Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy or REBT is a distinct form of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or CBT. REBT was the brainchild of Dr Albert Ellis an American Clinical Psychologist founding his model of emotional disturbance in 1955. Ellis is credited as one of the foremost pioneers of the CBT movement and has written extensively about REBT and it's application in assisting people to become more emotionally stable.

One of the basic tenets of REBT comes from the stoic philosopher Epictetus who suggested that:

"People are not disturbed by events but by the view that we take of them"

Essentially REBT looks at not only how we act, but also how we think in terms of our beliefs and attitudes. The model suggests that a number of specific unhelpful beliefs lie at the core of emotional disturbance. In addition the way we act in our every day lives also plays an important role in how we feel about ourselves, others and the world around us.

REBT promotes the concept of personal emotional responsibility; that is that we are able to effect the way that we feel by the way that we both think and act. One of the key hallmarks of emotional distress is the lack of control the individual believes that they are able to exert in a situation. By addressing this lack of control, looking at the here and now and starting to change the locus of control the person is able to start taking positive action over what is within his or her sphere of influence. 

REBT is an active and directive form of therapy that has a clear theoretical basis. Clients  work collaboratively throughout the sessions on their agreed problems with clear therapeutic goals attached to these. Out of session work is also an important component of the therapy. This enables the person to make more rapid progress and 'test out' new ways of thinking and acting. The aim is to enable the client to become his or her own therapist and to continue to make progress once the sessions are finished.

"My interest is in the future because I'm going to spend the rest of my life there."
(Charles F Kettering American Engineer/Inventor 1876-1958)

REBT is change orientated and looks at the 'here and now' whilst acknowledging the views that we take of past events. It emphasizes the need for both cognitive, (beliefs and thoughts) and behavioural change in order to successfully reduce our level of emotional distress and promotes the concept of personal emotional responsibility. REBT has proved both an effective and efficient form of psychotherapy and is used to treat a broad range of psychological problems such as: