Have you been psychologically immunised
yet? Better get on to it asap! How do you 'psychologically immunise' students
against the ravages of rejection and failure? May I recommend a school or
schools that teach REBT/CBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy/Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy) across all curriculum areas whose teachers are trained in
teaching Unconditional Self Acceptance (USA)? Many students are conditioned to
believe that they are only worthwhile if significant others think they are or
if they achieve their goals. Whilst it is important that others approve of us
and that we do well and achieve our goals and desires our worth is never at
question. The belief that others opinion of you define who you are is errant
and self defeating. The ‘I’m only OK if you think I am’ philosophy is an
irrational one because it causes anxiety, depression and other debilitating
conditions that undermine our mental health because the person or persons whose
approval we seek may not give it! So what do we do? Teach children that their
opinion of themselves is more important than those of others! This is not to say that they should not
desire or prefer that others approve of them, as this is a reasonable
expectation to have. But needing
is different to preferring. The teachers at the REBE (Rational Emotive
Behaviour Education) School Cluster in Whyalla teach USA across the curriculum,
delivering to students their daily dose of ‘psychological immunity’ by teaching
e.g.:
- That thinking feeling and
behaving are connected
- That ‘doing’ is not ‘being.’
- That others’ opinion of us
don’t define us
- That we can ‘decatastrophise’
and manage our emotions in tough situations
- That we can achieve our goals
even though times can be tough
- That we are always worthwhile
no matter what
The REBE School Cluster in Whyalla is the
place to go to get ‘psychologically immunised’ through the excellent work of
the teachers (Rational Emotive Behaviour Educators) who work there.
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| What ideas have you constructed about yourself? |
