Adelaide REBT Workshop Success

Another workshop is scheduled for September due to the very positive response of participants to the April workshop held at the Education Development Centre in Hindmarsh. People from various organisations attended and reported a strong satisfaction in the balance of theory and practical application of REBT. The group responded very positively to Dr. Debbie Joffe Ellis' demonstration of REBT using volunteers from the audience. People witnessed the very skillful way that Dr. Debbie listened reflectfully to her client, identified the core issues of concern and quickly honed in on the self defeating philosophical beliefs that were causing her clients emotional and behavioural problems. Her demonstration clearly illustrated the efficiency of Dr Albert Ellis' ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance when applied skillfully and firmly. Participants witnessed how the client volunteer was encouraged to identify and confront the underlying irrational beliefs that caused and maintained their emotional ill health. Dr. Albert Ellis wanted to help people help themselves to get better sooner rather than later, 'parsing out' their irrational thinking and challenging their errant philsophical beliefs about themselves, other people and the world. Dr. Albert Ellis' reknowned Friday night workshops held at his beloved Albert Elllis Institute were very popular, where people could drop by for a coffee, a biscuit and a dose of 'the gospel according to St. Albert.' Dr. Debbie continues his legacy of sound teaching and therapy practice.

The September workshop will again offer mental health practitioners, educators and other interested people the opportunity to learn more about the life and times of Dr. Albert Ellis and his revolutionary and spectacularly successfull REBT - the first of all cognitive therapies. Dr. Debbie will be able to update us on the latest news and REBT developments and will again demonstrate the application of REBT in practice. If you want more information visit http://www.psychology.org.au/Events/EventView.aspx?ID=6548 on the Australian Psychological Society website.

Look out for ALL OUT! Dr. Albert Ellis' autobiography due for release very soon. It promises to be a very interesting and controversial read. Publisher: Prometheus Books.

REBT and Bullying

Recent research by Giulio Bortolozzo and Dr. Ken Rigby has shown that low self worth is associated with a tendency to be victimised. Dr. Ellis' Unconditional Self Acceptance (USA) helps individuals understand that others’ views of them don't define who they are. These individuals understand that rejection and failure cannot diminish their worth - they can be rejected but can never be a reject, they can fail but are never a failure. The research also shows that bullies tend not to accept others. They may view others who are different as being losers or nerds and decide it's ok to bully them because they are not 'normal'. Ellis calls this Conditional Other Acceptance (COA). The research establishes that there is a relationship between how people view themselves and others and bully and victim behaviour.

Ellis invites educators to teach the self-helpful rational beliefs of Unconditional Self/Other Acceptance. If children develop (construct) the belief that they are only worthwhile when they are approved by significant others then they will be vulnerable to the negative opinions of others. If children construct a belief that others are OK only when they satisfy certain conditions e.g. look a certain way, behave a certain way they may tend to bully others.

These irrational beliefs can be challenged and children can 'unlearn' the harmful ideas that underpin how they behave (victim or bully). This can be done by applying REBT principles via all school processes and practices, through BEHAVIOUR EDUCATION.

Harmful, irrational ideas undermine our capacity to make healthy decisions and to manage unhealthy negative emotions like anger and anxiety. Dr. Rigby recently made the point that whilst bullying remains a major concern in schools and beyond we would be wise not to believe that it's out of control and to think that a punitive approach would solve the problem. In fact, there is now reliable evidence that (i) the prevalence of bullying in schools is becoming less frequent and (ii) well-evaluated interventions have demonstrated that some programs have led to significant reductions in peer victimisation. Irrational and unsubstantiated claims to the contrary can prevent the adoption of such programs. These are examined in detail in Ken Rigby's new book: 'Bullying Interventions: Six Basic Approaches'. Melbourne, ACER, 2010.

The poem below by Giulio Bortolozzo was inspired by Ellis' ideas of Unconditional Acceptance of Self and Others.

Bully for You

Do you think you have nothing to offer?
Use self-talk which is negative and untrue
And you don’t think you amount to much?
Then I have just the thing for you!

Bully for you, bully for you
I have a bully for you!

I look for people to victimise
My admiring buddies think I’m great
I like to see fear in your eyes
You deserve to suffer mate!

Bully for you, bully for you
I’m the bully for you.

