Lifeskills South Florida is proud to support the continuing development of our clinicians through advanced education and skills training opportunities. Recently two of our clinicians attended a Rational-Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy Practicum through the prestigious Albert Ellis Institute in New York City.  Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy can best be explained by a quote from the philosopher Epictetus, “Men are not disturbed by things, but by the views which they take of them.” REBT conceptualizes emotional disturbance as a function of irrational thinking and behavior. Through collaboration between the individual and their therapist, those beliefs are challenged and then replaced with more functional and useful beliefs, leading towards lasting change for the individual.

In June 2018, Sandra Bernstein, LCSW and Reid Boland, RMHCI completed the Primary Practicum in Rational-Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy.  The comprehensive training focused on the theoretical orientation behind Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, the conceptualization of emotional disturbance from an REBT perspective, and the application of REBT techniques with clients. This was reinforced through individual therapy sessions conducted by the trainees and supervised by internationally recognized experts in the field.

The following weekend Reid returned to the Albert Ellis Institute and completed the Advanced Practicum training.  The advanced training further refined the skills developed in the Primary Practicum with augmented training on the application of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy in relationships, the philosophical principles behind the development of REBT, treatment of specific psychiatric diagnoses, and the concept of acceptance from an REBT perspective. The Advanced Practicum focused more intensively on the in-session application of REBT techniques with clients while receiving detailed feedback and supervision from internationally recognized experts in REBT research and training.

In 2019 Sandra and Reid will continue their training in Rational-Emotive and Cognitive Behavior Therapy through the Albert Ellis Institute. Sandra will attend the Advanced Practicum, and Reid will attend the highest level of training, then becoming eligible for an Associate Fellowship with the Albert Ellis Institute.

The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Clinical Pathway

 Lifeskills South Florida provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a solution-focused, evidence-based treatment approach. At the most basic level, CBT can be described as understanding and challenging irrational, often negative thinking. While everyone has irrational thoughts, learning to cope with versus react to the thoughts can be life-changing. As clients become aware of how cognitions, emotions, and behavior are related they can learn a new way to respond.

One underlying premise of CBT is that our thoughts cause our feelings and based on our feelings we react. Lifeskills South Florida’s CBT Clinical Pathway spends a significant amount of time helping clients increase awareness of irrational thoughts and the internal response to those thoughts, while simultaneously building skills to deal with the irrational thoughts – in real time. Behavior improves as clients learn to identify and effectively cope with irrational thoughts versus avoiding or reacting to irrational thoughts.

Our licensed clinicians collaborate with clients to identify, evaluate, or reframe irrational thoughts. The duration of treatment with CBT can fluctuate from a few months to just under a year. However, we have found that it fits well within a 60-90 treatment plan.