Rational Emotive Behaviour in Schools Program 2015

Para Hills School P-7 has kicked off the New Year with school wide educator training in the application of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy in daily teaching practise through Rational Emotive Behaviour Education. The focus is on developing student and educator capability via Albert Ellis' ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance. We teach students that as constructivists they have developed habits of thinking that are useful (rational) or not so useful (irrational). With this insight students can learn how to manage themselves behaviourally and emotionally more effectively especially in the tough times. This learning/teaching is core business at Para Hills School P-7 and The REBE in Schools Program will help students engage more deeply with learning; to take healthy risks and to work hard towards their personal and learning goals. Principal Peter Reid says; 'The REBE in Schools Program will help students develop the capabilities that will help them to be happy and successful.' Other staff have said: 'I like having a framework I can use to help students understand how thinking, feeling and behaving are interconnected.' 'I would have liked to have had REBE training at Uni.' 'REBE is an educative approach to behaviour development and fits with my constructivist approach.' 'This is essential learning for all educators.' Good stuff!

From the balcony - Adelaide evening skies

Teach Children to be Healthy and Happy - A prescription for child resilience

Published on August 8, 2012 by Bill Knaus, Ed.D. in Science and Sensibility

Self-acceptance and confidence are a dynamite combination for any adult and any child to possess. Australian educator, Giulio Bortolozzo, shows how to use rational principles to earn this result.

The rhyme, Little Jack Horner, carries a conditional-worth message: Your worth depends on what you do. For those who don’t remember, here’s the rhyme:

Little Jack Horner, sat in the corner, eating a Christmas pie. He put in his thumb, and pulled out a plum, and said 'What a good boy am I!

Is it possible that Jack was a good boy because he pulled out a plum from the Christmas pie? What if he messed up and missed the plumb? Would this make him a bad person? This illustrates the problem with conditional-worth thinking.

It is often self-defeating to rate your worth according to how well (or badly) you perform at certain tasks. If you discover the plumb, that is great. If not, too bad.

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) teaches that doing and being are different ideas. Consider the following rework of this popular children’s rhyme.

Little Jack Horner sat in the corner reflecting on the day. I succeeded once. I mucked up twice. But, I am always OK!

Young people can benefit greatly by understanding and developing unconditional self-acceptance (USA).  You will not always like the results of your actions. Nevertheless, you can still accept yourself as worthwhile despite your foibles, faults, and mistakes. You also need not falsely elevate yourself if you have a great day. That too, is a conditional-worth issue.

A self-accepting child will normally appreciate that some failure is inevitable but will not take it too seriously when it occurs i.e. “I am not a failure for failing at X.”  This type of believing is a formula for resilience. It correlates with a self-efficacy belief: “I can organize, coordinate, and execute actions to reach worthy goals.”  Self-efficacy correlates with higher school grades.

You may be thinking, “What can I do as an educator or parent to promote a habit of believing in yourself?” Before I get into that, I’d like to take you on a quick tour of how to apply USA to yourself.

The Rational Teacher

Albert Ellis, the founder of REBT, was renowned for creating rational songs for audiences to sing, for his brand of humor, and for his colorful phrases. Ellis would often use these techniques to help people debunk negative self-views that are based on conditional self-acceptance (CSA). 

Here is an adult CSA example: “I am a turd for acting turdily, as I must not do. And I'll always be this way, and I'll never succeed" (Albert Ellis). Think this way, and you are likely to risk self-loathing when you don’t do as you believe you should do.

Ellis used earthy language to demonstrate unconditional self-acceptance (USA). For example, I can hear him say, “If they don’t like how I express myself, too damn bad! I accept myself anyway”. His point: “I don’t need your approval to accept myself. But I recognize that approval is preferable.”

Ellis ably separated performance from worth. You may have acted turdily in a particular instance. You can pay a price in the form of lost advantages or social penalties. But, is this the totality of you?

How do you determine the global worth of a person? Admittedly, this is by definition.

Ellis’ position is that we are worthwhile because we exist and how well or badly we do or how others view us cannot change that. If you don’t like that static definition, here is a process definition: You have thousands of past and ongoing actions that you can classify into different categories. Many of these are objectively positive. Bottom line: a changing human can’t logically be pigeonholed in a static category.

If you thought Ellis’ earthy phrases were funny, you’d laugh. If you were horrified, you’d cringe. If someone cringed and reported feeling offended by his colorful language, Ellis might use this occasion to demonstrate his ABC approach. He would point out that his expletives (Activating event) don’t cause distress. What the listener Believes about the words brings about an emotional-behavioral Consequence.

