irrational beliefs, suggesting ongoing preventative effects. [1]
  • Clients report continued improvement in areas like self-acceptance and coping after REBT. [3]

So REBT appears able to impart long-term skills that enable ongoing emotional and behavioral changes.

Limitations of REBT

Overview of limitations.

Some critiques and limitations of REBT include:

  • REBT may not be suitable for severe issues like psychosis or personality disorders. [7]
  • The confrontational style can be off-putting for some clients. [7]
  • REBT does not address past origins of issues like psychodynamic therapy. [7]
  • More research is needed on REBT’s long-term effectiveness and preventative effects. [3]

Suggestions for Future Research

Future REBT research could:

  • Assess long-term outcomes over several years post-treatment.
  • Compare REBT to other active treatments like CBT.
  • Examine mediators and moderators of REBT’s effects.
  • Evaluate cost-effectiveness of REBT.
  • Develop enhanced REBT protocols for specific disorders.
  • Investigate effectiveness in real-world clinical settings.

Overall, continued research will help refine REBT and determine its most effective applications.

REBT and Depression

Use in depression.

REBT is commonly used to treat depression. Key applications include:

  • Identifying and disputing irrational beliefs like “I’m worthless if I fail” that contribute to depressive moods. [5]
  • Teaching clients to tolerate discomfort and frustration rather than catastrophizing failure. [5]
  • Encouraging acceptance of self and events rather than global self-evaluation. [5]
  • Fostering unconditional self-acceptance. [5]

Effectiveness for Depression

Multiple studies support using REBT for depression:

  • Meta-analyses show REBT significantly reduces depressive symptoms with moderate to large effects. [1]
  • An RCT found REBT decreased depression in Malaysian university students. [9]
  • REBT reduced depression in Romanian youths in a clinical trial. [1]

So REBT consistently demonstrates efficacy in alleviating depressive symptoms.

REBT and Anxiety

Use in anxiety.

Key uses of REBT for anxiety include:

  • Disputing irrational beliefs like “I can’t stand this anxiety.”[5]
  • Modifying catastrophizing thoughts about perceived threats. [5]
  • Encouraging tolerance of uncertainty and discomfort. [5]
  • Teaching relaxation techniques as coping skills. [5]

Effectiveness for Anxiety

Research shows REBT helps reduce anxiety:

  • Meta-analyses found REBT significantly reduced anxiety symptoms with moderate to large effects. [1]
  • REBT decreased anxiety better than placebo in trials with anxiety disorder patients. [5]
  • For social anxiety , REBT reduced symptoms greater than placebo. [1]

So studies support using REBT to treat various anxiety disorders.

REBT and Addictions

Use in addictions.

REBT is applied to addictions by:

  • Challenging irrational beliefs like “I can’t function without this substance.”[5]
  • Teaching coping with urges and tolerating distress rather than emotional avoidance. [5]
  • Modifying rigid demands about needing pleasure or comfort from the addictive behavior. [5]

Effectiveness for Addictions

Research shows REBT can treat addictions effectively:

  • Meta-analyses found REBT reduced alcohol abuse with moderate effects. [1]
  • REBT decreased nicotine dependence in multiple clinical trials. [5]
  • Studies show REBT helped reduce opioid and cannabis misuse. [5]
  • Gambling addictions improved with REBT in trials. [5]

So REBT has demonstrated efficacy across various substance and behavioral addictions.

REBT and Phobias

Use in phobias.

Key applications of REBT for phobias include:

  • Disputing irrational beliefs like “This animal will definitely harm me.”[5]
  • Using imagery and roleplay to challenge catastrophizing about feared objects/situations. [5]
  • Gradually increasing exposure to phobic stimuli while preventing avoidance. [5]

Effectiveness for Phobias

Studies show REBT helps treat phobias:

  • Meta-analyses found REBT effectively reduced fear in treating phobias. [1]
  • RCTs show REBT decreased avoidance behaviors more than placebo. [5]
  • For social phobia, REBT outperformed placebo in reducing symptoms. [1]

So research supports using REBT alongside exposure techniques in treating phobias.

REBT and Disordered Eating

Use in disordered eating.

REBT addresses disordered eating habits by:

  • Challenging demands about needing to be thin. [5]
  • Disputing irrational beliefs about food, weight, and body image. [5]
  • Preventing dichotomous thinking about “good” vs “bad” foods. [5]
  • Encouraging flexible eating guided by health rather than rigid rules. [5]

Effectiveness for Disordered Eating

Studies indicate REBT can improve disordered eating patterns:

  • REBT reduced restrictive eating more than CBT and waitlist controls in a trial. [5]
  • Binge eating decreased significantly with REBT in an RCT. [5]
  • Irrational beliefs and body image concerns improved with REBT treatment. [5]

So REBT shows promise in addressing cognitive factors underlying disordered eating.

REBT and Aggression

Use in aggression.

Key uses of REBT for aggression include:

  • Disputing beliefs that aggression is justified, such as “He deserves this.”[5]
  • Challenging demands about others’ behavior. [5]
  • Teaching healthy anger management strategies. [5]
  • Fostering self-acceptance and tolerance of others. [5]

Effectiveness for Aggression

Research indicates REBT reduces aggression:

  • Meta-analyses found REBT significantly lowered anger levels. [1]
  • REBT decreased verbal/physical aggression more than no treatment in clinical trials. [5]
  • Irrational beliefs linked to aggression are lessened with REBT. [5]

So REBT can be an effective approach for improving anger control issues.

REBT and Sleep Problems

Use in sleep problems.

REBT may help with sleep difficulties by:

  • Disputing unrealistic demands about needing certain amounts of sleep. [5]
  • Challenging catastrophizing thoughts about the consequences of poor sleep. [5]
  • Teaching acceptance of sleep difficulties rather than frustration. [5]
  • Providing stimulus control and sleep hygiene education. [5]

Effectiveness for Sleep Problems

Limited research specifically supports using REBT for sleep issues:

  • One study found REBT improved sleep quality and duration more than sleep hygiene education alone. [5]
  • Irrational beliefs about sleep are correlated with insomnia severity. [5]

More research is still needed on applying REBT specifically to sleep disturbances.

Getting Started with REBT

Steps to begin.

Key steps to begin REBT treatment include:

  • Establishing rapport and a collaborative relationship. [1]
  • Assessing the client’s issues and goals. [1]
  • Explaining the REBT model and providing psychoeducation. [1]
  • Starting to identify the client’s common irrational beliefs. [1]
  • Introducing disputing techniques on milder irrational beliefs. [1]

Initially the REBT therapist:

  • Demonstrates unconditional positive regard. [1]
  • Explains the process and provides rationale. [1]
  • Guides the client through exercises like listing irrational beliefs. [1]
  • Models disputing techniques using examples. [1]
  • Assigns homework to start applying techniques. [1]

The therapist takes an active teaching role but is also supportive.

Duration and Structure of REBT

Typical structure.

Typical features of REBT sessions include:

  • Reviewing homework and previous session. [5]
  • Setting agenda and goals for the session. [5]
  • Using ABC model to identify irrational beliefs. [5]
  • Disputing irrational beliefs and constructing rational alternatives. [5]
  • Summarizing session and providing homework. [5]

Sessions are structured but flexible to client needs.

