Walter J. Matweychuk, Ph.D.

While training at the Albert Ellis Institute in 1988, I co-led a two-hour group with him. It was a training requirement to do this. It was a wonderful learning experience. Albert had all these memorable sayings that I still remember. One has stuck with me over the years because it is so helpful in dealing … Read more

The goal of REBT is not merely to help you feel better but to get better in a self-sustaining way. REBT teaches you healthy attitudes AND a process of emotional self-correction for self-therapy when you are in a state of emotional disturbance. My experience has been that people acquire healthier attitudes relatively easier than learning … Read more

We live in a highly technological world where machines are ubiquitous in our lives. This widespread presence of devices and technology influences how we see ourselves. Some people apply the machine model to the human condition. We might say, “That person pushes my buttons.” This statement suggests the individual holds a model that they are a mechanical … Read more

Effective use of REBT requires understanding what Adversities are in REBT, what attitudes are targeted for change at point B in the ABC model, and what constitutes healthy and unhealthy emotional\behavioral consequences at point C.  In last week’s Intermittent Reinforcement email message, I defined the different elements of REBT’s ABC model of emotion. When you … Read more

Effective use of REBT requires understanding what Adversities are in REBT, what attitudes are targeted for change at point B in the ABC model, and what constitutes healthy and unhealthy emotional\behavioral consequences at point C.  In last week’s Intermittent Reinforcement email message, I defined the different elements of REBT’s ABC model of emotion. When you … Read more

Working with retired people who struggle with depression has made it clear that some were “waiting to die.” After successful careers, either adversity or choice led them to retire. The daily goals these people had, the satisfaction they received from their work, and the reinforcement and structure that went with their former lives vanished overnight. What crept … Read more

Do you have an ego problem? The honest answer to this question is probably a resounding yes if you are human. The Oxford English Language dictionary defines ego as a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance. Whether they realize it or not, most people value themselves based on some trait or traits they possess or something … Read more

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is a problem-focused, solution-oriented therapy. You can find these solutions by doing REBT self-therapy or working with a professional REBT psychotherapist. When people elect to work with me, I believe I teach them skills and ideas for addressing their emotional and behavioral problems. I help people understand how they create and … Read more

Do you have regrets? If you are human, you have indeed done things you wished you had not or wished you had taken additional steps along with those you did take. Reflecting on how your life could be different and better if you had made other choices is inevitable and not necessarily a harmful activity. … Read more

People sometimes ask, what are the critical factors in achieving therapeutic change when using REBT? Do these apply if I am not working with a psychotherapist but using REBT as a method of self-therapy? Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a self-help type of therapy. The critical factors in achieving therapeutic change overlap whether one … Read more