Stress Counselling: A Rational Emotive Behaviour Approach

Stress Counselling: A Rational Emotive Behaviour Approach - Albert Ellis

Stress Counselling: A Rational Emotive Behaviour Approach by Albert Ellis (with Jack Gordon, Michael Neenan and Stephen Palmer) is a professional, continuous‑style text that explores how Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) can be used effectively to help people understand and cope with stress. The book begins by presenting a clear theoretical foundation for REBT, a form of cognitive‑behavioural psychotherapy pioneered by Ellis, which proposes that it is not external events themselves that cause emotional distress, but the irrational beliefs people hold about those events. 

From there the narrative moves into practical counselling techniques, showing how counsellors can assess clients’ stress responses, identify the underlying irrational thoughts and beliefs that amplify emotional distress, and help clients to challenge and change those beliefs. The text addresses counselling at all stages—from initial assessment through the middle phase of therapy to termination—and explains how REBT strategies can bring measurable improvement in functioning. It also includes vivid session excerpts and specific examples that illustrate how theoretical concepts are applied in real counselling situations.