  • REBT is typically a short-term therapy lasting about 12-20 sessions. [5]
  • Sessions are weekly and last about 50 minutes each. [5]
  • For chronic issues, longer REBT over months may be warranted. [5]
  • Homework is assigned after each session to practice techniques. [5]
  • Common assignments include monitoring thoughts, completing thought records, or practicing rational self-statements. [5]
  • Reviewing homework at the start of sessions is collaborative. [5]

Homework is considered essential for consolidating REBT skills.

Becoming Your Own Therapist

Goal of rebt.

A core goal of REBT is for clients to ultimately become their own therapist by:

  • Learning to identify their own irrational beliefs independently. [5]
  • Developing skills to dispute irrational beliefs on their own. [5]
  • Applying REBT principles to new situations without therapist guidance. [5]

Steps to Achieve Goal

To help clients become their therapist, the REBT therapist:

  • Provides psychoeducation on identifying irrational beliefs. [5]
  • Models disputing techniques extensively early on. [5]
  • Prompts clients to take the lead in disputing. [5]
  • Fades support as clients gain competency. [5]
  • Assigns homework for independent practice. [5]
  • Checks client skill acquisition before terminating. [5]

This transfer of skills promotes self-efficacy and prevents relapse.

In summary, REBT is an influential cognitive-behavioral approach that focuses on identifying and changing irrational beliefs that contribute to psychological disturbances. Through techniques like disputing, REBT helps clients develop more rational, flexible thinking patterns to improve their emotional and behavioral functioning.

Extensive research has demonstrated the efficacy of REBT in treating conditions like depression, anxiety disorders, anger issues, OCD, addictions, and phobias. Studies indicate REBT can provide both short-term symptom relief as well as lasting benefits by imparting skills for ongoing self-change.

However, REBT may not be suitable for more severe mental illnesses like psychosis. The confrontational style also does not appeal to all clients. More research is still needed on REBT’s long-term effectiveness and preventative effects.

Overall, REBT is an empirically-supported action-oriented therapy that empowers clients to take control of their emotional lives by changing their thinking patterns. Since its development in the 1950s, REBT has had a major influence on the field of cognitive behavioral therapy and clinical psychology. With its focus on building skills for managing thoughts and beliefs, REBT offers a practical approach to leading a psychologically healthy, fulfilling life.

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Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and Why It's Important

Discover the effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) for emotional difficulties and learn new techniques for your mental health practice.

Matt Olivares

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a cognitive-behavioral approach to managing mental health. It has been used for decades as an effective treatment for depression, anxiety, and other psychological disorders. REBT focuses on replacing negative thoughts with more adaptive ones to reduce emotional distress and improve overall well-being.

In this guide, we will explore the fundamentals of REBT, its core methods, and how it can be applied in practice to help individuals achieve greater mental health. We’ll also provide several REBT techniques and examples you can use for better patient outcomes.

What is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)? 

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), formerly known as Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET), is a cognitive-behavioral therapy developed by psychologist Albert Ellis in the 1950s. The central premise of REBT is that irrational beliefs lead to negative emotions and maladaptive behaviors. It believes individuals can achieve greater emotional and psychological well-being by challenging and replacing these irrational beliefs with rational ones (Ellis, 1994).

REBT is based on the ABC Model (Ellis, 1957), which stands for Activating events, Beliefs, and Consequences. According to this model, events do not cause our emotional and behavioral reactions directly, but rather our beliefs about the events mediate this relationship (Dryden & Ellis, 2010). Therefore, our beliefs, rather than the events themselves, lead to our emotional and behavioral responses.

According to Ellis, individuals could alter their emotional and behavioral responses to events by identifying and challenging irrational beliefs, leading to greater psychological well-being.

REBT is an active, directive, and goal-oriented therapy that focuses on the present and future rather than the past (Ellis, 1994). The aim is to collaboratively with the client, identify their irrational beliefs, and then help them to challenge and replace these beliefs with more rational ones. This is achieved through various techniques, such as cognitive restructuring, behavioral experiments, and homework assignments.

Over the years, REBT has been applied to many issues, including anxiety disorders, depression, addiction, and relationship issues (Dryden & Ellis, 2010). REBT has also influenced the development of cognitive-behavioral therapies like Cognitive Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

How does REBT work?

In REBT therapy, irrational beliefs contributing to negative emotions and unproductive behaviors are pinpointed and confronted. The therapist and the client work together to replace these beliefs with more reasonable ones, utilizing various techniques and methods.

Ellis and MacLaren (2005) suggest that in the initial phase of therapy, the therapist assists the client in recognizing their illogical beliefs and the resulting outcomes. Following this, the therapist challenges these beliefs by presenting contradictory evidence and encouraging the client to consider alternative viewpoints. Ultimately, the therapist helps the client adopt more rational beliefs through techniques like disputing, decatastrophizing, and humor.

Dryden and Neenan (2014) highlight the significance of involving clients in the therapeutic process by motivating them to take accountability for their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The therapist guides the client in developing the necessary abilities and tactics to recognize and confront their illogical beliefs and supports applying these abilities to their daily life.

Through actively engaging the client in the therapeutic process and empowering them to take responsibility for their thoughts, emotions, and actions, REBT therapy can equip individuals with the skills and strategies needed to live a more fulfilling life.

When is REBT Used?

REBT treats many emotional and behavioral problems, such as depression, anxiety disorders, addiction, and relationship issues. You can also use this approach to:

Increase your patient's self-esteem

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy has been found to be effective in increasing self-esteem, especially when combined with other techniques. Using this approach, your patient can gain insight into irrational thinking patterns and identify more productive ways of responding to life's challenges.

Develop healthier coping strategies

REBT helps develop healthier coping strategies for dealing with stress, anxiety, and other challenging emotions. This approach encourages your patient to focus on the present and future rather than the past and guides them in finding better and healthier coping strategies to manage stress.

Help patient overcome negative thinking patterns

You can use Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy to help your patient overcome negative thinking patterns. Using REBT, they can identify their irrational beliefs and learn how to challenge and replace them with more rational ones.

Improve patient's communication skills

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy can help your patient improve their communication skills by teaching them how to express and manage their emotions better. It also encourages your patient to practice active listening, identify their irrational beliefs, and learn better coping strategies.

10 REBT Techniques and Examples

You can use many Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy techniques to help your client achieve the goals they have set out for themselves. Here are some of them:

This involves looking at a situation from a different perspective to change the meaning or interpretation of it. For example, if your client is nervous about giving a presentation at work, you may encourage them to reframe their nervousness as excitement about the opportunity to showcase their skills.

Decatastrophizing

Decatastrophizing focuses on challenging and replacing catastrophic or extreme thoughts with more realistic ones. An example would be if your client is afraid that a minor mistake at work will lead to them getting fired, you might help them see that it's unlikely that such a small mistake would have such a severe consequence.

Role-playing

This helps the patient practice new behaviors or responses to situations that trigger negative emotions. A great example is facilitating a role-play of a social situation with a patient with social anxiety to help them practice assertiveness and build confidence.

Exposure therapy

Exposure therapy involves gradually exposing someone to the situation or object that triggers their fear or anxiety in a safe and controlled environment. For instance, the patient fears flying, and you may expose them to planes and airports in a gradual and controlled way to help them overcome their fear.