Teaching Children Self-Acceptance Skills

Children are better prepared to deal with adversity, failure, and rejection by knowing their worth is not tethered to how others view them or how well or badly they do. However, if someone else acts poorly, the concept of acceptance still applies.

Ellis describes this as unconditional other-acceptance (UOA). This is how the philosophy works:  A child believes that a teacher “…made me angry and that’s why I left the classroom. She is bad!” 

The following rework of the Little Jack Horner rhyme illustrates UOA:

Little Jack Horner sat in the corner resting reflectively. He thought, “Is my teacher a turd?” “No that’s absurd! She just acted turdily!” (You can substitute other words for turd).

A teacher (or parent, or neighbor, or friend) isn’t bad though she or he may have behaved badly.

Acceptance doesn’t mean that anything goes. Rob a bank. Tell a judge you are more than your acts. You are still going to jail. A school bully acts badly. You don’t like it. If the bully runs for class president, you can vote for someone else.

As an educational experiment, ask your child to compare this UOA Little Jack Horner rhyme with the self-acceptance and original conditional-worth versions. A child’s answer(s) can start a useful dialogue.

Practical Tips

Without instruction in psychological mental health skills, the educative process may look like an empty space of broken student desks and chairs. Helping children build self-acceptance skills can help turn classrooms into centers for teaching and learning what Socrates called the ultimate virtue: self-knowledge.

Here are some REBT tips to help children build these acceptance skills:

Practice behavior specific feedback e.g.

"You did that well/badly" rather than person specific, "You are

 naughty, lazy."’ This teaches USA.

Encourage children to try new things and take prudent risks.

Practice your own USA (model how accepting you are of

yourself). For example, say aloud:

(1) “I didn’t do that well but I’m still OK.”

(2) “I made a mistake, but that doesn’t make me dumb.”

(3) “I have made mistakes but I’m not one.”

Teach your children that needless anger is made by irrational habits of thinking i.e. teachers or parents don’t make you mad by correcting you. That's something you bring on yourself.

This is an Albert Ellis Tribute Series Blog.

©Giulio Bortolozzo. Accredited REBT educator and trainer working in South Australia. Founder and director of the Albert Ellis Professional Learning Centre. Official rational emotive education representative for Australia. See: Albert Ellis Professional Learning Center

Twitter: @rebtoz

Mental Health REBT Broccoli and Brussell Sprouts

'Broccoli is horrible it really sucks!' exclaimed the year 7 student. 'No it doesn't,' said another. I like it!' A quick survey of the class indicated that most didn't like broccoli however a few did. Similarly with brussell sprouts but fewer still liked them.

Substitute 'broccoli' with 'maths' or 'school' and you can do the same excercise and get similar results. Of course students will like or dislike whatever it is they like or dislike but the object of their approval or disapproval isn't the cause of this i.e. it's more about what they think about broccoli. Broccoli is just broccoli and isn't good or bad unless of course you believe it is! Same for maths, school, gerbils and elderberries. 

This is what REBT teaches students and if this is true then perhaps we can change how we feel about things if we change how we think about them. This is the mission of Rational Emotive Behaviour Education (REBE). Based on Albert Ellis' Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy REBE introduces to children his ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance. This helps students understand that the thing or happening in question isn't entirely responsible for how he/she feels and acts i.e. that what happens (A) exclusively makes feelings and behaviours (C-emotional and behvaioural consequence). What he/she believes (B) plus the happening or thing (A) makes the actions and feelings experienced (C) i.e A+B=C!

So things like broccoli and brussell sprouts are neither good or bad unless you think they are. It would be helpful for students to reflect on the type of thinking which apportions blame exclusively to other things/events outside of the self e.g. 'it makes me mad when I have to pack up.' Better to rethink and ask ourselves 'what is happening that I believe shouldn't be happening? What am I getting that I don't want? ' Is 'it' making me angy or am I making me angry?' 

Broccoli and brussell sprouts - food for thought!

My Brain

My Brain 

My brain lives in my head 

Its job is to do my thinking 

If there's something in my eyes 

It tells them to start blinking! 

My brain thinks lots of thoughts 

They bounce around my head 

If I eat a bucket of slugs 

I'll probably drop down dead! 

My brain is just like jelly 

It wobbles and it wibbles 

It really is a helpful mate 

It helps me work out riddles. 

My brain is sometimes lazy 

It plays tricks and puzzles me 

Does two plus two make four? 

Or a hundred and thirty three? 

My brain is my best friend 

Without it where would I be? 

If it wasn't for my brain 

My head would be empty! 

From 'Have a Go Spaghettio!' an REBT based resource for early childhood educators and counsellors.

