Ellis, Albert

Widely known as the major founder of the cognitive-behavioral approach to counseling, Albert Ellis (1913–2007) developed what eventually became known as rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Ellis moved as a young child with his family to New York City. Although he suffered from various illnesses as a child, his parents rarely visited him at the hospital as his father was often away on business trips and his mother was occupied with his two younger siblings and other activities. Feeling neglected, Ellis looked for things to occupy himself, and he could often be found reading books from the hospital library, chatting with fellow patients, imagining what he would do when he grew up, creating games he and his fellow patients could play, ...