Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: The Past, Present, and Future

The intent of this article is to describe the significant contributions Albert Ellis made to rational emotive education and
to a preventative approach to psychotherapy, which represents a major shift from many other counseling theories. The author
notes that REBT as a preventative mental health approach was very important to Albert Ellis because he believed that it would
extend the influence of REBT, but unfortunately he and other REBT practitioners have not put enough systematic emphasis on
training teachers to implement rational concepts into the curriculum. Given the number of children and adolescents needing
mental health services, this is an area that should be emphasized and would extend Al’s legacy. The article also addresses
Dr. Ellis’ contributions in the area of parenting, where once again he was a pioneer in teaching parents how to deal with
their irrational beliefs that interfere with effective parenting. The author concludes with a discussion about “where we go
from here,” focusing on training at the university level, developing a standardized REE program that includes a train the
trainer component, becoming more of a presence in the field of health care, and putting more emphasis on the therapeutic relationship
which may attract more people to the theory.