Table Of ContentSTRESS COUNSELLING
A RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOUR APPROACH
Titles in the Stress Counselling Series
Ellis, Gordon, Neenan and Palmer, Stress Counselling: A Rational Emotive Behaviour Approach
Milner and Palmer, An Integrative Approach to Stress Counselling and Management
Palmer and Dryden (eds), Stress Management and Counselling:
Theory, Practice, Research and Methodology
STRESS COUNSELLING SERIES
STRESS COUNSELLING
A RATIONAL EMOTIVE
BEHAVIOUR APPROACH
Albert Ellis, Jack Gordon,
Michael Neenan, Stephen Palmer
CONTINUUM
London • New York
Continuum
The Tower Building 370 Lexington Avenue
11 York Road New York
London SE1 7NX NY 10017-6550
© Albert Ellis, Jack Gordon, Michael Neenan, Stephen Palmer 1997
All rights reserved. This book, text and illustrations, is
protected by copyright. However, pages 175,187,189-90,
191,192,193 and 194 may be photocopied or
reproduced on to a overhead transparency without fee
or prior permission subject to both of the following
conditions: that the page is reprinted entirely,
including copyright acknowledgement; and that the
copies are used solely within the institution or group
that purchased the original book. For copying in all
other circumstances prior written permission must
be sought from publisher.
First published 1997
Reprinted 2001
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0-304-33468-5 (hardback)
0-8264-5598-0 (paperback)
Typeset by Action Typesetting Limited
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Bookcraft (Bath) Ltd,
Midsomer Norton Somerset
Contents
Foreword vii
Preface viii
1 Stress: A Rational Emotive Behaviour Perspective 1
2 Assessment in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy 17
3 The Beginning Stage of Stress Counselling 31
4 The Middle Stage of Stress Counselling 48
5 The Ending Stage of Stress Counselling: Working Towards
Termination of Stress Counselling 67
6 Additional Techniques for Stress Counselling with REBT 84
7 Brief Psychotherapy with Crisis Intervention in Rational Emotive
Behaviour Therapy 101
8 How to Deal With Difficult Clients 122
9 Occupational Stress and Group Work 139
Afterword: Training in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy 162
References 165
Appendix 1: REBT Self-Help Form 173
Appendix 2: Assignment Task Sheet 175
Appendix 3: Techniques for Disputing Irrational Beliefs (DIBS) 176
Appendix 4: How to Maintain and Enhance Your Rational
Emotive Behaviour Therapy Gains 180
Appendix 5: An ABCDE Form 187
vi STRESS COUNSELLING: A RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOUR APPROACH
Appendix 6: An Introduction to Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy 188
Appendix 7: Stress Mapping 191
Appendix 8: Big I/Little i Diagram 192
Appendix 9: Irrational Belief: Cost-benefit Form 193
Appendix 10: Rational Belief: Cost-benefit Form 194
Index 195
Foreword
The main aim of this series is to focus on different approaches to stress counselling
and management. It is intended that the books will link theory and research to the
practice of stress counselling and stress management. Leading counselling, clinical
and occupational psychologists, biologists, counsellors and psychotherapists will
report on their work, focusing on individual, group and organizational interven-
tions.
The books will interest both undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as
experienced practitioners in the helping professions, in particular, those who work
in the fields of counselling, psychology, psychotherapy, sociology and mental and
occupational health.
Stephen Palmer
Centre for Stress Management, London
Preface
This book is intended for counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists
and other members of the helping professions working in counselling, clinical and
industrial settings, and others interested in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
(REBT), including trainee counsellors from all backgrounds.
Written by professionals with many years of experience, the book sets out the
REBT approach to Stress Counselling. It links the theory of REBT to the practice
of Stress Counselling using real and composite case material, and provides people
with a conceptual framework and a scientific method of rational thought to help
lessen their distress and achieve their personal goals. The nine chapters cover indi-
vidual counselling as well as group therapy and stress management training in
industrial settings.
The book's comprehensive coverage includes additional material on techniques
such as skills training, relaxation methods, hypnosis and biofeedback.
An Afterword lists addresses of organizations both here and abroad which offer
training in REBT and ancillary facilities.
CHAPTER 1
Stress: A Rational Emotive
Behaviour Perspective
The last decade has been notable for a growing interest and emphasis on stress-
related topics in both the public and academic media. In academic journals there has
been a proliferation of published research on stress and related topics, and at the
same time, the public media have been drawing attention to the effects of stress on
personal health and well-being in general. Stress management training programmes
have been introduced to business organizations concerned about absenteeism in the
workforce and in helping employees to cope more effectively with the daily
pressures and demands of their job. However, despite the continuing output of
published research on stress and anti-stress therapies, stress counselling, as
Wagenaar and La Forge observed, remains vague and imprecise.1 Part of the diffi-
culty in discussing effective treatment of stress stems from the lack of a consistent
definition of stress. Stress is not always bad; in fact, some individuals - especially
those in competitive sports - have found that a degree of stress-related arousal can
enhance their performance, while a lack of it has the opposite effect.2
It seems, therefore, that in a stress counselling context we are really talking about
the emotional and physiological distress experienced by a person exposed (1) to a
series of interpersonal and environmental stressors perceived as demands that exceed
the person's capabilities of coping with them, or (2) to an ongoing situation perceived
as sufficiently threatening to overwhelm the person's resources for handling it. Since
an accurate conceptual model of a problem is a prerequisite for the development of
effective solutions, let us begin by clarifying what we mean by 'stress'.
Conceptualizing stress problems from a rational emotive behaviour
perspective
What is stress? The answer, according to REBT, is to be found mainly in the way a
person perceives, interprets and evaluates environmental and other kinds of stres-
sors. In other words, stressful conditions rarely exist in their own right, but certain
life situations or conditions may be experienced as stressful depending upon the
perceptions and cognitions of those who are reacting to these conditions.3
