REBTOZ

  This presentation introduces or revisits the catastrophe scale or CS for short. The CS is a partner tool to the ET, the Emotional Thermometer, a tool that the young constructivist can learn to use to manage behaviour and emotion especially in difficult circumstances. It develops EQ capacity. Helping the early childhood constructivist to put problems into some kind of perspective will ease emotional disquiet and behavioural upset. So how is it taught? Here are some ideas. Here we visit again the story of Arthur. This story employs   Albert Ellis’ ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance as a critical literacy tool, which we use here to analyse a text that introduces the notion that ‘it isn’t what happens to us that makes us feel and act as we do, but it's how we view, interpret the situation, our response to it.’ Epictetus 100AD In the story Arthur feels out of sorts, extremely anxious and full of self-doubt. He seeks the approval of others and tries to change the essence ...

  Walking the REBT talk is a challenge as I find myself acting and emoting in ways that suggest an absolute should or must expectation is lurking somewhere deep in my mind. At least I am aware of it and can 'cherche le should' as Dr. Ellis would say. Assume that most times when you feel anxious, depressed, or angry you are not only strongly desiring but also commanding that something go well and that you get what you want. Cherchez le should, cherchez le must! Look for your should, look for your must! Don’t give up until you find it. If you have trouble finding it, seek the help of a friend, relative, or REBT therapist who will help you find it. Persist! Albert Ellis Latterly, the idea that certain things shouldn't happen or people should act in ways I think they should give rise to uncomfortable feelings that linger and impact my quality of life. Marcus Aurelius said the quality of our thinking effects the quality of our life and this too is the REBT message, and of course...

  You Tube Video This presentation introduces or revisits the emotional thermometer or ET for short. EQ or emotional intelligence involves the ability to regulate how we feel and behave so it's useful to alert young people to the idea that how we feel, or the strength of how we feel is not only connected to what happens, the event, but also to our interpretation of what happened. The ET helps young constructivists develop a broader emotional vocabulary that represents various strengths of emotion. Let’s continue. Here we visit again the story of Franklins Bad Day. The day that he believes is bad may not be so, but his fixed ideas or fixed mindset thinking that things should be as he wants them to be, contrives against his emotional and behavioural wellbeing. This story uses the stages of Albert Ellis’ ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance, to analyse a text that will introduce the notion that ‘it isn’t what happens to us that makes us feel and act as we do, but it's how we ...

A penny for your thoughts! This is a follow up to my last post in video form.   Marcus Aurelius said that the quality of our thoughts determines our happiness or contentment. This philosophy informs Albert Ellis' Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy which is the foundation theory of Have a Go Spaghettio!   Have a Go Spaghettio! delivers to young ones the ideas expounded by Aurelius and others and encourages them to develop quality thinking and believing.   So Have a Go Spaghettio! and Give It a Try Banana Pie!  

The Quality of Our Thoughts “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” Marcus Aurelius This message comes across loud and clear in Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) theory. Ellis talked about the quality of our thoughts in terms of how helpful or unhelpful they are in getting what we want in our lives, our wants, goals, and aspirations. We can learn to think in ways that help us, rational thinking or we can construct beliefs that are more irrational and unhelpful. REBT provides the ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance paradigm that counsellors and psychotherapists use in therapy to help their clients understand how it is that they experience what Albert Ellis calls emotional and behavioural ‘upsetness.’   The ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance (see video) embraces the philosophy of Marcus Aurelius and others of the Stoic tradition and considers the relationship between belief constructions, and emotional and behavioural res...

Don Hoffman, cognitive scientist, would say that the labels or words one might ascribe me are not me. Similarly, my ideas about my self are but representations of who I think I am. I can do good but that doesn’t make me good, how one esteems me is not me either. If I unconditionally accept myself, I don’t need others to approve of me, though I might prefer that they did. The Have a Go Spaghettio! pedagogy is designed to teach young learners that the ideas and beliefs they construct about themselves are not them. Even Einstein, it is said, argued that he was not nor could he be a genius. He said he had exceptional aptitudes in some areas but was lacking in many others so how could he be perfect as the word genius might imply? It would be useful to convey the message to students at every opportunity that what they do and how others might esteem them, is not them. If teachers can feedback to the six Have a Go Spaghettio! Success Helper capabilities they are doing the following: · ...

A teacher colleague was out of sorts it seemed. They had been quiet and reclusive, electing to stay in their classroom because they felt unsafe. They found it hard to come to work and do their job. They were a teacher of high quality and competence, well respected and loved by their students. They were particularly strong in their understanding of children on the autism spectrum and provided highly effective, individualised programs accordingly. A fellow member of staff had taken umbrage at the teachers suggestion that their class move a little quieter around the school so they didn’t disturb others. This was not taken very well, the staff member, whose fragile sensibilities were breeched and who couldn’t handle an adults courteous request spat the proverbial chewy! How dare anyone speak to me like that!  thought the entitled individual and after their little meltdown they went to complain to the acting principal at the time. The acting principal didn’t like the miscreant tea...

