Faculty Publications

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: The Past, Present, And Future

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Albert Ellis, Prevention, REBT

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Journal of Rational - Emotive and Cognitive - Behavior Therapy

Volume

29

Issue

4

First Page

239

Last Page

247

Abstract

The intent of this article is to describe the significant contributions Albert Ellis made to rational emotive education and to a preventative approach to psychotherapy, which represents a major shift from many other counseling theories. The author notes that REBT as a preventative mental health approach was very important to Albert Ellis because he believed that it would extend the influence of REBT, but unfortunately he and other REBT practitioners have not put enough systematic emphasis on training teachers to implement rational concepts into the curriculum. Given the number of children and adolescents needing mental health services, this is an area that should be emphasized and would extend Al's legacy. The article also addresses Dr. Ellis' contributions in the area of parenting, where once again he was a pioneer in teaching parents how to deal with their irrational beliefs that interfere with effective parenting. The author concludes with a discussion about "where we go from here," focusing on training at the university level, developing a standardized REE program that includes a train the trainer component, becoming more of a presence in the field of health care, and putting more emphasis on the therapeutic relationship which may attract more people to the theory. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Department

Department of Educational Leadership, Counseling and Postsecondary Education

Original Publication Date

12-1-2011

DOI of published version

10.1007/s10942-011-0147-z

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