BASIC PRINCIPLES OF REBT WITH YOUNG CLIENTS

Ann Vernon, Ph.D.

1.

REBT views its main focus as educational and emphasizes teaching clients a model to
help them help themselves solve their own problems. This active teaching component
distinguishes REBT from other forms of therapy.

2.

Because it is a skill-oriented model, clients leave therapy sessions with tools to help
them deal with present, as well as future, problems.

3.

REBT focuses on cognitions, emotions, and behaviorswhich means that problems are
addressed in a more comprehensive manner.

4.

REBT doesnt just address the symptom; it focuses on what maintains the emotional
disturbance. REBT is not a band-aid approach: it gets to the heart of the issue.

5.

Although REBT is a more directive therapy, relationship building is very important, with
children and adolescents.

6.

REBT practitioners believe that when children, adolescents, and parents come to therapy
to solve a problem, one of the best ways of building rapport and establishing credibility is
to help them immediately begin working on the issues so they leave the first session with
skills, knowledge, and hope.

7.

An underlying assumption of REBT is that it is preventative: by teaching children and

adolescents to handle problems in the present, they can minimize or eliminate many
future
problems.

8.

REBT has been applied to a wide variety of childhood problems: anxiety, anger, shyness,
underachievement, self-esteem, phobias, motivation, sleep disorders, eating disorders,
performance anxiety, acting out, depression, withdrawal, as well as typical developmental
problems.

6.

REBT practitioners believe that when children, adolescents, and parents come to therapy
to