APPENDIX
C
Sample Rational Emotive Behavior
Therapy Syllabus With Embedded
Deliberate Practice Exercises
This appendix provides a sample one-semester, three-unit course dedicated to teach-
ing rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). This course is appropriate for graduate
students (master’s and doctoral students) at all levels of training, including first-year stu-
dents who have not yet worked with clients. If offering a limited REBT course, aspects
of the syllabus and associated exercises can be adapted for use in such a course, in a
practicum, in didactic training events at externships and internships, in workshops, and
in a continuing education program for postgraduate therapists.
Course Title: Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: Theory, Clinical Activities,
and Deliberate Practice
Course Description
This course teaches beginning practitioners the theory, principles, and core clinical
skills of REBT. The course has both didactic and practical elements; it reviews the theory
and research on REBT to formulate and understand client problems and employs the
deliberate practice approach to guide students to acquire 12 key REBT skills.
Course Objectives
Students who complete this course will be able to
1. Describe the core theory and clinical skills of REBT
2. Apply the principles of deliberate practice for career-long clinical skill development
in REBT
3. Demonstrate key REBT skills
4. Evaluate how practitioners can use REBT skills in their work with clients’ presenting
with several disturbed clinical emotions
5. Employ REBT with clients from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds
Format of Class
Classes are 3 hours long. Course time is split evenly between learning REBT theory
(lecture/discussion) and acquiring and practicing REBT skills.
Lecture/Discussion: Each week, class focuses on one lecture/discussion topic for
1.5 hours explaining an aspect of REBT theory and intervention activities.
219
220 Appendix C
Date Lecture and Discussion Skills Lab Readings
Week Introduction to rational emotive Exercise 1: Psychoeducation About D. David et al. (2018); O. A. David et al.
1 behavior therapy (REBT): history, REBT’s ABC Model (2021); DiGiuseppe & Doyle (2019); Hollon &
theory, and research The ABCs as a case conceptualization DiGiuseppe (2011); Oltean & David (2018);
model Vîslă et al. (2016)
Week Basic and current philosophy Exercise 2: Psychoeducation About DiGiuseppe et al. (2014, Chapter 1); A. Ellis
2 of REBT, the philosophical Dysfunctional Versus Functional (1994); Matweychuk (2022)
foundation of REBT and REBT Negative Emotions and Behaviors
as a philosophy of life
Week Common, shared, and unique Exercise 3: Agreement on the Session DiGiuseppe (2022); DiGiuseppe et al. (2014,
3 aspects of REBT; how REBT differs Goals Chapter 2); Dryden (2019); Matweychuk
from other forms of cognitive et al. (2019)
behavior therapy; REBT’s place in
modern psychotherapy
Week Training in psychotherapy: Exercise 4: Clarifying Inferences From Rousmaniere (2016); Rousmaniere et al.
4 introduction to principles and Irrational Beliefs (2017); Tracey et al. (2014)
advantages of deliberate practice
Week Teaching clients the ABCs of REBT Exercise 5: Assessing Irrational Beliefs Cristea et al. (2016); DiGiuseppe et al. (2014,
5 About the Activating Event Chapter 4); DiGiuseppe and Doyle (2021)
Week Teaching clients about adaptive Exercise 6: Prioritizing Which Irrational DiGiuseppe et al. (2014, Chapter 8)
6 and maladaptive emotions Beliefs to Target for Change
Week Establishing the alliance: attaining Exercise 7: Teaching the Belief– DiGiuseppe et al. (2014, Chapters 5 & 6);
7 agreement on the goals of Consequence Connection Eubanks et al. (2019)
therapy
Week Midterm paper due, self- Mock Sessions (beginner profiles)
8 evaluation, skill feedback
Week Distinguishing and assessing Exercise 8: Functional Disputation of DiGiuseppe et al. (2014, Chapters 3 & 9)
9 beliefs and cognitions Irrational Beliefs
Week Teaching clients the relationship Exercise 9: Empirical Disputation of DiGiuseppe et al. (2014, Chapters 7 & 8)
10 between beliefs and emotions Irrational Beliefs
Week Teaching clients to dispute Exercise 10: Semantic Disputation DiGiuseppe et al. (2014, Chapters 10, 11, &
11 irrational beliefs of Irrational Beliefs 13–15); Overholser (2018)
Week Teaching clients to change Exercise 11: Constructing Full Rational DiGiuseppe et al. (2014, Chapter 12)
12 irrational beliefs; rational Alternative Beliefs to Replace Irrational
replacement beliefs Beliefs
Week Where change happens: the work Exercise 12: Collaborative Homework DiGiuseppe et al. (2014, Chapter 16);
13 between sessions Development Kazantzis et al. (2005)
Week Organizing the skills into a whole Mock Sessions (intermediate and DiGiuseppe et al. (2014, Chapters 17 & 18);
14 session advanced profiles) Dryden et al. (2010)
