ABSTRACT
Your clients will often come to therapy experiencing dysfunctional emotions. Some will find it difficult to understand that before they can learn new skills or change aversive activating events they will need to change the irrational beliefs that are at the core of their disturbed emotions. Others will grasp this point but may forget it later in therapy. It is therefore important that you use a number of analogies to show your clients the continuing importance of working to change their irrational beliefs before working at other levels of change. However, you must be prepared to compromise with your clients on this point if they steadfastly resist working to change their irrational beliefs (see Point 11).
