CBT and REBT Application Comparison
According to REBT, individuals get disturbed by their construction of circumstances and problems at hand (Ellis et al, 2011). As such, REBT would conceptualize Henry’s problem by examining his language, his evaluative beliefs, and his meanings, perceptions, and philosophies about the world in general and the people in it. On the other hand, CBT would conceptualize Henry’s problem by examining conditions from the environment as well as other external and internal stimuli that have an influence on his thoughts and behaviors (Craske, 2010).
To solve Henry’s problem, CBT would suggest a change in his patterns of thinking and behavior that might be the cause of his problems. Conversely, REBT would suggest a replacement of Henry’s irrational and self-defeating beliefs and philosophies with more rational and self-helping ones (Ellis et al, 2011).
Using both the CBT and REBT approaches to solve Henry’s problems would involve various interventions. For CBT, a perfect intervention would be helping him set realistic goals as well as learning how to solve the problems at hand. In this case, Henry would be advised to engage in more social activities and learn how to be assertive in social contexts. For REBT, the best intervention would be to help Henry improve on how he plans and schedules daily activities, which in the long run, would decrease his negative thoughts and reduce his depression levels.
Both CBT and REBT have various limitations that would impact the client’s counseling process. First, the fact that CBT focuses primarily on an educational approach and goal setting would prevent an exploration of the bigger picture during the counseling session (Craske, 2010). On the other hand, REBT measures whether a client feels better after therapy, and as such, whether Henry gets and stays better several days after the therapy would not be taken into consideration.
References
Craske, M. G. (2010). Cognitive-behavioral therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Ellis, A., Joffe-Ellis, D., & American Psychological Association. (2011). Rational emotive behavior therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.