ABSTRACT
In the previous part of this book, I discussed irrational beliefs and their rational alternatives. I made the point that irrational beliefs are at the core of your clients’ disturbed responses to life’s adversities and that rational beliefs are at the core of their constructive responses to the same negative events. RECBT outlines a ‘situational ABC’ framework that I will use in helping you to understand your clients’ emotional problems and their healthy alternatives. In this framework, ‘A’ stands for the Adversity that your client is facing or thinks she is facing, ‘B’ stands for the Beliefs that your client holds about this actual or perceived adversity and ‘C’ stands for the Consequences of holding these beliefs. These consequences are emotional, behavioural and cognitive in nature. In this part of the book, I will consider both problematic and constructive emotional responses to adversities before showing how you can help your clients deal effectively with the former and experience the latter in Parts 3 and 4 of the book.