I wrote a post call BAD,  Breaking Approval Dependence  about a teachers journey to unconditional self-acceptance, where their own self approval eventually held sway over the need for others to esteem them. They had identified their errant, irrational way of thinking about their  self , challenged its veracity and began to rebuild the kind of healthy, rational, self that would hold them in good stead, unconditional self-acceptance.  Our early childhood constructivists are making sense of the world they live in. Ideas about  self  are formulating in their young minds and what they believe about themselves or their  self  will impact their emotional and behavioural wellbeing now and into the future. Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) and General Semantics (GS) theories are used in counselling practice, where the individual is called upon to examine the personal philosophies that inform what they do and how they emote especially in ...

Alfred Korzybski of General Semantics theory said,   ‘ the map is not the territory’ and ‘ the word is not the thing.’ A word may label a thing but it isn’t the thing itself, and a word used to describe a person is not the person themselves. To believe so is unsane according to General Semantics theory i.e., it is not a fair representation of the real world and can cause emotional and behavioural angst! A persons map of me e.g., their opinion of me, is not the territory i.e., it is not, does not define me in a global sense. To agree I am what they call me, is to deny the fact that I am many things and to abstract one from the many and believe I am that, would be an irrational belief. How do young people develop the irrational idea that they can be dumb, smart, or cute? When a child receives the message that they are   e.g., smart how might that message be received? The child, as constructivist, may interpret such feedback to mean that they are the word smart . Ho...

The Have a Go Spaghettio! Rational Emotive Behaviour Educator works in the classrooms of schools. I consider all people working with students in our schools as educators but for me special kudos goes the classroom operators, the people at the chalk face, those on the front line. The role of the classroom educator is a complex and challenging one; teacher, counsellor, mentor, role model and the list goes on. For those lucky enough to have a had positive connection with teachers on their journey they are fortunate indeed. Behaviour management can suggest that students need to be managed or told how they should and shouldn’t behave and some children need close guidance in this regard but the end goal is to help them self-regulate and decide for themselves how they might behave according to the thinking rules they are formulating or have formulated. The six Have a Go colour coded Success Helper/Brain Friend competencies that are outlined in this video on the Have a Go Spaghettio! chart, co...

Ms. Vivienne Ayshus arrived at her new school with vim and vigour. Ms. Viv, as she preferred to be called, hit the ground running and she was true to her nickname, ‘Vivacious Viv.’ She presented as bright and bubbly and her students responded to her in a very positive way. Behaviour was never an issue as her students had what seemed, unconditional positive regard for her, and many would say how much they looked forward to coming to school each day. She smiled often, and her dangly earrings would catch the sunlight and sparkle like she did. Not only did the students like her, but the parents did also, as they knew that their children would have a great day at school with Ms. Viv as they would report on returning home at the end of the day. Many of her teacher colleagues also appreciated the value she added to the working environment. Ms Viv was an asset to the school and education, so you’d think it would be onward an upwards from here. Surely a person of this calibre would become...

Have a Go Spaghettio! Counselling In an ideal teaching and learning world there would be a qualified counsellor in each school across all year levels from preschool to year 12. However, it would be rare to find a qualified counsellor in the junior primary setting, but that aside, what would a counsellor be charged to do in the scheme of early childhood things? Albert Ellis, creator of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, said the future of psychotherapy is in the school system. What did he mean by that? He was suggesting that teachers can help students understand why they act and feel as they do according to the ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance counselling paradigm. What are their constructed beliefs about themselves, others and how the world works? And what can they do about self-defeating and destructive, deeply held irrational beliefs and how do they build new, robust and healthy rational ones? By what means do we bring a model of psychotherapy into the early childhood teaching an...

Narcissism can begin to develop in early childhood, with some traits appearing around ages 7 or 8 as children start to evaluate themselves based on others' perceptions. The development of narcissism is a result of a combination of genetic and environmental factors, with contributing factors including childhood trauma, abuse, neglect, inconsistent or overly indulgent parenting, and excessive criticism or praise.  Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) says narcissism is linked to  irrational beliefs  about one's self-worth which can lead to emotional disturbances like excessive self-criticism or grandiose self-inflation. The core REBT approach is to identify and dispute these beliefs, helping the individual cultivate   unconditional self-acceptance  a more realistic, balanced view of self that is not dependent on external validation or achievements. This involves replacing beliefs like "I must be superior" with more rational ones, teachin...