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Children with poor self worth are more likely to be bullied

This article (starting below the photograph) was written by Adelaide Advertiser journalist Martina Simos which was published on 9th June 2013. The article comments on research done by myself (Giulio Bortolozzo) and Dr. Ken Rigby on student attitudes/beliefs/constructed personal philosophies and how these are linked to bullying (bully-vcitim-bystander behaviours). The Whyalla REBE (Rational Emotive Behaviour Education) School Cluster is implementing the REBE counselling based student behaviour development program. This involves the explicit teaching of Unconditional Self Acceptance and Unconditional Other Acceptance to students which helsp students understand how the 'habits of thinking' they have formed are linked to how they feel and behave. The research mentioned below suggests that students who develop Unconditional Self Acceptance are less likely to be the victims of bullying. Rational Emotive Behaviour Education is a school wide system of behaviour development...

The Albert Ellis Professional Learning Centre is One Year Old!

Below is a short message of acknowledgement from Dr Debbie Joffe Ellis of the first anniversary of the opening of the Albert Ellis Professional Learning Centre in Whyalla, South Australia. More than 200  educators, counsellors, allied professionals and para professionals have attended workshops in that time. The focus is on helping students and people in general work on their emotional and behavioural well being.  Using Dr. Albert Ellis' ABC Theory of Emotional and Behavioural Disturbance students learn how they have constructed their irrational personal philosophies that drive anger, anxiety, shame and depression over their life time. Rational Emotive Behaviour Education provides the means to deconstruct their errant and self defeating habits of believing and develop more healthy and rational ones. "I send my congratulations to Giulio Bortolozzo, and to all who practice REBE at Stuart High School, for the ongoing excellent contributions they make to students, and to o...

The Enduring Practice of Negative Psychology

If constructivist theory is what all learning and teaching is based upon how well do we know and understand it? How do we help students understand the philosophies they have constructed and how they by and large determine the choices they make and the emotions they experience? If a child has given up on herself and has reasoned that she is hopeless how then can she develop her potential? If she has hit a psychological brick wall and can’t push through it or clamber over it what can be done? This psychological impasse has a negative affect on the student and if schools are not equipped with the means to support her then nothing changes for that student.   Could educators unwittingly be peddling a brand of negative psychology in schools? If educators are addressing behaviours only and applying consequences to them this is not enough as the underlying individually constructed beliefs that give rise to dysfunctional behaviour and emotions aren’t being addressed.   We can...

I am the best - the teacher told me so!

‘The teacher said I’m the best pupil’ the student declares proudly (see picture below). What does this mean? The individual may construe this in a rational way or an irrational way. Rational Emotive Behaviour Education teaches student’s about Unconditional Self - Acceptance that demonstrates how one positive or one negative personal attribute or characteristic does not or cannot define categorically a person’s total value.   It teaches students that their worth isn’t given to them by others and therefore cannot be taken away. They have worth because they exist and ‘that’s that’ as Albert Ellis would say. The same applies to success and failure.   We can fail at something but does that make us failures? This is a very important insight for students to have. How many students measure their worth according to how well they do in their exams? Or how they are esteemed by others? When we measure our worth according to how others view us or how well we do we are at gre...

Rational Emotive Behaviour Education - the latest.

What is the Albert Ellis Professional Learning Centre? It is a professional learning facility designed to provide quality professional learning to teachers, para professionals, counsellors and community mental health workers. The workshop program is based on the pioneering work of Dr Albert Ellis who created Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. He died in 2007 but his legacy lives on through The Centre. What is Albert Ellis' ABC Theory of Emotional Disturbance and how does this help students? A represents what happens, B represents my constructed set of beliefs (philosophy) and C is the emotional and behavioural consequence of A + B. Through Rational Emotive Behaviour Education students learn to understand how their beliefs (B) have a significant influence on behaviour and emotions. This is usefu l for students because many believe that their behaviour and emotional upset is directly related to A i.e. someone or something MADE them angry/depressed/anxious. With this insight s...

The REBT Network and Albert Ellis

The information below is taken from the REBT Network site (http://www.rebtnetwork.org/). This website was set up to provide information and support to those interested in Dr. Albert Ellis' Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. A network of schools is applying REBT across all year levels through Rational Emotive Behaviour Education in Whyalla, South Australia. All teachers have been trained in the understanding and application of Ellis' REBT. They are successfully using Ellis' renowned and tested ABC Theory Theory of Emotional Disturbance to teach students how feelings and behaviours are attached to constructed personal philosophies about ourselves, others and life. The Whyalla REBE School Network appreciates the support given to educators to help students fulfill their potential. Albert Ellis and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) The REBT Network was established in 2006 to promote Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and the life and work...

Article for The National Psychologist: Master Therapists.

Albert Ellis PhD. This appears in the current Jan/Feb 2013 edition of the  National Psychologist : Vol 22, No. 1. Dr Debbie Joffe Ellis talks about her late husband and his work: Dr Albert Ellis, Master Therapist. Albert Ellis, legendary pioneer in the field of cognitive psychology, was a genius. He created his approach of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), describing its methods and techniques in clear style - through his writings, presentations, trainings and therapy sessions. REBT was understood and embraced by people within the world of psychology and those from every walk of life. His whole-hearted and earnest goal was to help as many people as possible to suffer less emotional misery and to experience more happiness in their lives. His tireless work over more than six decades helped millions of people change their lives for the better. Yes, Albert Ellis was a genius. He was my mentor, my model. He also happened t...