ABC Model / ABC Framework — Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

The basic conceptual map of REBT: A (activating event), B (beliefs), C (emotional and behavioral consequences). The key idea: it is not event A that causes suffering C, but the belief B about that event. The model expands to ABCDE: D — disputing, E — a new rational belief.

Step-by-step guide

Identify the client's target problem (a concrete episode, not a blurry complaint)
Establish C — the emotional / behavioral reaction (name it precisely: not "bad", but "shame", "anxiety", "fury")
Establish A — which event / situation preceded C (concretely: what exactly happened or could have happened)
Teach the client the distinction: "A causes C" is a myth; B is what creates C
Identify B — what beliefs / interpretations the client has about A
Check the link: "If you had a different belief about this event, would you feel the same?"
Record the structure in writing (an ABC worksheet)

When to use

At the start of therapy, for psychoeducation and orienting the client in the model
In the analysis of any concrete distress episode
When the client is convinced that "circumstances make them suffer" (external locus of control)

Key phrases

Tell me about a concrete situation in which you felt this. What exactly happened?

How did you feel at that moment — name the emotion precisely?

What did you think about this situation — what does it say about you, about others, about the world?

Follow-up questions

Imagine another person in the same situation who did not get upset. What did they think differently?

If event A stayed the same, but your belief B changed — would C change?

So — it is not the boss who upset you — it is your interpretation of what that means that upset you?

Alternative phrasings

Let us slow down and separate the three letters: first the event, then the belief, then the feeling.

Two people in the same A can have two very different Cs — that alone is the proof that B matters.

Write an ABC column for a single episode from this week — a concrete one, not a general story.

Warnings

⚠️ The client confuses A and C — describes a belief as a "fact". A clear separation is needed
⚠️ A focus on changing A ("how do I change the situation") rather than B draws away from REBT work
⚠️ Do not move to D until A, B, C are established concretely and accurately
⚠️ Distinguish the primary and the secondary problem (the client may first be anxious about their anxiety)

Source: Ellis, A. (1962). Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy; Ellis & Ellis (2019)