I will persist, never let up
I don’t consider how you feel
My life’s work is to see you suffer
You don’t matter; you’re no big deal

Bully for you, bully for you
I’m the bully for you!

We control our thoughts
We are what we perceive
We can choose to be powerless victims
Until we change what we believe

Victim for you, victim for you
Will I be the victim for you?

I’m a worthwhile person
I have qualities unique to me
We are all different from each other
That makes us the same you see?

No, I will not allow you to bully
You don’t have my permission you see
I will not be your sporting obsession
You are not the bully for me!

Bully for me, bully for me.
You are not the bully for me.

The cloak of silence
Is the bully’s best friend
So speak out, everybody!
It’s the cloak that’s specially tailored
For you and for me!

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy Workshop Adelaide April 16th

An REBT workshop is scheduled for Adelaide which will be of interest to anyone working in the mental health/education fields. Guest speaker Dr. Debbie Joffe Ellis will be coming from New York to share her expertise and experience as an REBT therapist and to talk to us about the pioneering work of her late husband Dr. Albert Ellis who created Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. We will look at practical ways of applying Dr. Ellis' ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance in addressing issues such as anger, anxiety and depression. We will also look at ways in which REBT can be applied in the school setting as an educative, restorative practice through BEHAVIOUR EDUCATION. This workshop will explore the theory and principles of REBT in an interactive and practical way . Learn about MUSTURBATORY thinking/behaviour, awfulising and the greatest sickness known to humankind 'self esteem!' Learn how to help ourselves and others to be better managers of our feelings and behaviour so that we can pursue and achieve our goals in life.

We will also consider the findings of the latest research of Dr. Ken Rigby (Uni SA) and Giulio Bortolozzo on bullying in schools that demonstrate how REBT can be a powerful anti bullying, resilience building tool in the school setting.

The workshop is at the Education Development Centre in Hindmarsh South Australia on April 16th. Lunch and refreshments are included in the cost. Please e mail lozzog@gmail.com if you are interested.

This workshop is dedicated to the creator of REBT, Dr. Albert Ellis Ph.D. who said ...

‘Life has inevitable suffering as well as pleasure. By realistically thinking, feeling and acting to enjoy what you can, and unangrily and unwhiningly accepting painful aspects that cannot be changed - you open yourself to much joy".

Behaviour Education in Schools

We don't get upset but rather we make ourselves upset because of the way we think about (our philosophical views) ourselves, others and the world. Epictetus said in 100 AD that events don't make us feel and act as we do but it is the way we think of them that drives how strong we feel and the actions we take.' Did he 'make me mad' beacuse he wouldn't let me join in the game or did I make myself mad beacuse I believe 'he should have' let me join in and he didn't? Dr. Albert Ellis' Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy embraces Epictetus' wisdom and through his ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance Ellis has provided us with the tools to help us understand how we can make ourselves upset and how we can better manage our self inflicted disturbances.

Dr. Albert Ellis strongly encourages us to apply the theory and practice of REBT in the school setting so that students can learn to manage themselves emotionally and behaviourally more successfully. Dr. Ellis encourages the layperson (parents, teachers, counsellors) to learn howto help themselves achieve social/emotional and behavioural well being by understanding his ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance and applying it to themselves and using it to help others. His ABC theory was created to help people who were struggling with issues of mental health in a curative setting (counselling, psychotherapy) but he also understood from the outset its potential in terms of preventative, educative applications. 

Dr. Ellis would be happy to know that since his death in July 2007 a lot of work has been done to continue his legacy. His wife, Dr. Debbie Joffe Ellis is busy proofreading Ellis' autobiography to be published in July this year. She is the guest presenter at a workshop in Adelaide on April 16th this year at the Education Development Centre in Hindmarsh.

Dr. William Knaus is organising a number of books to be published in the Legacy Book Series dedicated the life and work of the late Dr. Ellis (www.rebtnetwork.org). Since the 1970's he has written REE (Rational Emotive Education) materials for schools and you can download a free teaching REE resource from the above website.

The author of this post is busy helping schools apply the principles and practices of REBT in schools across all curriculum areas, so that preventative mental health is embedded in policy and daily school practices. Dr Ellis was an enthusiastic supporter of my work up until his passing in 2007. There will be more about this in future posts.

REBT offers teachers and counsellors the means with which to help students learn how to less seriously disturb themselves so that they will be less likely to suffer the bebilitating effects of anxiety, anger and depression.