Deliberate Practice in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

by Terjesen, Mark D.; Doyle, Kristene A.; DiGiuseppe, Raymond A.; Vaz, Alexandre; Rousmaniere, Tony

• ISBN13: 9781433838354
• ISBN10: 1433838354
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2023-05-09
• Publisher: American Psychological Association

Summary

Deliberate practice exercises provide trainees and students an opportunity to build competence in essential rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) skills while developing their own personal therapeutic style.
 
These exercises present role-playing scenarios in which two trainees act as a client and a clinician, switching back and forth under the guidance of a supervisor. The clinician improvises appropriate and authentic responses to client statements organized into three difficulty levels—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—that reflect common client questions and concerns.
 
Each of the first 12 exercises focuses on a single skill, such as psychoeducation, assessing and disputing irrational beliefs, helping clients differentiate maladaptive vs. adaptive behaviors and emotions, teaching clients the ABC model, and developing homework assignments. Two comprehensive exercises follow in which trainees integrate these essential skills into a single REBT session.
 
Step-by-step instructions guide participants through the exercises, identify criteria for mastering each skill, and explain how to monitor and adjust difficulty. Guidelines to help trainers and trainees get the most out of training are also provided.

Author Biography

Mark Terjesen, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at St. John's University and a core member of the school psychology programs, previously serving as director. He was the Child and Family Service Coordinator for the Albert Ellis Institute for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in Manhattan and was President of the School Division of the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA) and of APA’s Division 52 (International Psychology). Dr. Terjesen has studied and published on diverse topics, including rational emotive behavior therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, the assessment and treatment of ADHD and anger in children, school psychology, and international psychology.
 
Kristene A. Doyle, PhD, ScD, is the Director of the Albert Ellis Institute (AEI) and Director of Clinical Services and a licensed staff psychologist at AEI. Her clinical and research interests include eating disorder treatment, ADHD, and treating children and adolescents. Dr. Doyle is coauthor of The Practitioner's Guide to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, 3rd Edition, coeditor of The Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, and has published in numerous scientific journals, including the Journal of Social Behavior and Personality. She is also the external examiner for the MSc in rational emotive behavior therapy at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Raymond A. DiGiuseppe, PhD, ABPP, is Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Institutional Review Board at St. John's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He has promoted the recognition of anger as a form of psychopathology and studies the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of anger problems. Dr. DiGiuseppe has published two psychological tests assessing dysfunctional anger: the anger disorders scale (ADS) for adults and the anger regulation and expression scale (ARES) for children and adolescents. He works on the development of the theory, practice, and empirical research support of rational emotive behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapies.
 
Alexandre Vaz, PhD, is cofounder and Chief Academic Officer of Sentio Institute. He provides deliberate practice workshops and clinical training and supervision around the world. Dr. Vaz is the author/coeditor of four books on deliberate practice and psychotherapy training and two book series: The Essentials of Deliberate Practice (APA Books) and Advanced Therapeutics, Clinical and Interpersonal Skills (Elsevier). He has held multiple committee roles for the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI) and the Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR). Dr. Vaz is founder and host of “Psychotherapy Expert Talks,” an acclaimed interview series with distinguished psychotherapists and researchers.
 
Tony Rousmaniere, PsyD, is cofounder and Program Director of Sentio Institute. He provides workshops, webinars, and clinical training and supervision around the world. He is the author/coeditor of six books on deliberate practice and psychotherapy training and two book series: The Essentials of Deliberate Practice (APA Books) and Advanced Therapeutics, Clinical and Interpersonal Skills (Elsevier). In 2017, he published the widely cited article in The Atlantic Monthly, “What Your Therapist Doesn’t Know.” Dr. Rousmaniere supports the open-data movement and publishes clinical outcome data at https://drtonyr.com/. He was awarded the Early Career Award by the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy.

Table of Contents

Series Preface
Tony Rousmaniere and Alexandre Vaz
Acknowledgments
Part I: Overview and Instructions
Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview of Deliberate Practice and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
Chapter 2: Instructions for the Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Deliberate Practice Exercises
Part II: Deliberate Practice Exercises for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Skills
Exercises for Beginner Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Skills
Exercise 1: Psychoeducation About Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy’s ABC Model
Exercise 2: Psychoeducation: Distinguishing Between Dysfunctional Negative Emotions and Maladaptive Behaviors and Healthy Negative Emotions and Functional Behaviors
Exercise 3: Agreement of the Session Goals
Exercise 4: Clarifying Inferences From Irrational Beliefs
Exercises for Intermediate Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Skills
Exercise 5: Assessing the Irrational Beliefs About the Activating Event
Exercise 6: Prioritizing Which Irrational Beliefs to Target for Change
Exercise 7: Teaching the Belief–Consequence Connection
Exercise 8: Functional Disputation of Irrational Beliefs
Exercises for Advanced Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Skills
Exercise 9: Empirical Disputation of Irrational Beliefs
Exercise 10: Semantic Disputation of Irrational Belief
Exercise 11: Construction of a Full Rational, Alternatives Belief to Replace the Irrational Beliefs
Exercise 12: Collaborative Homework Development
Comprehensive Exercises
Exercise 13: Annotated Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Practice Session Transcript
Exercise 14: Mock Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Sessions
Part III: Strategies for Enhancing the Deliberate Practice Exercises
Chapter 3: Additional Guidance for Trainers and Trainees: How to Get the Most Out of Deliberate Practice
Appendix A: Difficulty Assessments and Adjustments
Appendix B: Deliberate Practice Diary Form
Appendix C: Sample Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Syllabus With Embedded Deliberate Practice Exercises
References
Index
About the Authors