Getting on with 'it'

When 'it' is causing you to feel sad, inert, sluggish, aimless and generally down sometimes the best thing to do is just keep going. There could be a plethora of 'its' that ails us - past traumas, anxieties about the future, fears of today. Which 'it' is it? Or are they many and varied? We can become bogged down in rumination and contemplation which can ultimately overwhelm us until we stop altogether and resign from the world i.e. the big 'it' that is 'making' us so sad - 'stop the world. I want to get off!' As has been observed over the millenia it isn't 'it' that makes us feel as we feel and do what we do.Oh no! Its our estimation of 'it' that does us in! The world is as it is and is neither good or bad but our thinking about 'it' determines whether 'it' is indeed good or bad. As the great Albert Ellis once said:

The world ain't for you or against you. It just doesn't give a shit!

In a blog post writer and comedian Catherine Deveny talks about everyday heroes. These are the people who get on with 'it' (the pressures and strains, trauma and challenge of daily living). Unheralded and anonymous they plough on, survive and hopefully thrive despite their personal trials and tribulations. Some will sadly give in to the pain that ultimately overwhelms them. 

Catherine offers the following advice from her own experiences through her writing in this blog post written in 2008.

http://www.catherinedeveny.com/just-keep-going-a-tribute-to-everyday-heroes/

Catherine says:

1. Every day the sun will rise. It is a different day with endless possibilities.

2. "This too will pass." These words, engraved on an ancient Sultan’s ring, made him solemn in happy times and happy during sad times. Remember these always.

3.You are amazing. You’re doing a great job. Just. Keep. Going.

Rational Emotive Behaviour Education Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is REBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy)?

A. It’s a psychotherapy tool used to help people sort out their behavioural and emotional issues. It is based on constructivist theory.

Q. Where does it come from?

A. Dr Albert Ellis created it in the 1950’s. It is acknowledged as the original of the cognitive therapies. Some others are Aaron Becks CBT and William Glassers Choice Theory amongst others. It is a philosophy based approach, Albert Ellis drawing on the work of Epictetus and others of the Stoic tradition.

Q. What’s the ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance?

A. It demonstrates that A (the event) is not solely responsible for how someone feels and acts (C) but what we believe (B) has a lot to with it! I.e. A+B=C

Q. I’m not a psychologist. How do I teach this stuff?

A. There are some basic strategies that can be used in daily teaching practise that will value add to the teaching/learning process. You don’t have to be a psychologist!

Q. What is REBE (Rational Emotive Behaviour Education)?

A. It’s the application of REBT theory and practises in daily teaching/learning.

Q. Why is REBE important?

A. It teaches students in a systematic way how their feelings and actions are driven by their constructed beliefs (Rational/irrational). If students are aware of this they can begin to make better choices by deconstructing unhelpful beliefs and replacing them with helpful ones.

Q. How does this support mental health and suicide prevention?

A. REBE is based on the very counselling model, REBT/CBT that is promoted by DECDS, (South Australian Education Department) Beyond Blue and Headspace to name a few. It teaches students that anxiety; depression, anger and shame/guilt are driven by irrational core beliefs. Through REBE we help students to examine their core philosophical beliefs and develop healthier ones. As depression is known to be a precursor to suicide and self-harm the benefit of REBE is inestimable.

Q. What other benefits are there for students?

A. REBE addresses victim and bully behaviour. It is a system based on educative, restorative principles and is a preventative mental health program, which can be delivered via pastoral care and across all curriculum areas.

Q. I feel overwhelmed by the number of approaches, strategies, and programs available.

A. The REBE approach is user friendly. It doesn’t rely on any program per se but on a counselling philosophy that embraces most of what we teach about behaviour/mental health via a plethora of other programs that are presented to us.

 

Hello there!

Q. I’ve heard a lot about Positive Psychology. Is this the new frontier of preventative/educative personal development teaching/learning in schools?

A. Bertrand Russell, eminent mathematician and philosopher of the last century talked about positive psychology. Albert Ellis and others likewise in many and varied ways promote the ideas of PS. Martin Seligman of PS fame draws on many of the ideas and principles of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy/Education.

Unconditional Self Acceptance - Mary Lambert 'Secrets' (Official)

This is a video about self acceptance and the courage to be who you are. Where some try to conform to some ideal of what is 'beautiful' 'cool' 'normal' Mary Lambert shows us that no such things exist ..... unless you let them! A growing number of teachers in schools all over South Australia teach unconditional self acceptance via a daily dose of REBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy) through Rational Emotive Behaviour Education. This video was passed on to me by Dr Ken Rigby who advocates for the promotion of self and other acceptance through his work on bullying (www.kenrigby.net) Have a look at it and pass it on :)  

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Eleanor Roosevelt