ABSTRACT
Preparing clients for psychotherapy has been shown to have a beneficial effect on the outcome of therapy. When therapists prepare clients to understand Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) and the roles that the therapists and they have to play in the process, they will make more effective use of therapy. Different REBT therapists use pre-therapy materials in different ways. Whichever method you choose, it is important that you outline your tasks as a therapist and what will be expected of the client. The practice is to explain the ABC model of REBT, the reason that we adopt an active-directive approach as therapists, the importance of homework, and that the therapeutic process does not always run smoothly. It is crucial to elicit client feedback on whatever material you present. An alternative way of discovering how you might need to change your usual therapeutic style is to ask your clients to tell you how their ideal therapist would act.
