REBT, a precursor to modern CBT, focuses on identifying and challenging the irrational or extreme beliefs — 'I must be perfect', 'this is unbearable', 'they should never treat me like that' — that drive distress.
The central idea is that it is not events themselves but our beliefs about them that produce emotional reactions. REBT teaches you to spot the rigid demands and catastrophic conclusions in your thinking and dispute them, replacing them with flexible, realistic beliefs. The emotional reaction then loses intensity. It is practical, structured and often quicker than people expect.
Sessions are direct and Socratic: your practitioner will question beliefs with you rather than simply reflect them back. There is usually practice between sessions. It suits people who want a logical, no-nonsense approach to unhelpful thinking.
People who like logic, who want to understand the mechanism of their distress, and who are prepared to be challenged.
Further reading: Albert Ellis Institute.
REBT is one of the original forms of CBT and shares its foundations; it places more emphasis on rigid 'must' beliefs and on philosophical change rather than only behavioural experiments.
Disputing beliefs is collaborative and respectful — it is your beliefs being questioned, not you.
REBT is generally brief. Many people work through a focused course of a handful of sessions.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency. OneBodyMind is not a crisis service. Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636.