Rational emotive therapy, or rational emotive-behavioral therapy (REBT), is a type of cognitive therapy that focuses on what clients think. This form of psychotherapy has many applications, including situations where individuals want to change unwelcome thinking and behavior patterns. Therefore, many in substance use rehab programs find REBT helpful in their recovery efforts. To learn whether this type of treatment can benefit you, please reach out to The Willows at Red Oak today at 855.773.0614.
What Is Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT)?
Rational emotive-behavioral therapy gets clients to think about their thoughts and how they react to them. How people view experiences and their past has a more significant impact on them than the experiences themselves. Therefore, addressing thoughts and mental reactions can change thinking and behaviors.
How Rational Emotive Therapy Works
REBT examines why individuals have specific emotional reactions to situations. While cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) programs can help clients identify distortions in thinking that lead to negative thoughts, REBT looks at why those distortions happen. One of the ways that REBT does this is through an ABC model, which outlines events, beliefs, and reactions in this way:
- Activating event (A): What event triggered the thoughts or emotions?
- Activating event part 2 (A2): What thoughts resulted from the event?
- Beliefs about the event (B): What are the reasons or beliefs behind the thoughts about A?
- Consequences (C): What behaviors or emotions result from the beliefs?
REBT in Action
In this model, the event leads to thoughts about it and beliefs that create those thoughts. Lastly, the emotions or behaviors concerning the incident appear. By thinking about why these things happen, a client can make corrections to change their behavior ultimately. For instance, someone with anxiety may have an ABC model such as this:
- A: I saw a friend on the street, but he didn’t respond when I waved.
- A2: He purposefully snubbed me.
- B: He hates me as a person and isn’t really my friend. I’m not worthy of having friends.
- C: Feeling even more depressed and anxious to go into social situations and isolate further
Breaking events and thoughts down can make it easier for clients to recognize irrational thoughts. These thoughts often happen unconsciously or automatically. Consequently, they may not have realized they are occurring without breaking down their thinking patterns. Therefore, they can change their thinking, altering behaviors common in addiction, depression, or anxiety.
The use of the ABC model is only one aspect of rational emotive behavioral therapy that can help people shift their thinking and actions. Undergoing this form of psychotherapy with a counselor will unlock other tools used in REBT.
How Rational Emotive Therapy Can Help with Addiction Recovery
When it comes to addiction recovery, rational emotive-behavioral therapy programs can help some determine why they act in irrational ways or have negative thoughts. Understanding the reasons behind substance use or other unhealthy behaviors can be the start of stopping these actions and overcoming addiction.
At The Willows at Red Oak Recovery, REBT is only one of the many forms of psychotherapy available to our clients. We also offer related CBT and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). These forms of mental assistance combine with our other programs for a holistic take on helping women to get over their mental health concerns. We offer treatment for conditions such as depression, anxiety, or trauma, as well as substance use and addiction.
Contact The Willows at Red Oak Recovery
Young women in need of a substance abuse treatment center that incorporates psychotherapy methods such as REBT should find out more about our program at The Willows at Red Oak Recovery. REBT is only one of the many forms of therapy that we offer for our clients to improve their chances of reaching full recovery from addiction. For more information about our programs or our facility, reach out by phone at 855.773.0614 or message us online at our site. With woman-focused care, we provide a well-rounded, long-stay recovery program for those who need a little extra support in overcoming their addictions.