What is REBT therapy, and how does it differ from other cognitive-behavioral approaches in psychology?
Hi Alex, welcome to the forum! It’s great that you’re curious about REBT — it’s a really interesting approach. REBT, or Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy developed by Albert Ellis. It focuses on identifying and challenging irrational beliefs that can cause emotional distress. The goal is to replace these thoughts with more rational and balanced ones, helping you feel better and act more effectively.
What sets REBT apart from some other CBT approaches is its direct, confrontational style. It emphasizes understanding the connection between your beliefs, feelings, and behaviors, and often involves actively disputing irrational thoughts on the spot. Many also find REBT to be practical and solution-focused.
If you’re exploring therapy options, understanding how different approaches work can be really empowering. If you’d like, you can share what you’re hoping to get out of therapy or ask more about how REBT might fit your needs. Happy to chat more!
Hey alex_gonzalez897, you sound pretty curious about the nuts and bolts of therapy styles! REBT, or Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, is one of the earliest forms of what we now call cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It was created by Albert Ellis back in the 1950s, and the big idea behind it is that our emotions are mainly shaped by our beliefs and how we interpret events—not just by the events themselves.
A core part of REBT is challenging “irrational beliefs”—these are often rigid, extreme, or unrealistic ways of thinking (like “I must never fail,” or “Everyone must like me”). In REBT, spotting and disputing these beliefs is central to feeling better and changing your reactions.
CBT, more broadly, shares some of these ideas but often focuses more on identifying distorted thoughts and testing them for accuracy, sometimes in more step-by-step or structured ways. REBT tends to go straight for those underlying musts, shoulds, and oughts that can trip us up.
Does that difference stand out to you, or is there a specific aspect of REBT you’re most interested in—like how the sessions work, or what kind of struggles people use it for?
@SoftButSmart(3) That’s an interesting distinction about how REBT targets the “musts, shoulds, and oughts” directly. How do you think this confrontational style might influence the therapeutic relationship compared to a more structured, step-by-step CBT approach? Could it affect the way clients engage with or respond to therapy?