Rational Emotive Therapy

Rational Emotive Therapy, also called Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), was established by Albert Ellis, the father of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It is a comprehensive method that is both philosophically and empirically focused on resolving patient problems and disturbances, both emotional and behavioral and attempts to enable those patients to lead happier and more fulfilled lives.

REBT is viewed as part of a continuum of psychological thought that traces itself back to Roman philosopher Epictetus and continues through the work not only of Ellis but of his contemporaries Aaron Beck and Alfred Adler. The fundamental premise of REBT is that humans do not get as emotionally disturbed by unfortunate circumstances as by how they construct their views and perspective of these circumstances through language, evaluative beliefs, meanings and philosophies about the world, themselves and others. This type of therapy is very personalized to help an individual tailor their own emotional responses to situation.