Cognitive restructuring

It focuses on identifying and challenging negative thought patterns and replacing them with more positive and rational ones. An example would be if your client believes they are unlovable, you might help them identify evidence to the contrary and replace their negative belief with a more realistic one.

Homework assignments

These involve practicing new skills or behaviors outside of therapy sessions. For example, you can ask your client with anxiety with a homework assignment to practice deep breathing exercises at home to help them manage their symptoms.

Rational emotive imagery

This REBT technique involves imagining a situation that triggers negative emotions and practicing responding to it rationally and adaptively. For example, if the patient fears public speaking, you may ask them to imagine giving a speech and practice responding to their anxiety calmly and rationally.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness involves practicing being present in the moment without judgment. An example of a mindfulness technique is focusing on the breath or body sensations to help the client manage their symptoms.

This technique uses humor to challenge negative or irrational beliefs and reduce stress. For example, you can use humor to help a client see the absurdity of their negative beliefs and help them feel more relaxed and optimistic.

Assertiveness training

Assertiveness training involves teaching clients how to express their needs and wants clearly and respectfully. An example is teaching your client how to assertively communicate their needs to others rather than avoiding conflict or giving in to others' demands.

Benefits of REBT

REBT is an effective form of cognitive behavioral therapy that can help people manage their emotions, reduce stress, and build healthier relationships. It focuses on assisting individuals in identifying and challenging irrational beliefs, reframing situations in a more positive light, and learning more adaptive behaviors. Here are other advantages of this approach, according to research:

It helps improve health outcomes

Lyons and Woods (1991) thoroughly analyzed 70 outcome studies and found that REBT was an effective therapy in which subjects experienced significant improvement compared to control groups and baseline measures.

The study highlights the important relationship between the effect size of REBT and the therapist's experience and duration of therapy. The results showed that the more experienced the therapist and the longer the duration of therapy, the better the outcomes. This also suggests that therapists who specialize in REBT and are highly experienced may have better results with their clients.

It is superior to a placebo or no treatment

Engels, Garnefski, and Diekstra's (1993) meta-analysis of 28 controlled studies on the efficacy of REBT found that it was significantly more effective than no treatment or placebo. The research explained that REBT was equally effective compared to other treatment types, such as combination therapies and systematic desensitization.

This suggests that REBT is a valuable form of therapy that can be as effective as other forms of treatment. However, it's important to note that the effectiveness of REBT may vary depending on individual circumstances, and it's essential to work with a qualified therapist to determine the best course of treatment for each case.

It can effectively address disruptive behaviors

A meta-analysis conducted by Gonzalez et al. (2004) on the efficacy of Rational Emotive Therapy (REBT) with children and adolescents showed that REBT had a significant positive effect. The study found that REBT was equally effective for children and adolescents, regardless of whether or not they had identified problems. Interestingly, non-mental health professionals produced greater REBT effects than their mental health counterparts.

Moreover, the longer the duration of REBT sessions, the greater the impact on the subjects. The study also reported that children benefited more from REBT than adolescents. These findings suggest that REBT can be an effective intervention for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders.

REBT App – How Can Carepatron Help?

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REBT Software

Dryden, W., & Neenan, M. (2014). Rational emotive behavior therapy: 100 key points and techniques. Routledge.

Ellis, A. (1957). Rational psychotherapy and individual psychology. Journal of Individual Psychology, 13(1), 38-44.

Ellis, A., & MacLaren, C. (2005). Rational emotive behavior therapy: A therapist's guide (2nd ed.). Impact Publishers.

Engels, G. I., Garnefski, N., & Diekstra, R. F. W. (1993). Efficacy of rational-emotive therapy: A quantitative analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61(6), 1083–1090. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.61.6.1083

Gonzalez, J. E., Nelson, J. R., Gutkin, T. B., Saunders, A., Galloway, A., & Shwery, C. S. (2004). Rational Emotive Therapy With Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 12(4), 222–235. https://doi.org/10.1177/10634266040120040301

Lyons, L. C., & Woods, P. J. (1991). The efficacy of rational-emotive therapy: A quantitative review of the outcome research. Clinical Psychology Review, 11(4), 357-369. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-7358(91)90113-9.

Walen, S. R., DiGiuseppe, R., & Dryden, W. (1992). A practitioner's guide to rational emotive therapy (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Commonly asked questions

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is a type of therapy that helps people learn how to manage their emotions healthily.

To explain this to a child, you could say that Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is about learning to care for our minds and emotions. Sometimes, we have thoughts that make us sad, angry, or anxious. REBT teaches us how to challenge these negative thoughts and replace them with more positive ones. This helps us manage our emotions better and build healthier relationships with others.

Mental health providers such as psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, and social workers typically use REBT Therapy. It can also be used in various settings, including schools and community centers.

Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is generally considered a safe and effective form of psychotherapy. However, as with any form of therapy, there are potential risks and issues to be aware of, including depression or anxiety and feeling overwhelmed by the coping strategies introduced.

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  • v.97(37); 2018 Sep

Effect of rational emotive behavior therapy on stress management and irrational beliefs of special education teachers in Nigerian elementary schools

Liziana nnenna onuigbo.

a Department of Educational Foundations

Chiedu Eseadi

Samuel chidiume ugwoke, anthonia uju nwobi.

b Department of Adult Education and Extra-mural Studies, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State

Joy I. Anyanwu

Francisca chinwendu okeke, patricia uzoamaka agu, angie ijeoma oboegbulem, ngozi h. chinweuba, uche-vita agundu, kennedy okechukwu ololo.

c Department of Sociology/Psychology/Criminology & Security Studies, Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi State

Chinwe Okpoko

d Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.

Paulinus P. Nwankwor

Uche n. eze, perpetual eze, background/objective:.

From a rational emotive behavior therapy viewpoint, stress-related disorders originate from irrational beliefs and self-defeating philosophies and attitude. Individuals affected by stress are different from those ones with neurotic problems mainly because the stressed individuals have irrational beliefs about specific, short-term, or more readily identifiable events, in contrast to the more mundane and diffuse difficulties faced by neurotic persons. The present study aimed to examine the impact of a rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) intervention on the stress levels and irrational beliefs among special education teachers in elementary schools in Nigeria.

We employed a group randomized controlled trial design for this study. Eighty six participants recruited from elementary schools in the South-eastern part of the country were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (n = 43) or no-intervention control group (n = 43). We used the REBT Stress Management Manual to conduct the intervention. Stress levels and irrational beliefs were assessed using self-report questionnaires. Participants in the treatment group took part in the REBT program for 12 weeks and a follow-up program for 2 weeks. Analysis of the data was completed through a 2 × 3 within × between-subjects repeated measures analysis of variance, and independent samples t test.

Results showed that the REBT group experienced a significant mean decline in stress levels and their beliefs shifted to rational ones both at post-treatment and follow-up. In contrast, the participants in the no-intervention control group showed no improvements at either posttreatment or follow-up sessions.

Conclusion:

Rational-emotive behavior therapy is an effective therapeutic modality that can be applied by REBT clinicians for the management of stress. Additional clinical assessments will be necessary to further confirm the impact of an REBT intervention on teachers’ stress management and irrational beliefs in Nigerian elementary school setting.

