Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy

Dr. Debbie Joffe Ellis is a licensed psychologist (Australia), licensed mental health counsellor (New York), presenter, writer, and Adjunct Faculty at Columbia University in New York City, where she teaches Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and Comparative Psychotherapies.

For many years, she worked alongside her husband, Dr. Albert Ellis, the renowned founder of REBT and pioneer of modern cognitive therapies. Together, they delivered professional training, public presentations, and collaborated on writing and research projects until his passing in 2007. Before his death, Dr. Ellis stated and wrote that he entrusted Dr. Joffe Ellis to continue his work.

Today, Dr. Joffe Ellis is recognised internationally as a leading authority on REBT. She regularly presents across the United States and around the world to students, academics, practitioners in the helping professions, and members of the public. She is the author of the second edition of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (2019), following the first edition that she co-authored with Dr. Ellis. She is also featured in an American Psychological Association (APA) DVD demonstrating and discussing the REBT approach.

In addition to her teaching and clinical work, Dr. Joffe Ellis has contributed chapters to textbooks, authored articles, and reviewed publications for APA’s PsycCritiques Journal. In 2014, she was named a “Legend in Counseling” by the American Counseling Association and has received numerous other awards and recognitions for her contributions to the field. She was also nominated by former American Psychological Association President Dr. Frank Farley and renowned psychologist and author Dr. Stanley Krippner for the APA International Division’s “Global Citizen Award.”

Through her teaching, writing, presentations, and daily practice of REBT principles, Dr. Joffe Ellis continues her mission of helping people understand that they have the power to shape their emotional lives, even in the face of challenging circumstances, and to learn practical ways of doing so.