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Ms. Ava Dorrance possesses over 20 years of professional social work experience.
An expert in the complexities of social work, Ava Dorrance has served in numerous roles designed to improve the mental health of others. Ava Dorrance commenced her career in social work as a Coordinator of the Eating Disorder Program at Covenant Medical Center. Since then, Ava Dorrance has held several other positions in the field, including Mental Health Consultant, Psychiatric Social Worker, and Therapist. In every position she has held, Ava Dorrance has consistently demonstrated an aptitude for communication and a talent for leadership. Ava Dorrance has been instrumental in designing and implementing numerous programs, including a full day program for children with behavioral disorders. Extensively educated, Ava Dorrance is a graduate of the University of Iowa (UI), where she earned both her undergraduate degree and her Master of Social Work (MSW). Ava Dorrance also pursued further education through a number of certifications. As of today, Ava Dorrance possesses certification in Advanced Ericksonian Hypnosis and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and is a Certified Mindful Coach. To keep up with current industry developments, Ava Dorrance is a member in good standing with industry-specific organizations such as the State of Iowa Academy of Certified Social Workers, National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), and the National Association of Social Work. When she is not working, Ava Dorrance can be found giving back to the community. Among the initiatives that have benefited from Ava Dorrance’s time and energy are local church activities, the YMCA Service Club, the American Cancer Society, a music and arts society, and the Humane Society. An Iowa resident, Ava Dorrance relaxes by participating in a number of activities, including traveling, weight training, reading, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.
Ava Dorrance's Publications
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Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), Ava S. Dorrance
August, 2010
Psychotherapy constituted a significant portion of my work in many of my positions as a clinical social worker. Over the past two decades, I have served at the Covenant Medical Center/Cedarloo Psychiatric Clinic, Robert Young Mental Health Center, Cass County Community Hospital, the Psychology Associates Genesis Health System, and the State of Iowa Department of Human Services. In these roles, I employed several established, well-respected therapeutic strategies. Among these was rational emotive behavior therapy. Rational emotive behavior therapy (previously referred to simply as rational emotive therapy, and commonly abbreviated REBT) was developed by psychologist Albert Ellis, one of the founders of the cognitive-behavioral approach to psychotherapy. A highly influential figure, Albert Ellis was ranked the second most important figure in the history of the discipline, after Carl Rogers, in a survey of North American clinical psychologists. Albert Ellis developed REBT in the 1950s, although he continued to refine its techniques throughout the remainder of his career; it has gone on to become one of the most studied therapeutic approaches in psychology. The main tenant of REBT is that people will generally engage in activities to promote their continued survival and happiness. In many situations, however, people will espouse irrational and dogmatic beliefs that interfere with their ability to achieve these goals. Frequently, these kinds of beliefs take the form of “must” or “should” statements, locking the individual into a rigid philosophical approach to dealing with events. REBT distinguishes between both healthy and unhealthy negative emotions. A healthy negative emotion is a reaction that allows an individual to overcome an undesirable situation (such as sadness), whereas an unhealthy negative emotion interferes with the individual’s ability to overcome the situation (such as depression). Therefore, some form of belief, whether healthy or unhealthy, serves as the foundation for how an individual deals with events in his or her life. REBT practitioners refer to this relationship as the ABC framework: Activating event, Beliefs, and Consequences. REBT emphasizes that while external events are beyond an individual’s control, he or she always chooses how to respond, whether consciously or unconsciously. Furthermore, while people may be affected by a particular event, it is actually the person’s reaction to the event that causes the disturbance in his or her life. Therefore, the goal of REBT is to teach the patient how to modify his or her reactions to negative events. Through REBT, a patient debilitated by an unexpected death in the family could learn to deal with the event in a way that causes sadness and an appreciation for the deceased’s accomplishments, as opposed to falling into a self-destructive depression. In addition to REBT, I employed several other strategies in my clinical work, including Ericksonian hypnosis and dialectical behavior therapy, always choosing an approach based on the particular needs of the patient.
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