1. Introduction

Stress is an emotional situation laden with frustration, tension, exhaustion, and anxiety. [ 1 , 2 ] Several scholars [ 3 – 14 ] have indicated that many teachers experience high stress in their day-to-day experience as educators. Bermejo-Toro and Prieto-Ursua [ 1 ] showed that many teachers’ symptoms of stress fall between 60% and 70%. Despite the fact that many teachers are vulnerable to high stress, it seems special education teachers in particular experience greater stress because educating children with special needs has been shown to be extremely tasking and challenging. [ 7 , 15 – 18 ] Some Nigerian studies have indicated that special education teachers in elementary schools face moderate to extreme stress. [ 3 , 19 ] A study by Agbo [ 19 ] revealed that up to 62% of the special education teachers in Nigerian elementary schools consider their work as stressful. If left untreated, high stress level can result in low productivity, absenteeism, poor work performance, [ 16 ] job dissatisfaction, [ 3 , 7 , 20 ] and attrition in the workplace. [ 21 , 22 ] Special education teachers are responsible for teaching, monitoring, assisting, and managing children with special education needs. [ 23 , 24 ] These teachers are given the mandate of adapting the school curriculum to meet the needs of each child. These teachers also provide individualized education programs and use diverse techniques of behavior modification, which are suitable for each child. When the children are not making tangible progress, the teachers experience enormous emotional and physical distress. [ 3 , 16 , 18 , 25 ]

The stress teachers experience can be measured with the transactional model of stress, which views stress as an interaction between the worker and the external demands, threats, and situations in their work environment. [ 26 ] Teachers might experience stress as a result of the frustration and rigors of work. [ 27 , 28 ] According to Antoniuo et al, [ 16 ] the main stressors for special education teachers include taking care of the children with special education needs, excess workload, and lack of governmental support. Proper management of the behaviors of children with special education needs—throwing tantrums, hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and others—and the perceived excess workload are burdensome tasks for many of these teachers. In addition, many Nigerian teachers do not wish to associate with children with special education needs because they view these children as a bad omen, products of a violated taboo, witches, or people being controlled by malevolent spirits. [ 3 , 29 – 32 ] Other concerns that may exacerbate the stress level of special education teachers include complexity in implementing the curriculum of special education; ensuring the safety of the children [ 17 ] ; managing large class sizes, lack of administrative supports, and job dissatisfaction [ 33 ] ; inadequate school facilities for special education; and inadequate time for fulfilling the needs of special education students. [ 14 , 34 ] Also, as a result of unhelpful and devaluing societal perception of the worth of elementary school teachers in developing countries like Nigeria, many special education teachers at the elementary schools are at risk of psychological stress. [ 35 – 37 ] Given the negative societal perception of teachers, many educators are also at risk of abandoning the teaching profession altogether. [ 6 , 38 ] One of the psychological therapies for managing teacher stress is discussed in the subsequent section.

1.1. Rational-emotive behavior therapy perspective of stress

From the perspective of rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT), Ellis [ 39 ] noted that the process of stress includes the stressful situations and events in the environment. Thus, REBT practitioners see stress as being the result of the irrational beliefs of the individual in regard to the situation in their environment. [ 40 ] To that end, teacher stress is influenced by several factors: the environmental situations (the antecedents); the mediating variables (cognitive factors); and the teachers’ response to the antecedents (consequences). Teachers’ perception of their enormous work-related tasks and their lack of ability to complete these tasks can inversely impact their mental and/or physical health. [ 41 ] In essence, teachers’ view of their incapability to act in accordance with their job demands could make them vulnerable to irrational thoughts and beliefs about themselves, their work, their work environment, their colleagues, and their students.

REBT was formally created by Ellis in 1955 to provide a vivid elucidation of the connection between a range of activating events, which individuals experience over the course of their lives, including the beliefs they hold about these events and the complex cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences that result from those beliefs. [ 42 , 43 ] According to REBT experts, individual's beliefs and cognitions about an event highly mediate on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences that follow the beliefs. [ 44 ] Thus, the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences of the activating events are mainly derived from the beliefs, which the client holds about the activating events and not the activating events itself. Client's beliefs could be rational; in which case, it is appropriate, functional, healthy, and adaptive. On the contrary, it could be irrational; in which case, it is inappropriate, dysfunctional, unhealthy, and maladaptive. [ 45 ] Irrational beliefs are described as those beliefs, which are not anchored on empirical reality and are thus, logically incoherent, rigid, extreme, and non-pragmatic. But, rational beliefs are described as beliefs which are empirically sound, logically coherent, flexible, non-extreme, and pragmatic. [ 45 ] Ellis and Bernard [ 44 ] noted that a teacher who believes that they must carry out their job responsibilities well despite the situation might be anxious and unhappy should they perform below their own acceptable standard. Likewise, a teacher who believes that their students must not fail and that their failure is awful as it shows that he has failed as a teacher may face an increased level of stress. Also, thinking in this manner can make the teacher perform more poorly, and/or become aggressive towards him/herself, the students, colleagues, and the environment.

Irrational beliefs can explain teachers’ emotional and/or pragmatic problems. [ 46 , 47 ] Teachers who have irrational beliefs and thoughts about job roles often perceive job demands in a more stressful manner compared with those who have rational beliefs and thoughts. [ 1 ] Bernard et al [ 48 ] provided examples of irrational beliefs, which are specific to teachers. For example, “students should not be frustrated”; “people who misbehave deserve severe punishment”;“there should be no discomfort or frustration at school”; and “teachers always need a great deal of help from others to solve school-related problems.” These irrational beliefs can lead to a wide range of psychological problems, including extreme stress. [ 45 , 49 – 51 ]

REBT is applied as a therapeutic modality by several REBT clinicians for the management of stress. [ 50 – 58 ] Unfortunately, the empirical status of this therapeutic approach is yet to be ascertained among elementary school special education teachers who experience stress, particularly in Nigeria. Several Nigerian researchers have used the REBT approach to reduce teacher stress in general secondary and vocational education classes. [ 50 , 51 ] The present study does not intend to address the stress of general education classroom teachers. Rather, it aims at drawing a sample of elementary school special education teachers whom research evidence indicated that they go through a lot of stress. [ 3 , 19 , 59 , 60 ]

According to REBT practitioners, the primary causes for stress are irrational beliefs and self-defeating thoughts. [ 61 – 63 ] Irrational beliefs are the foundation of the prolonged arousal and the emotional anguish that are shown to be the main causes of most illnesses associated with stress. [ 64 – 66 ] Therefore, REBT clinicians’ debate about stress is that there is nothing inherently stressful, but it is our thinking that makes it so. [ 67 ] In other words, REBT experts view stress-related disorders as originating from irrational beliefs and self-defeating philosophies and attitudes, as opposed to a particular stressor. [ 68 ] Also, individuals who suffer from stress are different from those clients who suffer from neurotic problems mainly because the stressed clients have irrational beliefs about specific, short-term, or more readily identifiable events, in contrast to the more mundane and diffuse difficulties suffered by neurotic persons. [ 68 ] These assumptions are the basic foundation of the REBT-based treatment for stress, according to Ellis. [ 53 ]

