ABSTRACT
As early as 1962 Ellis advocated using techniques from other therapeutic approaches, but in ways which are consistent with REBT theory. We consider REBT to be a good example of what I (WD) have called theoretically consistent eclecticism (Dryden 1987). Here, you use REBT theory to formulate a therapeutic strategy and you are free to use REBT techniques or techniques spawned from other therapies when you implement the strategy. As Arnold Lazarus argues (see Dryden 1991), when you use a technique that originates from a different approach to therapy, you are not obliged to buy into the theoretical principles which gave birth to the technique in question. Thus, when you use a two-chair technique that was originally developed by gestalt therapists, you are not making the same assumptions that they make; rather, you are using the technique to achieve a goal that is consistent with REBT theory. When a gestalt therapist uses two-chair work, one of the major purposes is to help the client resolve splits in psychological functioning. When an REBT therapist uses chair work, it may be to encourage the client to practise weakening an irrational belief and strengthening a rational belief.
