Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, REBT, is derived from ancient and modern philosophy. It heavily borrows from Stoic philosophy. Stoicism is a Hellenistic philosophy that probably is best represented by the Roman King, Marcus Aurelius, and an emancipated slave turned philosophical teacher, Epictetus. Given that REBT is derived from Stoic philosophy many people who know about Stoicism have an interest in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and vice versa. I often discuss the philosophical roots of REBT while working with patients in psychotherapy to help them appreciate that the core concepts of REBT have been around for 2,000 years. In many ways, REBT might be considered something of a modern version of Stoicism or a distillation of Stoicism.
Dr. Matweychuk earned his B.A. (1982) and an M.S. (1984) from the University of Pennsylvania. He then went on to earn an M.A. (1986) and Ph.D. (1990) from Hofstra University. Dr. Matweychuk is a unique practitioner of Cognitive Behavior Therapy in so far as he has worked closely with both Dr. Albert Ellis and Dr. Aaron T. Beck who are the two founding fathers of cognitive behavior therapy. Dr. Ellis and Dr. Beck have had a profound influence on Dr. Matweychuk’s practical, action-oriented approach to psychotherapy for which he is very much indebted. Nevertheless, Dr. Matweychuk adheres to the Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy tradition because of, in his view, the distinct advantages of the REBT model of psychotherapy. His website is http://www.REBTDoctor.com