The major goal of REBT is to use cognitive, emotive, and behavioral techniques to help individuals to zealously dispute their irrational thoughts and beliefs; to think more rationally; and to act more functionally in order to actualize their life goals and be happier with their lives. [ 44 , 46 , 69 ] Phadke [ 70 ] posited that disputation of irrational beliefs involves the uncovering of the beliefs, acknowledging that the beliefs are unrealistic and illogical, disputing the beliefs through differentiation of irrational beliefs from rational ones, and demonstrating to oneself that irrational beliefs will lead to unhealthy living while rational beliefs will lead to healthy living. In this regard, Ellis [ 71 ] suggested that the best approach to dispute and deal with irrational beliefs was to alter the irrational beliefs by means of rational, emotive, and behavioral techniques. Specifically, REBT techniques include role-playing, rational emotive imagery [ 67 , 72 ] ; unconditional acceptance [ 53 ] ; self-dialogues and use of forceful self-statements [ 73 ] ; and homework assignments, skills training, implosive assignments, and reinforcement activity. [ 53 , 67 , 74 ]

Despite the above observations, little is known about the effectiveness of any stress management intervention designed for elementary school special education teachers in Nigeria. The major aim of the current study is to examine the impact of REBT on stress management and irrational beliefs for special education teachers in Nigerian elementary schools. It is this study's hypothesis that after attending an REBT intervention, a significant reduction in stress level and irrational beliefs will occur among the elementary school special education teachers in the treatment condition in contrast to those in the no-intervention control condition. If it occurs, such positive change may be sustained at follow-up meetings for those teachers enrolled in the REBT intervention compared with participants in the no-intervention control group.

2. Materials and methods

2.1. statement of ethical considerations.

Approval to carry out this research was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the Department of Educational Foundations, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. To be eligible for participation, the researchers ensured that the teachers provided informed, written consent. This research also adhered to the research ethics statement of the American Psychological Association and World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki.

2.2. Participants

In the beginning of the study, the levels of stress and irrational beliefs of 138 special education teachers were ascertained using the Teacher Stress Questionnaire (TSQ) [ 2 ] and Teacher Irrational Belief Scale (TIBS), [ 75 ] respectively. The study consisted of a total of 86 special education teachers with high levels of stress and irrational beliefs and who were working in elementary schools in Southeast Nigeria during the 2016/2017 academic year. Power analysis indicated that 28 participants are adequate for an analysis of variance repeated-measures within-between subjects interaction (a priori statistical power of 0.81; effect size f  = 0.25). [ 76 ] Using Random Allocation Software, [ 77 ] we assigned the teachers to 1 of 2 groups: treatment group (n = 43); and no-intervention control group (n = 43) (see Fig. ​ Fig.1). 1 ). Participants were also required to meet the following inclusionary criteria: currently employed as a full-time, special education teacher; provide the informed written consent; readily accessible throughout the time of the research, and not involved in any stress management intervention for the duration of the study period. The participants’ demographic characteristics are shown in Table ​ Table1 1 .

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Participant eligibility criteria.

Demographic characteristics of the participants.

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2.3. Measures

2.3.1. teachers’ stress questionnaire (tsq).

The study employed the TSQ, which was developed and validated by Eze, [ 2 ] to measure teachers’ levels of stress. The TSQ has a total of 30 items. In the TSQ, teachers are asked to indicate the extent to which they experience stress in the following 5 subscales: classroom management problems; work-related emotional problems; time management at the workplace; school administration problems; and professional distress. TSQ is rated on a 5-point scale: Not Stressful; Slightly Stressful; Moderately Stressful; Very Stressful; and Extremely Stressful. The high scores obtained from the TSQ indicated a high level of stress among the teachers who participated in the study. The internal consistencies (Cronbach α ) of the TSQ, which were reported by Eze, [ 2 ] were as follows: 0.88, 0.84, 0.76, 0.81, and 0.73 for the 5 subscales, respectively. The overall reliability coefficient of the TSQ was given as 0.80. Table ​ Table2 2 shows details of the reliability estimates of the TSQ.

Reliability estimates of the teacher stress questionnaire.

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2.3.2. Teacher irrational belief scale (TIBS)

Bernard [ 75 ] developed the TIBS, a 30-item scale, which measures teachers’ irrational beliefs in relation to teachers’ tasks. TIBS has been employed in previous studies with teachers and has been known to provide valid and reliable results. [ 1 , 27 , 51 ] The TIBS focuses on teachers’ absolutist thinking, exaggeration, or a tendency toward disproportionate perception, low frustration tolerance, and overgeneralization. [ 78 ] The TIBS has a 5-point scale: Strongly disagree; Disagree; Not sure; Agree; and Strongly agree. Bora et al [ 78 ] reported the following reliabilities for the TIBS subscales: Self-downing (0.66), Low Frustration Tolerance (0.48); Demandingness (0.68); and Total (0.74). Table ​ Table3 3 offers details of the reliability estimates of the TIBS in the current study.

Reliability estimates of the teacher irrational beliefs scale.

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2.3.3. Demographic questionnaire

This demographic questionnaire was used to obtain participant's demographic information, which includes, sex, age, class taught, years of teaching experience, and category of special needs children taught.

2.4. Study design and procedure

For this study, we adopted a group randomized controlled trial design. The teachers’ stress levels and irrational beliefs were assessed at 3 time points: Time 1, baseline data; Time 2, posttreatment data; and Time 3, follow-up data. Prior to the intervention, we visited elementary schools in the study area to explain the purpose of the study to the teachers and shared a consent form for the teachers to review and sign in order to participate in the study. The teachers were assured of the confidentiality of the information they provided. After 2 weeks, we visited a second time so the teachers could respond to the TSQ and TIBS. For this time, the levels of stress and irrational beliefs of 138 special education teachers were evaluated using the TSQ and the TIBS, respectively. Analysis of their responses enabled the researchers to identify those with both high stress and irrational beliefs (n = 86). Teachers in the treatment group participated in the bi-weekly REBT treatment for a period of 12 weeks of 90 minutes each. The intervention was delivered using the REBT Teacher Stress Manual by Eze. [ 2 ] Four months after Time 2, we conducted 2-week follow-up meetings, which took place twice per week, which resulted in the acquisition of the follow-up data (Time 3). The intervention was delivered by 3 of REBT researchers. During each period of assessment, the questionnaires were retrieved right away from the teachers. Also, during recruitment and randomization, the elimination of selection bias was achieved through concealing of the allocation sequence from the participants. To ensure that there was reduction of risk of potential bias, blinding of the data analyst took place until all statistical analyses were done through concealment of some details in the data collection instruments which might disclose the group that benefitted from the actual intervention.

2.5. Intervention

2.5.1. rebt teacher stress management manual.

