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A Comparison of Problem Solving With and Without Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy to Improve Children's Social Skills

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Abstract

Forty-four (17 male, 27 female) public school youngsters aged 9–11 years participated in a 12 week group treatment to enhance and improve social skills. The effectiveness of two treatments were compared: problem-solving and problem-solving plus Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT; Ellis, 1994). Pretest–posttest data were evaluated using the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; Gresham & Elliott, 1990), and the Child-Adolescent Survey of Irrational Beliefs (CASI; Bernard, Unpublished Manuscript), a measure of four classes of irrational beliefs that are therapeutic targets of REBT. Treatment integrity was assessed by rating segments of audiotaped sessions with the Vanderbilt Psychotherapy Process Scale-Revised (Strupp, 1993, Unpublished Manuscript). Data indicate that the effect sizes for social skills and the components of the CASI were larger for the group receiving the combined treatment.

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Flanagan, R., Povall, L., Dellino, M. et al. A Comparison of Problem Solving With and Without Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy to Improve Children's Social Skills. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy 16, 125–134 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024986327879

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