ABSTRACT
In our experience, REBT therapists vary considerably concerning how much information they obtain from their clients during the therapeutic process. Some REBT therapists prefer to follow the medical or psychiatric practice of conducting a fairly rigorous assessment at the outset of therapy. In the process they gain a lot of information, much of which may prove to be redundant, in that it is not used during therapy. Other REBT therapists do not carry out a structured assessment at the beginning of therapy, preferring to start by teaching clients the ABCs of REBT and to use this framework to obtain relevant information on clients. Such therapists assess as they continue therapy. Over the years we have experimented with both types of approach to information gathering and consider that both have their strengths and weaknesses.