The study employed a detailed and systematic REBT teacher stress management manual, which had already been successfully implemented to reduce the stress of teachers in a previous study. [ 2 ] The stress management intervention lasted for 12 weeks. It was a 24-session encounter, with 2 sessions per week. Each therapeutic session lasted for 90 minutes. The treatment involved engaging the teachers in the identification of their work-related irrational beliefs and perceived stressors. Thereafter, they were taught to question their work-related irrational beliefs and replace them with rational ones. Also, participants were introduced to REBT stress management techniques as employed by Eze. [ 2 ]

The cognitive, emotive, and behavioral techniques of REBT highlighted by Corey, [ 79 ] as well as by Ellis and Bernard, [ 44 ] were employed in the intervention program. Cognitive techniques included actively disputing teachers’ irrational beliefs, cognitive homework assignments, psychoeducational techniques, changing one's language, use of rational self-statements, and reframing. As a way of completing the cognitive homework assignments, participants completed an REBT Self-Help Form. [ 80 – 82 ] This form enabled the participants to critically appraise the disputation of their work-related irrational beliefs. Emotive techniques utilized included rational emotive imagery, humorous songs, shame-attacking exercises, force and vigor, emotive homework assignments, and role-playing. The behavioral techniques included relaxation, self-management/activity scheduling, distraction techniques, systematic desensitization, and behavioral homework assignments. Each therapeutic session concluded with a homework assignment, which was to be completed before the next session.

2.6. Method of data analysis

We conducted the t test for independent-samples to determine the baseline differences in the levels of stress and irrational beliefs of the study participants according to the group. In the current study, a 2 × 3 within × between-subjects repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used to report the main effect of treatment condition; the main effect of time (pretreatment vs posttreatment and follow-up); and the time × group interaction effect. Effect sizes of the REBT treatment intervention were shown using eta squared ( η 2 ). Also, post-hoc analyses via Bonferroni corrections procedure for P -values were carried out as in Ogbuanya et al. [ 83 ] Furthermore, we carried out the Levene test for assumptions violations. The test result was not statistically significant, [ F (1,84) = 0.675; P  = .414], which implied that all assumptions were met. Robust tests of equality of means (Welch and Brown-Forsythe tests) based on times and measures were conducted. All the statistical analyses, including screening for missing values (there were no missing values), were done in SPSS, version 22.

Table ​ Table3 3 indicates the teachers’ levels of stress in the no-intervention control group and the treatment group at Time 1 (pretreatment). As shown, the t test for independent samples indicated that there were no baseline differences in the level of stress (TSQ) between special education teachers in the no-intervention control group (124.92 ± 8.98) and those in the treatment group (123.31 ± 3.68), t (84) = −01.413, P  = .161, confidence interval (CI) = −5.04, 0.85. Thus, the level of stress of both groups was not significantly dissimilar at pretreatment. Also, the t test for independent samples indicated that there were no baseline differences in irrational beliefs (TIBS) between elementary school special education teachers in the no-intervention control group (122.08 ± 4.80) and those in the treatment group (123.15 ± 4.27), t (84) = 1.971, P  = .052, CI = −0.02, 3.88. Thus, the level of teacher irrational beliefs for both groups was not significantly different at Time 1.

A 2 × 3 within × between-subjects ANOVA test was carried out to ascertain the main effect of treatment condition, the main effect of time, and time × group interaction effect with respect to stress levels of elementary school special education teachers (see Table ​ Table4). 4 ). Our results showed that the main effect of treatment condition on stress level was significant: F (1,84) = 389.93, P  < .001, η 2  = 0.823. These findings indicated that the treatment condition brought about a significant decrease in the stress levels of the special education teachers in the REBT intervention in contrast with those teachers in the no-intervention control condition. The results also indicated that there was a significant main effect of time on teacher stress: F (1, 84) = 631.81, P  < .001, η 2  = 0.938. The ANOVA results showed a significant time × group interaction effect for stress level: F (1, 84) = 438.57, P  < .001, η 2  = 0.914. There was a significant decline in stress levels at follow-up evaluation (Time 3) for teachers in the treatment condition in contrast with those teachers in the no-intervention control condition: F (1, 84) = 623.15, P  < .001, η 2  = 0.881. These results affirmed the hypothesized positive outcome of an REBT intervention on the stress levels of the special education teachers. Figure ​ Figure2 2 shows the time × group interaction effect.

Repeated measures ANOVA results of effect of the REBT intervention on stress and irrational beliefs of the elementary school special education teachers by times of measurement and groups.

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Time × Group interaction effect of REBT on stress of elementary school special education teachers. REBT = rational-emotive behavior therapy.

A 2 × 3 within × between-subjects ANOVA test was conducted to determine the main effect of treatment condition, the main effect of time, and time × group interaction effect with regard to irrational beliefs of the special education teachers (see Table ​ Table4). 4 ). The results showed that there was a significant effect of treatment condition on irrational beliefs of teachers: F (1,84) = 500.05, P  < .001, η 2  = 0.856. These results implied that the treatment condition resulted in a significant decrease in irrational beliefs for those in REBT intervention in contrast to those in the no-intervention control condition. The results also indicated that the main effect of time on irrational beliefs was significant: F (1,84) = 604.58, P  < .001, η 2  = 0.936.

The results of the ANOVA test indicated that time × group interaction effect for teachers’ irrational beliefs was significant: F (1, 84) = 494.46, P  < .001, η 2  = 0.923. There was a significant decline in irrational beliefs scores of treatment group participants at follow-up evaluation (Time 3) in contrast with those in the no-intervention control group: F (1, 63) = 538.21, P  < .001, η 2  = 0.865. These results validated the hypothesized positive outcome of an REBT intervention on irrational beliefs of the elementary school special education teachers. Figure ​ Figure3 3 represents the time × group interaction effect.

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Time × Group interaction effect of REBT on irrational beliefs of elementary school special education teachers. REBT = rational-emotive behavior therapy.

As can be seen in Table ​ Table5, 5 , post-hoc analyses via Bonferroni showed that teachers’ stress levels significantly changed over the course of the study for the treatment group in contrast with those in the no-intervention control condition, which did not significantly change. The post-hoc outcome also showed that the stress level scores between the 2 groups in Time 1 were not statistically different. However, the stress level of the treatment group in contrast with the no-intervention control group at Time 2 and Time 3 were statistically different (all P -values <.001).

Bonferroni-Holm pairwise comparisons of effect of REBT intervention on stress (TSQ) of the elementary school special education teachers across different times of measurement.

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As can be seen in Table ​ Table6, 6 , post-hoc analyses via Bonferroni showed that the teachers’ irrational beliefs significantly changed over time for the treatment group in comparison with those in the no-intervention control condition, which did not change significantly over the course of the study. The post-hoc outcome showed that the irrational beliefs scores between the 2 groups in Time 1 were not statistically different. However, the irrational beliefs of the special education teachers in the treatment group in contrast with the no-intervention control group at Time 2, and Time 3 were statistically different (all P -values <.001).

Bonferroni-Holm pairwise comparisons of effect of REBT intervention on irrational beliefs (TIBS) of the elementary school special education teachers across different times of measurement.

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Table ​ Table7 7 presents the robust test of equality of means obtained by participants according to the times of measurement. The results showed that TSQ and TIBS scores of participants in the 2 groups were not statistically different at Time 1. However, at both Time 2 and Time 3, TSQ and TIBS scores of participants in the 2 groups were statistically different.

Robust tests of equality of means by times and measures.

