Considered by many to be the founder of cognitive behavioral therapy and one of the most influential psychologists of all time, Albert Ellis, founder of REBT, is nothing if not controversial. In two separate interviews with Drs. Arthur Freeman and Myrtle Heery we meet Ellis face-to-face, providing viewers with insight into the core principles of REBT, as well as the passionate and irreverent man behind this popular, confrontational approach to change.
With his characteristic style that some have called audacious and even obnoxious, Ellis unabashedly shares his convictions on everything from how “woefully ineffective” psychoanalysis is, to how most therapists placate their clients out of their own “dire need to be loved,” to how self-esteem is “the greatest sickness known to man.” He describes how he overcame fear and shame by forcing himself to give public talks and approach women for dates, and discusses his evolution from psychoanalyst to renegade innovator of his own approach, influenced largely by his studies in philosophy, general semantics, and his unwavering belief in the liberating power of unconditional self-acceptance.
