Albert Ellis Institute

02/13/2026

Swipe to read our latest blog❗️

01/21/2026

An exciting new edition of Friday Night Live is on the horizon! Please see post for details ❗️

01/15/2026

Debunking some common myths or misconceptions about REBT for you this week! More to come ✨

01/08/2026

No shame, no gain! Shame attacks are deliberate, harmless, and sometimes silly actions performed to challenge the belief that one MUST have others’ approval and avoid embarrassment at all costs. Try these out, and see how much judgement you can tolerate this week. 🤔*Please be mindful not to attempt any shame attacks that would cause trouble with the law, work/school, or any loved ones.*

12/11/2025

Welcome back to Get to Know the AEI Trainees! Next up is Katarina Vattes, M.S. 😊 check back in next week for our final post in the series!

12/02/2025

Welcome to our new series, Get to Know the AEI Trainees! Our first featured trainee is Christina Levi, M.S. ☺️ keep an eye out for the rest of our crew in the upcoming posts!

11/27/2025

From all of us at AEI, we wish you a healthy and restful holiday! 🍂🍁

11/20/2025

Nobody Thinks About You That Much
In an individualistic culture, it seems to be widely assumed that everybody is intently watching us. That time you tripped on the sidewalk? God, everyone STILL talks about it. That time you snorted out a bit of coffee on a first date? It’s been the only thing on your date’s mind. Of course, in addition to that, the entire cafe replayed it in their minds in slow motion, and has since formed a support group to discuss the incident. Right?

Or maybe not.

Maybe someone noticed the snort. Maybe they even thought about it for a moment. Jeez, that’s a lot of coffee. Whatever was the case in that scenario, here is the broad (and possibly difficult) truth: nobody, and I mean nobody, is thinking about you all that much. Think about all of the thoughts you have in a day. Now, multiply that by the millions of people living in New York City. The majority of those thoughts are more than likely about each individual’s own stumbles, misfortunes, and interpersonal problems. While it may soothe the ego to think so, we are just not the main character in everyone else’s story, and we do not need their approval. REBT calls this out as an irrational belief:“Everyone must approve of me, and if they don’t, it’s catastrophic.” Catastrophic? Hardly. Embarrassing? Sure. But life-ruining? Only if you decide to make it so. The “musts” are what transform a spilled drink into a personal Greek tragedy.

With this notion comes an acceptance. It may be difficult to accept that we are less important to the general public than we’d like to be. However, I revel in the freedom that is found here. Go ahead and wear the ugly-cute thing you can’t find an occasion for. Dance on the subway platform to music only present in your headphones. Ask a server for “the usual” knowing damn well you’ve never been to that restaurant. As you do all of these and more, notice how the world keeps on turning, life feels more fun, and at the very worst, you’re someone’s funny story to bring home to their family.

11/08/2025

Our next Friday Night Live with Kristene A. Doyle, Ph.D. is right around the corner on November 14th 2025! Then we have our last Friday Night Live of the year on December 5th with Raymond DiGiuseppe, Ph.D. You may join us in-person at Albert Ellis Institute or remotely via Zoom. Don’t miss out on these live demonstrations of REBT with our experts!

11/08/2025

Join us for our upcoming professional workshop, “Transforming Mindsets: Helping Clients Build Healthy Habits with REBT”, presented by Michael Hickey, Ph.D. on December 5th and receive 3 continuing education contact hours! This event is hybrid so you may join us in-person at Albert Ellis Institue or remotely via Zoom.

Leader: Michael Hickey, Ph.D., Director of Psychological Evaluations & Core Faculty Trainer Cost: $135.00 Date: Friday, December 5th, 2025 | 9:30 am EST – 12:45 pm EST Location: HYBRID- 145 East 32nd…

10/01/2025

Join us for our first professional workshop of the season on October 10th! This workshop will be held in-person at Albert Ellis Institute or remotely via Zoom so you can join from anywhere in the world! Don’t moss out!

Leader: Raymond DiGiuseppe, Ph.D., Director of Professional Training & Core Faculty Trainer Cost: $135.00 Date: Friday, October 10th, 2025 | 1:30 pm EST – 4:45 pm EST Location: HYBRID- 145 East 32nd…

09/29/2025

Our latest blog: “The Weapon of Choice” by Christina Levi

Today’s world is full of a variety (or at least, the illusion) of endless choices. At our fingertips, we are given access to every kind of cuisine, every possible route to a destination, and even every possible single person in our area “looking for something casual.” One would think that these opportunities would lead to a greater sense of freedom and excitement. However, I have observed those around me becoming seemingly paralyzed by choice. The mountain of options in our lives has created a sort of debilitation, in which we seem to have less conviction in what we believe is a fine enough option.

I’m not talking about deciding whether to take out a mortgage. What I’m referring to is the torment of picking a bagel flavor, or whether to reply to that guy on Hinge who just isn’t that cute. Suddenly, these low stakes decisions are loaded with irrational weight. What if the bagel is awful? What if I’ve just wasted $10? What if I’ve wasted a whopping two hours of my life on this awkward date?

Irrational beliefs are more than likely at play here. We wouldn’t be so worried about these outcomes if there weren’t some awfulizing, demanding, or intolerable cognitions associated with them. For example, picking a gross bagel flavor might be annoying, and we might prefer not to swallow ten bucks, but it doesn’t have to ruin the rest of our day. We might be counting the minutes on a crappy date, but it doesn’t have to be the person we spend the rest of our lives with. If nothing else, we’ve learned a funny story and maybe got a free meal. As humans, we tend to flee from the worst case scenario. We may not want to entertain the thought of what would happen if a date goes sour. But by confronting that, we can learn how the worst case scenario might not be all that bad. It takes some stock out of otherwise heavy or intense decision making. Are we able to live with a fine enough choice? Maybe we’ll save some energy for life’s larger quandaries.