In 1956, Dr. Albert Ellis presented his seminal work on Rational Therapy, subsequently renamed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) in 1993. This paper explores the origins, theoretical foundations, applications, and implications of REBT and provides a look at the empirical research available in support of the approach's efficacy. REBT is…

Randomly assigned homosexual men (N=104) with history of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) risk behavior to experimental and control groups. Experimentals received AIDS risk education, cognitive-behavioral self-management training, sexual assertion training, and social support development training. Experimentals greatly reduced frequency…

Tested efficacy of social problem-solving therapy for unipolar depression and examined relative contribution of training in problem-orientation component of the overall model. Dismantling research design, involving 39 depressed subjects, revealed problem-solving to be an effective cognitive-behavioral treatment approach for depression. (Author/TE)

Randomly assigned 250 depressed outpatients to interpersonal psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, imipramine plus clinical management, or pill placebo plus clinical management treatments. All treatments demonstrated significant symptom reduction with few differences in general outcomes. None of the therapies produced consistent effects on…

Evaluated behavioral and cognitive methods, relative to control condition, for treating 27 elderly insomniacs. Both treatment methods produced significant improvement on main outcome measure of awakening duration. Stimulus control yielded higher improvement rates than either imagery training or control condition on awakening duration and total…

Discusses ways that school counselors can empower children of alcoholics (COAs) by teaching them new ways of behaving and coping skills. Proposes that counselors can assist COAs through the use of cognitive behavior therapy in the school setting. Describes characteristics of COAs and family roles of hero, scapegoat, lost child, placater, and…

Used cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), with religious content (RCT) or without (NRCT), to treat 59 depressed patients. RCT and pastoral counseling patients reported significantly lower posttreatment depression and adjustment scores than did either NRCT or control group. CBT differences were due largely to superior performance of nonreligious…

Depressed clients (n=117), stratified for severity, completed 8 or 16 sessions of manualized treatment, either cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (CB) or psychodynamic-interpersonal psychotherapy (PI). On most measures, CB and PI were equally effective, irrespective of severity of depression or duration of treatment. Found evidence of some…

Commends Shapiro et al.'s (this issue) article comparing psychodynamic-interpersonal therapy with cognitive-behavioral therapy in treating depression. Questions uncritical support of equivalent outcomes conclusion and implicit rejection of differential efficacy among psychotherapies as function of patient variables. Contends that Shapiro et al.…

Responds to comments by Norcross and Rossi (this issue) concerning Shapiro et al.'s (this issue) article comparing psychodynamic-interpersonal therapy with cognitive-behavioral therapy in treating depression. Contends that power of analyses in original study was sufficient to address substantive questions at issue. (Author/NB)

Women reporting severe premenstrual symptoms were allocated nonrandomly to cognitive-behavioral coping skills treatment (n=13), nonspecific treatment (n=12), or waiting-list group (n=12). Compared with controls, coping skills group reported significant reductions in premenstrual symptomatology and irrational thinking at posttreatment and 9-month…

Randomly assigned 47 asymptomatic, healthy gay men to cognitive-behavioral stress management condition or assessment-only control group 5 weeks before notification of human immunodeficiency virus antibody status. Individual difference analyses suggest that psychological buffering and immunomodulating effects of treatment may be attributable, in…

Reflects rational-emotive therapy (RET) in 1955 and discusses some of its recent constructivist and humanist theories and practice. Distinguishes between general RET, called synonymous with general cognitive-behavioral therapy, from preferential RET, called unique kind of cognitive therapy that partially overlaps with general cognitive-behavioral…

Sees cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as applicable to all eating disorders but most intensively studied in treatment of bulimia nervosa. Briefly reviews most commonly used cognitive treatments for eating disorders, provides critical evaluation of their effectiveness, and speculates about their mechanisms of action. Notes that CBT has not been…

Investigated 85 female adolescent inpatients in treatment for problems of differentiation and emancipation. Used treatment variation which suggested that girls were suffering from variety of posttraumatic stress disorder. When ritualistic behavioral repetitions were addressed by cognitive behavioral approaches, behaviors decreased. Findings…