Changing rational-emotive therapy (RET) to rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)

Reasons are given for changing the name of Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET) to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and for bringing its behavioral aspects into more prominence. Excerpted from “Changing Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET) to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).Behavior Therapist, 1994,16(10), 1–2, and fromReason and Emotion in Psychotherapy, Rev ed. updated. New York Carol Publishing, 1994. Reprinted with permission.     

Attention Training With Auditory Hallucinations: A Case Study

The case presented in this paper illustrates how Attention Training (ATT; [Wells, A. (1990). Panic disorder in association with relaxation induced anxiety: An attentional training approach to treatment. Behavior Therapy, 21, 273–280.]) can be applied in an outpatient setting in the treatment of auditory hallucinations. The 25-year-old male patient presented had a 4-year history of schizophrenia and treatment-refractory auditory hallucinations. He had received cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) before starting ATT. CBT had changed his attribution of the voices, and when he started with ATT the patient no longer held the belief that “voices are dangerous,” but his processing configuration was still acting “as if” the voices were a source of threat: He would listen to them, ruminate about them, and was easily distracted by them. Eight sessions of ATT resulted in a reduction of symptoms and in a dramatic change in the perceived control and mastery of the auditory hallucinations. It is concluded that ATT may be a helpful adjunct strategy in the treatment of specific psychotic symptoms.     

CAN RATIONAL-EMOTIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY (REBT) AND ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY (ACT) RESOLVE THEIR DIFFERENCES AND BE INTEGRATED?

Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a pioneering form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is part of the new wave of CBTs. In this article, I discuss the papers of Ciarrochi, Robb, and Godsell, and of Ciarrochi and Robb, who propose that REBT and ACT can be quite suitably integrated, and the paper of Steven Hayes, the originator of ACT and of Relational Frame Theory, who is skeptical about the feasibility of Ciarrochi, Robb, and Godsell’s proposals. My own view is that ACT and REBT significantly overlap in their theory and practice and that they can be successfully integrated if both therapies make some changes.     

Korean Immigrant Women's Journey from Abused Wives to Self-Reliant Women

Today's adolescent girls experience sociocultural pressures and life stressors which result in negative mental health outcomes, including binge eating. The purpose of this article is to present a model of psychotherapy for adolescent girls who engage in binge eating. The components in this model include: (a) Feminist Therapy to emphasize client empowerment and the importance of sociocultural context in understanding girls’ concerns; (b) Cognitive Behavior Therapy to help clients to eliminate dieting and to cope with pressures for attaining the beauty ideal; (c) Dialectical Behavior Therapy to assist clients in coping with emotions; and (d) Interpersonal Therapy to help clients improve relational transitions and disputes.     

Skinner and the rise of behavior modification and behavior therapy

Skinner is, without a doubt, one of the most predominant figures in the development of Behavior Modification and Behavior Therapy. Skinners' work is essential to the development of Behavior Modification and Behavior Therapy. Beginning with the social need for efficient psychotherapy, and after having generated a solid theoretical body of behavioral laws, Skinner indicated and also developed the appropriate path towards efficient interventions for unadaptive behavior. He developed a new theory regarding abnormal behavior (psychopathology), as well as a procedural model for evaluation (diagnosis) and intervention: "The functional analysis of behavior". His applications for this kind of work are pioneering and at the same time, he is the agglutinant figure of what we today call "Behavior Modification and/or Therapy". It is remarkable that a scientist could change the theories and practices of a discipline as radically as Skinner and his work did. His work, however, still has its limitations. The best way to acknowledge and pay tribute to Skinners' work is to overcome these limitations.     

Irrational Beliefs and Self-Management as Separable Predictors of Anxiety and Depression

Irrational beliefs and self-management are both cognitive-behavioral constructs that are integral in modern Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy and Self-Management Therapy, respectively. Both irrational beliefs and self-management have been linked to anxiety and depression, and there is evidence for their usefulness for these types of distress. This is the first study to consider irrational beliefs and self-management as simultaneous predictors of anxiety and depression. An outpatient clinical sample (n = 51) completed measures of irrational beliefs, self-management, and emotional symptoms. Results indicated that as simultaneous predictors of fear and worry, self-management did not account for any additional variance accounted for by irrational beliefs. However, both irrational beliefs and self-management predicted unique variance in depression, negative affect, and positive affect. Exploratory analyses with single diagnosis (n = 26) and multiple diagnoses (n = 25) subsamples provided some divergent results. These results are discussed in terms of case conceptualization and potential future applications in the treatment of affective disorders, in particular depression.     