Week Final paper due, final exam, Exam Annotated therapy transcript
15 self-evaluation, skill feedback
Appendix C 221
REBT Skills Lab: Each week the students engage in the rehearsal of one REBT skill
across several clinical problems typically presented by clients seeking psychotherapy
for 1.5 hours. The skills labs primarily focus on practicing REBT skills using the exercises
in the REBT deliberate practice book. The exercises use therapy simulations (role-plays)
that are designed to accomplish the following goals:
1. Build trainees’ skill and confidence for using REBT skills with real client problems
2. Provide students the opportunity to engage in highly structured and repetitive delib-
erate practice exercises that rehearse the REBT skills
3. Provide a safe space for experimenting with different therapeutic skills and inter-
ventions, without fear of criticism for making mistakes
4. Provide opportunities for beginning therapists to explore different styles of therapy so
that they can discover their own personal, unique therapy style
Mock Sessions: Twice in the semester (Weeks 8 and 14), trainees will do a psycho-
therapy mock session in the skills taught in the REBT skills lab. The psychotherapy mock
sessions are unstructured role-played therapy sessions. Mock sessions allow trainees to
1. Practice using REBT skills accurately
2. Experiment with clinical decision making concerning which skill to employ in an
unscripted context
3. Discover their personal therapeutic style
4. Build self-efficacy for working with real clients
Homework
Homework will be assigned each week and will include reading, 1 hour of skills practice
with an assigned practice partner, and occasional writing assignments. For the skills
practice homework, trainees will repeat the exercise they did for that week’s REBT skills
lab. Because the instructor will not be present to evaluate performance, trainees should
complete the Deliberate Practice Reaction Form, as well as the Deliberate Practice
Diary Form, for themselves as a self-evaluation.
Writing Assignments
Students are to write two papers: one due at midterm and one due on the last day of
class. The first paper will explore one aspect of REBT theory or the empirical literature on
REBT. The second paper will involve the completion of an REBT case formulation and in
accordance with the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (American
Psychological Association, 2017), students are not required to disclose personal informa-
tion. Because this class is about developing both interpersonal and REBT competence,
following are some important points so that students are fully informed as they make
choices to self-disclose:
• Students choose how much, when, and what to disclose. Students are not penalized
for the choice not to share personal information.
• The learning environment is susceptible to group dynamics much like any other
group space, and therefore students may be asked to share their observations and
experiences of the class environment with the singular goal of fostering a more inclu-
sive and productive learning environment.
222 Appendix C
Confidentiality
To create a safe learning environment that is respectful of client and therapist informa-
tion and diversity and to foster open and vulnerable conversation in class, students are
required to agree to strict confidentiality within and outside of the instruction setting.
Evaluation
Self-Evaluation: At the end of the semester (Week 15), trainees will perform a self-evaluation.
This will help trainees track their progress and identify areas for further development. The
“Guidance for Trainees” section in Chapter 3 of Deliberate Practice in Rational Emotive
Behavior Therapy highlights potential areas of focus for self-evaluation.
Grading Criteria
Students will be evaluated on the level and quality of their performance in
• the lecture/discussion,
• the skills lab (exercises and mock sessions),
• midterm and final papers, and
• a final exam.
Required Readings
Cristea, I. A., Stefan, S., David, O., Mogoase, C., & Dobrean, A. (2016). REBT in the treatment
of anxiety disorders in children and adults. Springer-Nature.
David, D., Cotet, C., Matu, S., Mogoase, C., & Stefan, S. (2018). 50 years of rational-emotive
and cognitive-behavioral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of
Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 304–318. [Link]
David, O. A., Cîmpean, A., Costescu, C., DiGiuseppe, R., Doyle, K., Hickey, M., & David, D. (2021).
Effectiveness of outpatient rational emotive behavior therapy. The American Journal of
Psychotherapy, 74(4), 157–164. [Link]
DiGiuseppe, R. (2022). REBT’s place in modern psychotherapy: Similarities with all psycho-
therapies, with other forms of CBT, and unique characteristics. In W. Dryden (Ed.), New
directions in rational emotive behaviour therapy (pp. 33–54). Routledge/Taylor & Francis.
