Rational Emotive Therapy and Religion
There seems to be numerous studies on Rational Emotive Therapy and religion. This is a controversial connection for some people, but I have found it to be an interesting practice to tie into counseling from a spiritual perspective. Those who do not believe in religious ideals discredit spirituality, but still believe Rational Emotive Therapy can be effective for those who practice religion. “Warnock (1989) has noted that religious practices and beliefs can be at the root of or can exacerbate psychological disturbances. The irrational beliefs of religious clients are likely to be the product of both distortions of reality and biblical teaching. Therefore, effective ret with such clients would be enhanced …show more content…
In Rational Emotive Therapy there is a focus on feelings, but the client is able to control those feelings. In Solution-Focused Therapy the client is in control of focusing on the goal and what could be achieved. Neither therapy emphasizes outside forces or environments to be in control of the person. Both therapies put the client in the driver’s seat and allows the client to work through their process to their own ending of the situation. The counselor merely guides the clients using either therapy, but the client is actually the person who makes the change happen in their life. One other similarity that I found in both therapies was that neither therapy is done with a person’s background in mind. Whatever the person comes into the counseling session with either can be done. Neither type of therapy says that you have to fit into a certain definition for this therapy to work for you. Both therapies are open to every individual that is willing to take the lead in making a change in their …show more content…
“The core cosmological dimension of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Christianity emphasizes a similar truth—the future is now. As humans live in their preferred realities, they experience the future, problem free solution for their lives from a SFBT perspective.” (413, Fredrick) Solution-Focused Brief Therapy embraces matters that are not based off of feelings, but rather what can you do to change your present situation which also changes your future. “This Christian understanding of sin and fallenness provides humility to SFBT’s inherently positive view of the world (Bidwell, D. R. Am J of Pastor Couns, 3:3– 21, 1999), while SFBT encourages Christians to see the kingdom of God in the now instead of the future.” (413, Fredrick)
Another major difference between the two therapies is that Rational Emotive Therapy looks at a person as either rational or irrational whereas Solution-Focused Therapy looks at the solution as positive no matter what the situation was. Rational Emotive Therapy also differs from Solution-Focused Therapy in that the client has to change their thoughts in order to be successful. In Rational Emotive Therapy the client has to fix the problem in order to have resolution. Solution-Focused Therapy does not focus on any thoughts or emotions at all and only focuses on a solution to the
There seems to be numerous studies on Rational Emotive Therapy and religion. This is a controversial connection for some people, but I have found it to be an interesting practice to tie into counseling from a spiritual perspective. Those who do not believe in religious ideals discredit spirituality, but still believe Rational Emotive Therapy can be effective for those who practice religion. “Warnock (1989) has noted that religious practices and beliefs can be at the root of or can exacerbate psychological disturbances. The irrational beliefs of religious clients are likely to be the product of both distortions of reality and biblical teaching. Therefore, effective ret with such clients would be enhanced …show more content…
In Rational Emotive Therapy there is a focus on feelings, but the client is able to control those feelings. In Solution-Focused Therapy the client is in control of focusing on the goal and what could be achieved. Neither therapy emphasizes outside forces or environments to be in control of the person. Both therapies put the client in the driver’s seat and allows the client to work through their process to their own ending of the situation. The counselor merely guides the clients using either therapy, but the client is actually the person who makes the change happen in their life. One other similarity that I found in both therapies was that neither therapy is done with a person’s background in mind. Whatever the person comes into the counseling session with either can be done. Neither type of therapy says that you have to fit into a certain definition for this therapy to work for you. Both therapies are open to every individual that is willing to take the lead in making a change in their …show more content…
“The core cosmological dimension of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Christianity emphasizes a similar truth—the future is now. As humans live in their preferred realities, they experience the future, problem free solution for their lives from a SFBT perspective.” (413, Fredrick) Solution-Focused Brief Therapy embraces matters that are not based off of feelings, but rather what can you do to change your present situation which also changes your future. “This Christian understanding of sin and fallenness provides humility to SFBT’s inherently positive view of the world (Bidwell, D. R. Am J of Pastor Couns, 3:3– 21, 1999), while SFBT encourages Christians to see the kingdom of God in the now instead of the future.” (413, Fredrick)
Another major difference between the two therapies is that Rational Emotive Therapy looks at a person as either rational or irrational whereas Solution-Focused Therapy looks at the solution as positive no matter what the situation was. Rational Emotive Therapy also differs from Solution-Focused Therapy in that the client has to change their thoughts in order to be successful. In Rational Emotive Therapy the client has to fix the problem in order to have resolution. Solution-Focused Therapy does not focus on any thoughts or emotions at all and only focuses on a solution to the