Description
Book SynopsisManaging Low Self Esteem charts Windy Dryden's work in running brief, structured, educationally-orientated, self-acceptance groups. The book is based on the principles of Rational Emotive Behaviour - an approach to counselling and psychotherapy. This approach has a philosophical position in the self which stresses a person's uniqueness, humanity, complexity and fallibility. In this way, it advocates self-acceptance rather than self-esteem. It also argues that this position can be taught and learned in a short peiod of time. Through detailed session reviews, the book shows how unconditional self-acceptance can be taught not only to psychotherapy clients, but to members of the general public.
Table of ContentsPart 1 Principles and preparing the ground: the situational ABCDE model of REBT; low self-esteem and the REBT view of unconditional self-acceptance; running self-acceptance groups - the role of the REBT therapist; setting up a self-acceptance group. Part 2 The therapeutic curriculum in self-acceptance groups: why self-acceptance and not self-esteem?; specifying target problems and setting goals; teaching group members; how to assess specific examples of their target problems; questioning group members; how to assess specific examples of their target problems; questioning demands, self-depreciating beliefs and their healthy alternatives; explaining the process of belief change and teaching the rational portfolio method; teaching the zig zag technique; three emotive techniques to facilitate change; the conjoint use of cognitive and behavioural techniques; more cognitive-behavioural tasks and shame-attacking exercises; distorted inferences - how to challenge these products of irrational beliefs; ending, evaluation and beyond.