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4. Discussion

The results of this study were significant in that they have added to the empirical status of REBT intervention in reducing stress and irrational beliefs in the population of elementary schools’ special education teachers in Southeast Nigeria who participated in the study. Our results showed that the special education teachers in the REBT treatment group benefited significantly from the intervention. There was a significant diminution not just in the stress level of the special education teachers, but also in their irrational beliefs in contrast with teachers in the no-intervention control group at posttreatment. This finding was in agreement with previous studies, which indicated that REBT was an efficacious approach for stress management. [ 50 – 55 , 57 , 58 ] A study showed that an REBT intervention resulted in a significant reduction of teacher stress and irrational beliefs. [ 54 ]

Our results demonstrated a continuous effect of REBT intervention on stress levels and irrational beliefs of the special education teachers who received the treatment in view of their follow-up scores in the TSQ and TIBS. The fact that the REBT treatment group showed a continuous reduction from post-test to follow-up showed a positive effect of REBT on work-related stress and irrational beliefs of special education teachers. The ability of the teachers in the REBT treatment group to replace their irrational beliefs with rational beliefs, to learn and use the REBT techniques such as rational emotive imagery, role-playing, [ 67 ] unconditional acceptance, [ 53 ] reinforcement activity, homework assignments, [ 44 ] and others accounted, for the positive gains experienced by the teachers. In addition, Ellis [ 40 ] stated that the best method for altering irrational beliefs was to change the thinking system or belief of the individual. REBT practitioners have also noted that any alteration in irrational beliefs of an individual will invariably lead to a decrease in the emotional disturbance induced by stress. [ 46 , 69 ] One implication of our finding was discovering that assisting elementary school special education teachers to build up rational thoughts and beliefs and use rational emotive coping strategies enabled them to better cope with stressful situations in their place of work. This finding was indispensable, particularly given that previous study indicated that corporations have been seeking more effective work-related stress management interventions, which could positively influence employees’ well-being and job performance. [ 84 ] The implementation of REBT for special education teachers who experience high levels of stress positively impacted both work-related beliefs and stress levels.

Given that individuals have the natural capacity to build up irrational thoughts and beliefs, they also have the ability to vigorously question and change those thoughts and beliefs using REBT techniques. [ 85 ] This study gave the special education teachers the opportunity to learn how to identify their work-related irrational beliefs and how to alter those beliefs using REBT techniques. The teachers were also able to reduce their levels of work-related stress. This study outcome was consistent with the assertions of REBT experts, who have acknowledged that since stress was caused by an individual's irrational beliefs, any changes to irrational beliefs would invariably lead to the reduction of emotional disturbances. [ 46 , 69 ]

One limitation of the present study was the fact that the control group was not given any intervention at all. It has been suggested that future studies should compare the efficacy of an REBT intervention with other therapeutic approaches used in the management of stress. Also, the questionnaire, which assessed the stress level of teachers, has not been widely validated. Further research is needed to ascertain the factor structure and internal consistencies of the TSQ through cross-cultural validation procedure. Practitioners could also argue that our study was limited by the fact that we combined TSQ and TIBS scores instead of the subscales to interpret the study outcomes. While this has been acknowledged, we hope to emphasize that the use of combined TSQ scores and TIBS scores were considered appropriate for the study in that previous studies have shown that summated scales can offer accurate benchmarks for the interpretation of treatment outcomes, as well as for determining and arriving at consistent conclusions regarding changes in irrational beliefs as a psychological construct. [ 47 ] We also decided to use the combined scores of the TSQ and TIBS because several other authors indicated that measurement error averages out through the summation of scores to obtain a global score. [ 86 , 87 ]

5. Conclusion

This study examined the usefulness of an REBT intervention on stress management and irrational beliefs of special education teachers in elementary schools in Southeast Nigeria. The REBT intervention resulted in a significant diminution in teacher stress for those who participated in treatment group in contrast with those who participated in the no-intervention control group. The positive gains of the REBT intervention were present at follow-up evaluations. Therefore, the researchers concluded that an REBT intervention was efficacious for managing teacher stress and also transforming teachers’ irrational beliefs in this population. The outcome of this research is relevant to curb the stressors in the current education system, especially for special education teachers. To that end, more clinical assessments are needed to further confirm the impact of an REBT intervention on stress management and irrational beliefs in this population of teachers. Further studies are also required to determine if an REBT program may likewise lessen the emotional distress of these teachers.

Author contributions

Conceptualization: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Chiedu Eseadi, Samuel C. Ugwoke, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Joy I. Anyanwu, Francisca C. Okeke, Patricia U. Agu, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Ngozi H. Chinweuba, Uche-Vita Agundu, Kennedy Okechukwu Ololo, Chinwe Okpoko, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze, Perpetual Eze.

Data curation: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Chiedu Eseadi, Samuel C. Ugwoke, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Joy I. Anyanwu, Francisca C. Okeke, Patricia U. Agu, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Ngozi H. Chinweuba, Uche-Vita Agundu, Chinwe Okpoko, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze, Perpetual Eze.

Formal analysis: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Chiedu Eseadi, Samuel C. Ugwoke, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Joy I. Anyanwu, Francisca C. Okeke, Patricia U. Agu, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Ngozi H. Chinweuba, Uche-Vita Agundu, Kennedy Okechukwu Ololo, Chinwe Okpoko, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze, Perpetual Eze.

Funding acquisition: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Chiedu Eseadi, Samuel C. Ugwoke, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Joy I. Anyanwu, Francisca C. Okeke, Patricia U. Agu, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Ngozi H. Chinweuba, Uche-Vita Agundu, Kennedy Okechukwu Ololo, Chinwe Okpoko, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze, Perpetual Eze.

Investigation: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Chiedu Eseadi, Samuel C. Ugwoke, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Joy I. Anyanwu, Francisca C. Okeke, Patricia U. Agu, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Ngozi H. Chinweuba, Uche-Vita Agundu, Kennedy Okechukwu Ololo, Chinwe Okpoko, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze, Perpetual Eze.

Methodology: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Chiedu Eseadi, Samuel C. Ugwoke, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Joy I. Anyanwu, Francisca C. Okeke, Patricia U. Agu, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Ngozi H. Chinweuba, Uche-Vita Agundu, Kennedy Okechukwu Ololo, Chinwe Okpoko, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze, Perpetual Eze.

Project administration: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Chiedu Eseadi, Samuel C. Ugwoke, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Francisca C. Okeke, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Uche-Vita Agundu, Kennedy Okechukwu Ololo, Chinwe Okpoko, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze, Perpetual Eze.

Resources: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Chiedu Eseadi, Samuel C. Ugwoke, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Joy I. Anyanwu, Patricia U. Agu, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Uche-Vita Agundu, Kennedy Okechukwu Ololo, Uche Nichodemus Eze, Perpetual Eze.

Software: Chiedu Eseadi, Joy I. Anyanwu, Kennedy Okechukwu Ololo, Chinwe Okpoko, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze.

Supervision: Chiedu Eseadi, Samuel C. Ugwoke, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Francisca C. Okeke, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Ngozi H. Chinweuba, Uche-Vita Agundu, Kennedy Okechukwu Ololo, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze.

Validation: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Francisca C. Okeke, Patricia U. Agu, Ngozi H. Chinweuba, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze.

Visualization: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Chiedu Eseadi, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Francisca C. Okeke, Patricia U. Agu, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Ngozi H. Chinweuba, Uche-Vita Agundu, Chinwe Okpoko, Uche Nichodemus Eze, Perpetual Eze.

