RT Dialogue

Welcome to Episode 46 of the RT Dialogue Podcast. We are so thankful that you have joined us on this journey, and if you like what you hear we encourage you to do us a favor. You can:

• recommend the episode to others
• leave a review for us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts (good reviews help others find it)
• subscribe to the RT Dialogue Substack for the podcast and other pertinent information in the Restoration Therapy community.

We have a great episode for you with our special guest, Rob Hayes St. Clair. Rob came into RT not by the typical route you have heard from many of our previous guests (i.e. graduate school, training, etc.), but through an encounter in therapy.

In this episode he shares his life changing experience from working on the JH Ranch in Northern California, to encountering RT as a client, and the healing journey that led he and his wife Edith on. (Check out ⁠JH Aotearoa⁠)

Part of his mission is to bring the power of Restoration Therapy to others, and one of those ways is through the new Parent from Peace journal. This journal is so beautiful and you can tell that it is truly a labor of love born out of personal transformation. Please go check it out and place your order. We love it and want to support the good work of those in the community.

Mentioned in the Episode

• The Life Changing Skill of Emotional Regulation -- Modern Wisdom podcast with special guest Mark Brackett
• Families and Faith: How Religion is Passed Down across Generations by Vern Bengtson, Norealla Putney and Susan Harris
• The Mindful Marriage: Create Your Best Relationship Through Understanding and Managing Yourself by Ron and Nan Deal
• Why Your Kids Push Back -- And How to Fix It with Michael Cox and Rob Hayes St. Clair
• Relate Strong

Welcome to Episode 45 of the RT Dialogue Podcast. This was a really fun episode, and if you are able to – we recommend you watch the video version if possible (i.e. props involved).

In this episode we spent time with Nancy Frigaard, Jennifer Smith, and Lorenzo Cantoja.

Nancy is doing a ton of amazing work, and among that, she is owner/clinical director at Freedom Family Counseling in Arizona (serving two locations in the Phoenix area). She is also the author of A Playful Approach to Restoration Therapy, and is President of the newly formed Asher Graduate School of Counseling.

Jennifer is an LAMFT on staff at Freedom Family Counseling and may be most well known for her dancing in the From Pain to Peace (The 4 Steps Song) – you have to check out this catchy tune.

Lorenzo is an LAMFT on staff at Freedom Family Counseling and dove deep with us into their new Play Strong Warriors program.

The three of them (and I would imagine all of the staff atFreedom Family Counseling), bring a really beautiful energy to the work of Restoration Therapy. I love how they are serving their community and partnering with many other organizations to bring restoration and healing.

In this episode we focused on working with children, and discussed some of the innovative programs they are using Restoration Therapy in. We definitely plan to have them back on in the new year to do multiple episodes on interventions, as well as to talk about the new graduate school that Nancy and others are launching in the Phoenix, AZ area.

We were really excited to have Sharon Hargrave and Dee Dee Mayer on Episode 44 of the RT Dialogue.

Sharon as many of you already know, is the founder of Relate Strong, and Dee Dee Mayer is the Senior Director of The Boone Center at Pepperdine University -- this is just to name a couple of things these amazing women are currently involved in, or have contributed to.

On this episode we wanted to have them both on to discuss navigating relationships during the holidays. Both bring a wealth of knowledge and personal experience to this topic, and we wish we had more time to record a longer episode...we will definitely be having them back on.

But in a culture that seems to be keen on cutting off relationships, and a pop psychology culture permeated in social media, there is a lot of emphasis on labeling, boundaries, self-care, etc, rather than a pathway to restoration. We wanted to address this head on in this episode.

We hope you enjoy the conversation, and stay tuned for another episode with these two in the near future.

Mentioned in the Episode

Home for Thanksgiving: 7 Common Concerns from Students and How Families Can Prepare for a Great Holiday -- this was the article Rhett mentioned in the episode that Gonzaga sent home to parents.

Check out our episode on the RT Dialogue Substack for access to the Family Estrangement handout that we discussed.

Welcome to Episode 43 of the RT Dialogue.

In this episode we wanted to spend some time talking about the Core Concepts of Restoration Therapy.

A couple of weeks ago we were hanging out with the Hargraves and some other members of the RT Community, and Terry put up a slide listing the core concepts:

1. Emotional Regulation -- Self Versus Co
2. Human Identity and Safety
3. Pain Chart, Peace Chart
4. Pain Cycle -- Primary Emotion to Reactive Emotion
5. Peace Cycle -- Primary Emotion to Choice Actions/Virtue
6. Four-Steps -- recapitulation of old self/new self
7. Forgiveness-Four Station of Insight, Understanding, Giving Opportunity for Compensation, Overt Forgiving

What is not on this list, but Terry mentioned as probably becoming a part of it -- the Stop, Turn, Slow intervention we are refining. And Lance wondered on the podcast if "usness" would be considered a core concept (we will have to ask Terry about that).

