Notes

REBT : Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) was the fi rst of the cognitive behavior
therapies, and today it continues to be a major cognitive behavioral approach. REBT is based on the assumption that cognitions, emotions, and behaviors interact signifi cantly and have a reciprocal cause-and-effect relationship. REBT’s basic hypothesis is that our emotions stem mainly from our beliefs, which influence the evaluations and interpretations we make of the reactions we have to life situations. Through the therapeutic process, clients learn skills that give them the tools to identify and dispute irrational beliefs that have been acquired and self-constructed and are now maintained by self-indoctrination. They learn how to replace such ineffective ways of thinking with effective and rational cognitions, and as a result they change their emotional reactions to situations.

Irrational beliefs : Keyakinan tak rasional

ABC Framework : The A-B-C framework is central to REBT theory and practice. This model provides
a useful tool for understanding the client’s feelings, thoughts, events, and behavior
(Wolfe, 2007). A is the existence of a fact, or an activating event, or an inference
about an event, of an individual. C is the emotional and behavioral consequence or
reaction of the individual; the reaction can be either healthy or unhealthy. A (the
activating event) does not cause C (the emotional consequence). Instead, B, which
is the person’s belief about A, largely creates C, the emotional reaction.

cognitive homework : REBT clients are expected to make lists of their
problems, look for their absolutist beliefs, and dispute these beliefs.

Bibliotherapy : Bibliotherapeutic approaches have empirical support for
the treatment of depression, for a variety of anxiety disorders, and for a range of
clinical problems

Rational emotive imagery : Using the
technique of rational emotive imagery (REI), clients are asked to vividly imagine
one of the worst things that might happen to them. They imagine themselves in
specifi c situations where they experience disturbing feelings. Then they are shown
how to train themselves to develop healthy emotions in place of disruptive ones.

Shame attacking-exercices : The rationale underlying shame-attacking exercises
is that emotional disturbance related to the self is often characterized by feelings
of shame, guilt, anxiety, and depression. Ellis (1999, 2000, 2001a, 2001b)
developed exercises to help people reduce shame and anxiety over behaving in
certain ways. Ellis asserts that we can stubbornly refuse to feel ashamed by telling
ourselves that it is not catastrophic if someone thinks we are foolish

Cognitive Therapy : Cognitive therapy (CT) perceives psychological problems as stemming from commonplace
processes such as faulty thinking, making incorrect inferences on the basis
of inadequate or incorrect information, and failing to distinguish between fantasy
and reality.

automatic thoughts (personalized notions that are triggered by
particular stimuli that lead to emotional responses)

Arbitrary inferences refer to making conclusions without supporting and relevant
evidence. This includes “catastrophizing,” or thinking of the absolute worst
scenario and outcomes for most situations

Selective abstraction consists of forming conclusions based on an isolated
detail of an event. In this process other information is ignored, and the signifi -
cance of the total context is missed. The assumption is that the events that matter
are those dealing with failure and deprivation. As a counselor, you might measure
your worth by your errors and weaknesses, not by your successes.

Overgeneralization is a process of holding extreme beliefs on the basis of a
single incident and applying them inappropriately to dissimilar events or settings.

Magnifi cation and minimization consist of perceiving a case or situation in a
greater or lesser light than it truly deserves

Personalization is a tendency for individuals to relate external events to themselves,
even when there is no basis for making this connection

Labeling and mislabeling involve portraying one’s identity on the basis of
imperfections and mistakes made in the past and allowing them to defi ne one’s
true identity

Dichotomous thinking involves categorizing experiences in either-or extremes.
With such polarized thinking, events are labeled in black or white terms.

A basic premise of CBM is that clients,
as a prerequisite to behavior change, must notice how they think, feel, and behave
and the impact they have on others. For change to occur, clients need to interrupt
the scripted nature of their behavior so that they can evaluate their behavior in various
situations (Meichenbaum, 1993, 2007).