Writing – original draft: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Chiedu Eseadi, Samuel C. Ugwoke, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Joy I. Anyanwu, Francisca C. Okeke, Patricia U. Agu, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Ngozi H. Chinweuba, Uche-Vita Agundu, Kennedy Okechukwu Ololo, Chinwe Okpoko, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze, Perpetual Eze.

Writing – review & editing: Liziana N. Onuigbo, Chiedu Eseadi, Samuel C. Ugwoke, Anthonia Uju Nwobi, Joy I. Anyanwu, Francisca C. Okeke, Patricia U. Agu, Angie I. Oboegbulem, Ngozi H. Chinweuba, Uche-Vita Agundu, Kennedy Okechukwu Ololo, Chinwe Okpoko, Paulinus P. Nwankwor, Uche Nichodemus Eze, Perpetual Eze.

Abbreviations: ANOVA = analysis of variance, REBT = rational-emotive behavior therapy, TIBS = Teacher Irrational Belief Scale, TSQ = Teacher Stress Questionnaire.

The authors of this work have no competing interest to disclose.

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  1. 5 REBT Techniques, Exercises and Worksheets

    5 REBT Techniques, Exercises, and Worksheets. 19 Jan 2020 by Courtney E. Ackerman, MA. Scientifically reviewed by Gabriella Lancia, Ph.D. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a style of short-term Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy ( CBT) that was developed in the 1950s by a doctor named Albert Ellis ( The Albert Ellis Institute, n.d.).

  2. Homework Assignments

    Homework assignments are a routine and significant element of REBT. Given the often negative association clients (and therapists) have to the word "homework," some therapists prefer to use more neutral terms, such as self-help work, practice exercises, experiments, rehearsal, or field-work.

  3. 10 REBT Exercises & Activities to do with your Clients

    Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy does ask clients to engage in homework activities outside of the session. For this reason, it is important to ensure that clients are knowledgeable of REBT and have accurate expectations for their engagement outside of therapy sessions.

  4. 10 REBT Therapy Activities & Exercises to do with your Clients in

    In REBT, counselors and therapists emphasize the belief that assisting clients in thinking rationally can lead to improvements in their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and overall daily functioning (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2010). Keep reading to learn 10 REBT Therapy activities and exercises you can do with your clients.

  5. The Role and Different Kinds of Homework Assignments in #REBT

    In this video, I discuss the role homework plays in REBT. I also discuss the types of assignments we typically suggest and how different types of assignments...

  6. What is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)?

    Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is a type of psychotherapy introduced by Albert Ellis in the 1950s. It is an action-oriented approach focused on helping people deal with their irrational beliefs and learning how to manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in a healthier and more realistic way.

  7. PDF ABC HOMEWORK For Mood Disorders

    ABC HOMEWORK - For Mood Disorders The "ABC's" are an exercise from REBT, which is a form of cognitive behavior therapy that is simple enough and effective enough to be used by anybody and -- it works. The "ABC" is an exercise that helps us to stop being victimized by our own thinking.

  8. What Is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)?

    REBT is an action-oriented approach that's focused on helping people deal with irrational beliefs and learn how to manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in a healthier, more realistic way. When people hold irrational beliefs about themselves or the world, problems can result.

  9. Negotiating homework assignments

    Traditionally, REBT therapists call the formal work that clients agree to do between therapy sessions 'homework assignments'. The field of behavioural medicine has focused much attention on the factors associated with patient compliance with prescriptive medical treatment.

  10. Reviewing homework assignments

    In this chapter, the author discusses the issues that arise when REBT therapist come to review their client's homework. To give them an idea of the important role that reviewing homework assignments plays in the REBT therapeutic process, consider the following view of the structure of REBT sessions put forward by Raymond DiGiuseppe (personal communication), the Director of Professional ...

  11. ABC Model for REBT

    worksheet Rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT)—a form of CBT—uses the ABC model to explain the interaction between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Because teaching the model is a key component of REBT, having an easy-to-understand diagram is an invaluable tool.

  12. 6 Tips for Better REBT Homework for Clients

    #REBT #therapyhomework #cognitivetherapyThis short podcast covers 6 tips for creating better psychotherapy homework assignments for clients. The techniques i...

  13. Homework

    Create homework assignments aimed at extending your growth as a person and maintaining gains already achieved. Continue to use & master new behaviors (e.g., assertiveness, calculated risk-taking, shame attacks). Teach and model REBT to others in a way that is not disagreeable to them. Download and read Dr. Ellis's short paper on How to ...

  14. Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy

    REBT employs the 'ABC framework' — depicted in the figure below — to clarify the relationship between activating events (A); our beliefs about them (B); and the cognitive, emotional or behavioural consequences of our beliefs (C). ... agreeing homework assignments which help the client to overcome their irrational beliefs, and in general ...

  15. PDF RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY (REBT) TODAY

    REBT is a practical, action-oriented approach to coping with problems and enhancing personal growth. It places a good deal ... assertiveness, self nurturance, risk-taking, and other behavioral homework assignments; communication skill training; and "shame-attacking" exercises. I'VE HEARD THAT REBT IS ONLY REALLY USEFUL . WITH VERY INTELLIGENT ...

  16. The Essence of Rational Emotive

    Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is a comprehensive approach to psychological treatment that deals not only with the emotional and behavioral aspects of human disturbance, but places a great deal of stress on its thinking component. Human beings are exceptionally complex, and there neither seems to be

  17. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

    Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is a cognitive-experiential-behavioral system of psychotherapy. Developed in 1955 as the first of the cognitive behavioral therapies, it has roots in Stoic philosophers such as Epicurus, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. It is underpinned by the idea that "people do not merely get upset by adverse life ...

  18. What is REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy): How REBT Works

    Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a form of psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy first developed by Dr. Albert Ellis in the 1950s.

  19. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and Why It's Important

    This is achieved through various techniques, such as cognitive restructuring, behavioral experiments, and homework assignments. Over the years, REBT has been applied to many issues, including anxiety disorders, depression, addiction, and relationship issues (Dryden & Ellis, 2010). REBT has also influenced the development of cognitive-behavioral ...

  20. Assigning Homework in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

    Assigning therapy "homework" can help your clients practice new skills during the week. While many types of therapy may involve some form of weekly assignment, homework is a key component of...

  21. Supporting Homework Compliance in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

    Homework Non-Compliance in CBT. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that has gained significant acceptance and influence in the treatment of depressive and anxiety disorders and is recommended as a first-line treatment for both of these [1,2].It has also been shown to be as effective as medications in the treatment of a number of psychiatric illnesses [3-6].

  22. Effect of rational emotive behavior therapy on stress management and

    Cognitive techniques included actively disputing teachers' irrational beliefs, cognitive homework assignments, psychoeducational techniques, changing one's language, use of rational self-statements, and reframing. As a way of completing the cognitive homework assignments, participants completed an REBT Self-Help Form.

  23. PDF Rational Emotive Therapy With Children and Adolescents

    More focused meta-analyses (i.e., This article systematically reviews the available research on rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) with children and adolescents.Meta-analytic procedures were applied to 19 studies that met inclusion criteria.The overall mean weighted effect of REBT was positive and significant.