In this episode, hosts Lance and a co‑host introduce a novel play‑therapy intervention that brings the four‑step framework from Nancy Freegard’s RT (Regulation Therapy) to life through an embodied obstacle‑course activity. Therapists Jennifer Smith and Lorenzo Cantoja demonstrate the intervention, guiding a client (Lorenzo) through each of the four steps—(1) say how you feel, (2) describe your usual coping, (3) state the truth, and (4) take a new action—while physically navigating obstacles such as crawling under a table, spinning in a chair, and shooting a basketball. The conversation details how the activity is set up, how therapists can cue and model each step, and why disorienting movements (e.g., spinning) can reinforce coping skills. They discuss practical adaptations for different therapy spaces, creative variations (push‑ups, running around a fence), and the therapeutic benefits observed, including increased embodiment of emotions, rapid engagement, and positive client feedback. The hosts express enthusiasm for the intervention, propose future trainings, and invite listeners to reach out to the therapists for further guidance.
Chapters
Lance, what's up? Episode 61, bro.
61? Yeah. Dang.
Who do you think's been on our episode? This group. This couple here of therapists Jennifer and Lorenzo. They're probably running neck and neck with Tanner as most episodes. You think?
Oh, my gosh. Wow.
Awesome. Have to give some kind of award. They might get some kind of an award.
Oh, dude.
Oh, yeah.
That'd be so cool.
All right, well, you've been following the journey along. We've been doing interventions. What do you call them? Children. Adolescent kids.
Yeah, yeah. Play therapy.
Play therapy. Interventions using rt. Coming out of the rt, Nancy Freegard's book, playful Approach. So here we are with our next intervention, which I think is going to be like, the sixth one that you've shown us, right?
Yeah. So no excuses to not work.
Take it away.
Yeah. This one. Okay, so I will say this one is not in the book.
This is.
I know. Little sneak peek exclusive here on rt. Dialogue. This is one that we did at our. At the camp, and all of us therapists were like, wow, this one actually really works.
Yeah.
So again, the last final steps of RT is the four steps. So this is. You could introduce the four steps and then have them practice the four steps so you can do this intervention for both ways. So we're going to set it up. There's going to be a lot of movement. I'm going to go away from the camera, and I'm going to try to follow Lorenzo along. This is the four steps obstacle course. So again, we'll have it. You could adapt it for your spin space. This where you can get really creative. The main points are, obviously, each step, the kid has to say it out loud while they're doing the action. And you can play it as many times as you want as the kid wants. We did it where we timed it, and then they would want to do it again and again again and try to make it faster. So that's always a good one, just to get those four steps in and repeated. So again, maybe we'll set this up where I've already me. The therapist has already worked with Lorenzo in identifying his four steps. Now we're getting into the practice, and we're gonna practice the four steps with the obstacle course. All right, so here we go. I'm gonna move the camera. Sorry for. How we doing on battery dizziness. Be okay?
We'll be good.
Yeah.
All right.
Okay.
Oh, where's the ball?
They put it in here.
Oh, here it is.
Okay. Yeah, I'll grab that.
There we go.
Okay. I got it. All right.
Make sure my shirt's tucked. For any viewers, proper getting crazy.
Yeah.
Alright, here we go.
All right, Lorenzo, for this obstacle course, we are starting with our first step. What's our first step?
We have to say how we feel.
Say how we feel. Yes. All right, ready, set, go.
I'm unloved.
Unloved. Okay, next step. What do you usually do?
He's on the ground right now. For those of you listening, he's crawling underneath the table.
What do you usually do?
I yell at my parents. I yell at my parents, and I scream at my friends.
He's spinning around in his chair right now.
All right, Lorenzo. And what? Wait, Steady yourself. All right, step three. Say the truth.
I am loved, and I'm always loved.
All right, now, fourth step, new action. Take a shot.
He's holding a ball in his hands.
I will be nice. I can be nice.
There you go.
Sorry, you miss it.
Did he make it? I can't tell.
He's gonna dunk it now. Power dunk.
All right, so. And usually. Lorenzo, do you want to run that again?