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Elderly People

Several therapies have been adapted for use with elderly people, including Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). These two therapies emphasize the importance of irrational or dysfunctional beliefs in the creation of emotional disturbance, and tend to use a number of cognitive, emotive, and behavioral methods of disputing and changing these beliefs for more functional ones. Some of the main therapeutic techniques used in REBT and CBT are presented in this paper.     

The schism between experimental and applied behavior analysis: Is it real and who cares?

This paper addresses the relationship between the experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis. Citation data indicate that across time the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and other experimental sources, have been referenced increasingly infrequently in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Therapy, and Behavior Research and Therapy. Such sources are now rarely cited in these journals, and never have been regularly referenced in Behavior Modification. Although their proper interpretation is far from certain, these data partially support recent suggestions that the experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis are largely separate, insular fields. A questionnaire, mailed to the editorial staffs of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, was intended to gather further information about the alleged schism between the fields. Few respondents regularly read both journals, publish in both journals, or find both journals useful in their current research efforts. The majority of editors of both journals indicated that the fields were growing apart, although there was no consensus that this is harmful for behavior analysis. Most editors of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis reported that research published in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior has decreased in value to applied researchers across time; most editors of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior indicated that research published there has not changed in applied value. Several respondents commented at length concerning the relationship of experimental and applied behavior analysis. These comments, many of which appear in the article, reveal a marked plurality of views.     

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Compared to Client-Centered Therapy for Outpatients: A Randomized Clinical Trial with a Three Months Follow up

Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy - This study evaluated the effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) for outpatients with GAD and mild depression and...     

Science and behavior therapy: A survey of research in the 1970s

A representative sample of a decade of contributors to the journals Behavior Therapy, Behaviour Research and Therapy, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry was asked to report on their motivations for conducting studies that had been published in that journal. Results indicated that the primary motivation of behavioral researchers was to build on prior research through gathering and analysis of data to illuminate applied-clinical issues and validate treatment procedures. Few researchers reported consultation arrangements or efforts to replicate as their motivation for research. Most respondents described the training model in which they had received their doctoral education as oriented toward a scientist-practitioner approach rather than one that focused primarily on research, therapy or assessment training. Most respondents noted that their philosophy of behavior therapy at the time of the study in question to be applied behavior analysis or social-learning theory with far less being affiliated with a neobehavioristic mediational S-R model or cognitive behavior modification. These results are discussed within the context of the relevance of clinical research in behavior therapy and professional psychology.     

RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY AFTER ELLIS: PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

The 9 members of the Institute for Rational-Emotive Therapy’s International Training Standards and Review Committee (of which Albert Ellis is currently one) predict the status of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) after the death of Albert Ellis, its progenitor. Most respondents addressed whether REBT will exist in its own right or be subsumed under the broad umbrella of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Reprinted from Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 17, 413–427, 1995. AMHCA. Reprinted with permission. No further reproduction authorized without written permission from the American Mental Health Counselors Association. Stephen G. Weinrach was a professor of counseling and human relations at Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania. He died in 2004. The authors expressed their appreciation to Martin Gerstein and Allen Ivey for their generous contributions to a draft version of this article. Colleen Deeter provided valuable editorial assistance in the preparation and coordination of this project.     

Utilization and predicted trends of behavioral inventories

Published articles (N=1703) during the period 1975 to 1982 in three behavioral journals (Behavior Therapy, Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, andJournal of Applied Behavior Analysis) were reviewed for the utilization of preintervention and categories of behavioral inventories. Results revealed that (a) the three forms of the Fear Survey Schedule (FSS) and the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS) were the most utilized traditional behavioral measures, (b) new self-developed inventories were reported with significantly (p<.05) different frequencies across the three journals, (c) numerous published inventories beyond the traditional FSS and SADS were reported, and (d) an expanded use of IQ measures in preintervention behavioral assessment was also found. Trends regarding the nature of behavioral inventories among the three journals and a discussion on advances in behavioral assessments are presented.     

Integrating empirically supported therapies for treating personality disorders: a synthesis of psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral group treatments

Abstract This paper describes the theoretical foundations and components of an intensive group treatment program for individuals diagnosed with personality disorders. The Chrysalis Community Day Treatment Program integrates aspects of three empirically supported therapies: Transference-Focused Psychotherapy and Mentalization-Based Therapy, both psychodynamic psychotherapies, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, a cognitive-behavioral therapy. Each of these modalities is structured for the treatment of individuals suffering from the symptoms of borderline personality disorder, and each of the treatments addresses problems that occur across a wide spectra of beliefs, capacities, and behaviors. The program is comprised of expressive, psycho-educational and skills-training groups, and participants attend three days per week, for 15 weeks. Preliminary evaluation is promising, reflecting decreases in self-injurious behavior, suicide attempts, psychiatric hospitalizations, and psychiatric symptoms at a one-year follow-up.     

