Evidence-Based Therapy
Free yourself from the rigid ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’ that fuel anxiety, anger, and self-doubt. REBT is a direct, practical, evidence-based therapy that changes the beliefs behind how you feel.
WorkCover, NDIS or TAC approved? YOU PAY NOTHING.
If your claim has been approved, we bill your funder directly. Zero out-of-pocket cost — no gap, no upfront payment, nothing.
Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) is a pioneering, evidence-based form of cognitive behavioural therapy. Developed by psychologist Albert Ellis in the 1950s, it was the first of the cognitive therapies and remains one of the most practical and direct approaches to emotional change.
REBT is built on a simple but powerful idea: it is not events themselves that upset us, but the rigid, absolute beliefs we hold about them. When we demand that things must go a certain way — or that we, others, or the world should be different — we create unnecessary distress. REBT helps you identify these rigid beliefs and replace them with flexible, realistic ones.
This process is often summarised as the ABC model: an Activating event, our Beliefs about it, and the emotional and behavioural Consequences that follow. By working on your beliefs, REBT changes how you feel and act. It is supported by decades of research for anxiety, depression, anger, and more.
A — Activating event (what happened). B — Beliefs (the rigid demands or flexible preferences you hold about it). C — Consequences (how you feel and behave). REBT targets your beliefs to change the consequences.
REBT is a versatile, well-researched approach effective across many presentations:
REBT is active, structured, and collaborative — your psychologist works alongside you to identify and change unhelpful beliefs, usually with practice between sessions. A typical course involves:
Pinpointing the rigid ‘musts’, ‘shoulds’, and ‘awfulising’ thoughts driving your distress.
Examining the belief for logic, evidence, and helpfulness — and questioning whether it truly holds up.
Replacing rigid demands with realistic preferences — for example, ‘I would strongly prefer to succeed’ rather than ‘I must succeed’.
Applying it in real situations through homework and behavioural experiments, so the healthier belief becomes second nature.
REBT is often relatively brief — many people gain useful tools within 6 to 12 sessions — though this depends on your goals and how longstanding the difficulties are.
We believe cost should never be a barrier to quality mental health care. There are several ways to fund your sessions at The Talk Shop:
Medicare Mental Health Care Plan — up to 10 rebated sessions per calendar year with a GP referral. Bulk billing may be available.
WorkCover & TAC — no out-of-pocket cost with an approved claim; we bill your funder directly.
NDIS — supported for plan-managed and self-managed participants.
Private Health & self-funded — extras may apply; affordable rates from $50, no referral needed.
Not sure what you are eligible for? Call 1300 224 665 and our team will help you work out your options before your first session.
We offer rational emotive behaviour therapy in-person at all four Melbourne clinics and via secure Telehealth Australia-wide:
REBT is the original form of cognitive behavioural therapy and shares its core principles. The main difference is emphasis: REBT focuses specifically on identifying and disputing rigid, absolute beliefs — the ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’ — at the root of distress. Your psychologist can draw on both.
REBT is direct and active, but always warm and collaborative. Your psychologist challenges unhelpful beliefs, not you as a person — a principle REBT calls unconditional self-acceptance.
REBT is often brief. Many people gain practical tools within 6 to 12 sessions, though this varies with your goals and how longstanding the difficulties are.
REBT has strong evidence for anxiety, depression, anger, social anxiety, and perfectionism, and is widely used to build resilience and emotional flexibility.
Yes. REBT translates very well to secure video sessions, and belief-monitoring and homework tools work the same online.
No referral is needed to book. A Mental Health Care Plan from your GP lets you access Medicare rebates for your sessions.
David, D., Cotet, C., Matu, S., Mogoase, C., & Stefan, S. (2018). 50 years of rational-emotive and cognitive-behavioral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 304–318. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22514
Vîslă, A., Flückiger, C., Grosse Holtforth, M., & David, D. (2016). Irrational beliefs and psychological distress: A meta-analysis. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 85(1), 8–15. https://doi.org/10.1159/000441231
Ellis, A. (1991). The revised ABC’s of rational-emotive therapy (RET). Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 9(3), 139–172. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01061227
Our Melbourne psychologists use REBT to help you build flexible, resilient thinking. Book online or call — no referral needed to start.