Like, we can run it.
Lorenzo, were you, like, disoriented after the go?
Back to, like.
I gotta actually.
It's like, spinning around.
It's like, I gotta actually emotionally regulate myself.
Yeah. Actually, so if you do have a spinning chair in office, I do recommend that.
Dude, that was so good.
Yeah.
Anything that is disorienting, that is so
good for the coping.
For the coping. Yeah.
You.
Yeah. If you can emphasize the. Yeah. Disorganization of that second step of the coping, that'd be great.
But, yeah.
Yeah, it's fun.
And, yeah. When you get a time going.
Okay, walk us through what we just did there, because there's people that are gonna be listening to this, and they're totally like, I did my best to narrate, but tell us, like, how you set it up, how you tell your kids to do this. This is great.
Do you want me to or so
just when, as a therapist, you would have already identified the four steps with them, and then you say, okay, now we're gonna make a game. Let's do an obstacle course. And so then I would actually demonstrate as the therapist, and I would say, all right, step one. And I would demonstrate. So in this case, Lorenzo laid on the ground and he said his step one. Laying on the ground.
Yeah. So that would be the description of the first step. So say how you feel and you can let them know, hey, when you say how you feel, I want you to do that pose that really shows how you feel.
Right.
So you say or shows that pain. Yeah. So they embody it. They get to embody that pain. They feel it. So yeah, laying on the ground, I'm unloved.
Right.
They say that.
And then next step is. So we had him crawl underneath the table. Obviously, depending on your space, you might not be able to do that. So crawled on the table. And the second step was something that was disorienting, which was spinning around in a chair three times while saying what you usually do. And then he gets up and I, you know, step three, say the truth. Which again, embodiment. So, like, I'm loved. Maybe it's a hug. Maybe it's the Superman pose. He stays still in that embodiment, says the truth. And then in here we have a basketball hoop. And a basketball. When she did the new action and made a shot.
Yeah, yeah. Which every office should have a trash can.
Like, there's a. There's a concluding.
Yeah. Something where it ends.
Yeah, yeah, exactly. So, yeah, a lot of, A lot of chaos if you're just looking at it.
Yeah.
Lance was losing his mind over here when he was watching you cross at the territory.
I am an experiential nut. Like, I love anything that gets it. And I, I was visualizing, I was like, yes, yes, yes. More, more swish. Like, that was awesome, guys. Really?
And then. Yeah, spinning chair. Therapist will have a chair. We could just have them spin around or spin. Yeah, yeah. If you don't, obviously.
Yeah, yeah.
You could do like maybe push ups or I don't know, like something that's a little crazier for the step too.
Yeah. It's nice. We have this park across the street.
Yeah.
You can have them like run around the fence. So something even too, that's just like, you're just tired and you just have to take a second after and then you get to still do the truth. That's pretty nice. Yeah.
Oh, so good.
Wow.
I want to go right to therapy right now. In fact, we have.
Yes, I think we are going to therapy. No, we're good. I. We are so excited. We've been looking forward to this for a long time. As soon as we had you last time on episode 45, we're like, we got to have them back on. So.
Yeah.
For those who are listening, I'm sure they've been following the journey along over the last five episodes. If not, back up and check the episodes out. And I'm going to put. If that's okay with you two. I'll put your emails in the show notes and if people have questions they can reach out to you.
Yeah, I think we need a Jen Lorenzo training coming up on. I think you guys have, you guys have a lot to offer and I'd love for people to get to do a training with you guys. I really want to encourage that.
That makes me feel right now I'm in my truth my shalom's hitting that. You said that. I'm like feeling great.
Maybe we'll see. Maybe we'll see him do some stuff in Malibu. Who knows? That'd be awesome.
Hey, thank you for coming on all you do.
Yeah, thank you.
So great.
This is so fun.
It's awesome that we get to do this so it's really cool. So certainly blessed and just grateful.
Season 2 | Episode 85 | Kamusta ka? -- Cultural diversity in therapy, athletic performance, and all things RT with Marriage and Family Therapy Associate, Kim Agramon-Bai