Responses to criticisms of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) by Ray Digiuseppe,Frank Bond,Windy Dryden,Steve Weinrach,and Richard Wessler

Responses to the criticisms of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) by Ray DiGiuseppe (1996), Frank Bond and Windy Dryden (1996), Steve Weinrach (1996), and Richard Wessler (1996). In particular their points about the untestabilility of the REBT hypotheses about the primacy of absolutistic musts and of the distinction between healthy and unhealthy emotions are considered and answered.     

Brief Communications

Abstract

This paper describes the theoretical foundations and components of an intensive group treatment program for individuals diagnosed with personality disorders. The Chrysalis Community Day Treatment Program integrates aspects of three empirically supported therapies: Transference-Focused Psychotherapy and Mentalization-Based Therapy, both psychodynamic psychotherapies, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, a cognitive-behavioral therapy. Each of these modalities is structured for the treatment of individuals suffering from the symptoms of borderline personality disorder, and each of the treatments addresses problems that occur across a wide spectra of beliefs, capacities, and behaviors. The program is comprised of expressive, psycho-educational and skills-training groups, and participants attend three days per week, for 15 weeks. Preliminary evaluation is promising, reflecting decreases in self-injurious behavior, suicide attempts, psychiatric hospitalizations, and psychiatric symptoms at a one-year follow-up.     

Implementation of DBT-Informed Therapy at a Rural University Training Clinic: A Case Study

University training clinics offer state-of-the-art treatment opportunities for clients, particularly for underserved and underinsured client populations. Little has been published regarding the implementation of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in settings such as a university training clinic, which may face challenges in utilizing such a comprehensive treatment. This single-case study describes the application of a DBT-informed treatment with a female BPD client, highlighting how the modifications made can ease implementation in a rural university training clinic. Data collected from DBT diary cards document minimal time demands required for the use of between session-coaching, along with clinically meaningful changes in suicidality and misery ratings, and effective DBT skill use. A discussion of the unique components and contributions of this case to informing potential DBT modifications within university clinics are presented.     

Dialectical behavior therapy adapted for suicidal adolescents

We report a quasi-experimental investigation of an adaptation of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) with a group of suicidal adolescents with borderline personality features. The DBT group (n = 29) received 12 weeks of twice weekly therapy consisting of individual therapy and a multifamily skills training group. The treatment as usual (TAU) group (n = 82) received 12 weeks of twice weekly supportive-psychodynamic individual therapy plus weekly family therapy. Despite more severe pre-treatment symptomatology in the DBT group, at post-treatment this group had significantly fewer psychiatric hospitalizations during treatment, and a significantly higher rate of treatment completion than the TAU group. There were no significant differences in the number of suicide attempts made during treatment. Examining pre-post change within the DBT group, there were significant reductions in suicidal ideation, general psychiatric symptoms, and symptoms of borderline personality. DBT appears to be a promising treatment for suicidal adolescents with borderline personality characteristics.     

Women in applied behavior analysis

The status of women in applied behavior analysis was examined by comparing the participation of women in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) to their participation in three similar journals. For all journals, the percentage of articles with at least one female author, the percentage of authors who are female, and the percentage of articles with a female first author increased from 1978 to 1997. Participation by women in JABA was equal to or greater than participation by women in the comparison journals. However, women appeared as authors on papers in special sections of Behavior Modification substantially more often when the editor was female than when the editor was male. In addition, female membership on the editorial boards of JABA, Behavior Modification, and Behaviour Research and Therapy failed to increase from 1978 to 1997. We conclude that a "glass ceiling" reduces the participation of women at the highest levels of applied behavior analysis and related fields.     

Frustration and Discomfort Intolerance: Introduction to the Special Issue

This article aims to provide an overview of the Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) concept of frustration intolerance. Therapeutic issues regarding these beliefs are discussed, including engagement, the use of disputation, and behavioral techniques.     

Frustration Intolerance: Therapy Issues and Strategies

This article aims to provide an overview of the Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) concept of frustration intolerance. Therapeutic issues regarding these beliefs are discussed, including engagement, the use of disputation, and behavioral techniques.