DiGiuseppe, R., & Doyle, K. (2021). Commentary chapter on “How B-C connection and nego-
tiation of F allow the design and implementation of a cooperative and effective disputing
in rational emotive behavior therapy”: REBT’s B-C connection and negotiation of F. In
G. M. Ruggiero, G. Caselli, & S. Sassaroli (Eds.), CBT case formulation as therapeutic process
(pp. 89–97). Springer-Nature.
DiGiuseppe, R. A., & Doyle, K. A. (2019). Rational emotive behavior therapy. In K. S. Dobson &
D. J. A. Dozois (Eds.), Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies (4th ed., pp. 191–217).
Guilford Press.
DiGiuseppe, R. A., Doyle, K. A., Dryden, W., & Backx, W. (2014). A practitioner’s guide to rational
emotive behavior therapy (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Dryden, W. (2019). The distinctive features of rational emotive behavior therapy. In M. E. Bernard
& W. Dryden (Eds.), Advances in REBT: Theory, practice, research, measurement, prevention
and promotion (pp. 23–46). Springer-Nature. [Link]
Dryden, W., Beal, D., Jones, J., & Trower, P. (2010). The REBT competency scale for clinical and
research applications. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 28(4),
165–216. [Link]
Ellis, A. (1994). Reason and emotion in psychotherapy: A comprehensive method of treating
human disturbances (Rev. & updated). Carol Publishing Group.
Eubanks, C. F., Muran, J. C., & Safran, J. D. (2019). Repairing alliance ruptures. In J. C. Norcross
& M. J. Lambert (Eds.), Psychotherapy relationships that work: Evidence-based therapist
Appendix C 223
contributions (pp. 549–579). Oxford University Press. [Link]
9780190843953.003.0016
Hollon, S. D., & DiGiuseppe, R. (2011). Cognitive theories of psychotherapy. In J. C. Norcross,
G. R. VandenBos, & D. K. Freedheim (Eds.), History of psychotherapy: Continuity and
change (2nd ed., pp. 203–241). American Psychological Association. [Link]
10.1037/12353–007
Kazantzis, N., Lampropoulos, G. K., & Deane, F. P. (2005). A national survey of practicing psychol-
ogists’ use and attitudes toward homework in psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting and
Clinical Psychology, 73(4), 742–748. [Link]
Matweychuk, W., DiGiuseppe, R., & Gulyayeva, O. (2019). A comparison of REBT with other
cognitive behavior therapies. In M. E. Bernard & W. Dryden (Eds.), Advances in REBT: Theory,
practice, research, measurement, prevention and promotion (pp. 47–77). Springer-Nature.
Matweychuk, W. J. (2022). Rational emotive behavior therapy as a philosophy of life. In W. Dryden
(Ed.), New directions in rational emotive behaviour therapy (pp. 161–180). Routledge/Taylor
& Francis.
Oltean, H.-R., & David, D. O. (2018). A meta-analysis of the relationship between rational
beliefs and psychological distress. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(6), 883–895. https://
[Link]/10.1002/jclp.22562
Overholser, J. (2018). The Socratic method of psychotherapy. Columbia University Press.
Rousmaniere, T. G. (2016). Deliberate practice for psychotherapists: A guide to improving clin-
ical effectiveness. Routledge/Taylor & Francis. [Link]
Rousmaniere, T. G., Goodyear, R., Miller, S. D., & Wampold, B. E. (Eds.). (2017). The cycle of
excellence: Using deliberate practice to improve supervision and training. John Wiley &
Sons. [Link]
Tracey, T. J. G., Wampold, B. E., Lichtenberg, J. W., & Goodyear, R. K. (2014). Expertise in
psychotherapy: An elusive goal? American Psychologist, 69(3), 218–229. [Link]
10.1037/a0035099
Vîslă, A., Flückiger, C., Grosse Holtforth, M., & David, D. (2016). Irrational beliefs and psycho-
logical distress: A meta-analysis. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 85(1), 8–15. https://
[Link]/10.1159/000441231
Supplemental Readings
Bernard, M. E., & Dryden, W. (Eds.). (2019). Advances in REBT: Theory, practice, research,
measurement, prevention and promotion. Springer-Nature.
David, D. O., DiGiuseppe, R., Dobrean, A., Păsărelu, C. R., & Balazsi, R. (2019). The measure-
ment of irrationality and rationality. In M. E. Bernard & W. Dryden (Eds.), Advances in
REBT: Theory, practice, research, measurement, prevention and promotion (pp. 79–100).
Springer-Nature.