Managing Low Self Esteem

Managing 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.

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 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 demands, self-depreciation beliefs, and their healthy alternatives Explaining the process of belief change and teaching the rational portfolio method Teaching the zigzag technique Three emotive techniques to facilitate change The conjoint use of cognitive and behavioural techniques More behavioural-cognitive tasks and shame-attacking exercises Distorted inferences : how to challenge these products of irrational beliefs Ending, evaluation, and beyond