One of the things that makes RT unique as well, is that it is a totally integratable model.

We had a lot to discuss this episode, and never got to the Forgiveness concept, which we are saving for a later episode in a few weeks.

But when you think about what makes RT, RT -- it's these core concepts. If you aren't doing these core concepts in your practice, then you aren't doing RT.

Hope you enjoy the episode.

Welcome to Episode 42 of the RT Dialogue. We had a great time and a deep and meaningful conversation with our guest Ryan Forsell on this latest episode. Ryan is a Fuller Theological Seminary graduate (2017), Level II RT trained therapist, and has a private-group practice in Sierra Madre and online. He is deeply passionate about men's work, and integrating outdoor wilderness experiences working with men.

I (Rhett) was introduced to Ryan like 15-16 years ago through his youth pastor who is a friend of mine, and it's been cool to see his journey over all these years.

But for this episode we decided to do something different after the episode was recorded -- and that was record a short message prior to the episode. We had used the word disclaimer in a private conversation, but it's not really even a disclaimer, because there is nothing to deny of taking responsibility for. But it's more of a notice ahead of listening.

This was the first episode we waded into territory that is controversial in some therapeutic communities, and accepted in others -- the use of psychedelics in therapy. So we just wanted to give listeners notice about it ahead of time.

All that being said, our conversation was deep and meaningful and we look forward to having Ryan back on. And we hope to be a podcast that can both talk about the core tenets of Restoration Therapy -- and what makes RT, RT, in our theory and practice -- praxis. And we also want to thoughtfully engage with people practicing therapy in different ways and who are outside the RT community. We got both in this episode.

There are lots of topics that therapists are often afraid to engage in, even in our own rooms -- politics, sexuality, faith, psychedelics -- just to name a few. And if there is anything we have learned from being a part of the RT community, it is that we want to be safe and loving people to all those we encounter.

Thanks for trusting us with these conversations and we know that we have many exciting episodes ahead.

Mentioned in the Episode

The Soul's Code: In Search of Character and Calling by James Hillman

Michael Meade

Robert Bly

Roy Baumeister

The Red Book by Carl Jung

Psychedelics and the Soul: A Mythic Guide to Psychedelic Healing, Depth Psychology and Cultural Repair by Simon Yugler

Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps by Richard Rohr

Deep Water Men

Welcome to Episode 41 of the RT Dialogue podcast, with our special guest Megan Kuder.

Megan is the founder of Be Well Counseling Atlanta, and a part of our Restoration Therapy community. 

Mentioned in the Episode

Ignatius House in Sandy Springs

Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom by Henri Nouwen

In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henri Nouwen

Welcome back to the RT Dialogue with Rhett Smith and Lance Ahl. We are really thankful that you have joined us on this journey.

In this episode we return to our first guest, Michael Cox, who was with us in our second episode. Michael is a dear friend and colleague, and it's always great to connect with him.

Michael wears a lot of professional hats -- running a practice, co-leading marriage intensives, RT Level 1 training, podcast host, and much, much more.

I hope you enjoy this episode as we bounce around a bit, talking about working with adolescents and their families, the challenges of running a practice, his new book project, etc.

Mentioned in the Episode

The HEARTWORK Podcast | Spotify | Apple | YouTube

About RT Dialogue

Welcome to RT Dialogue with co-hosts Lance Ahl and Rhett Smith, LMFT. This podcast is about making connections, building community, and learning and practicing the model of Restoration Therapy together. Each episode features conversations with Restoration Therapy practitioners, leaders, and friends of the RT community about how the model shapes therapy, coaching, leadership, and everyday relationships.

Episode links and resources:
You can find all links mentioned in each episode on our Spotify and Substack pages.

Connect with the hosts: Rhett Smith and Lance Ahl

Learn more about: Restoration Therapy

Listen and subscribe on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Substack.

We are excited to welcome back to the podcast, Dr. Miyoung Yoon Hammer, Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary.

We had Dr. Hammer on podcast Episode 33, and were eager to have her back on because we just ran out of time to talk with her about all the things we wanted to discuss with her.

In this episode we dive deeper into issues around diversity, multicultural and cross-cultural, through the lens of Restoration Therapy.

Mentioned in the Episode

Kintsugi

Advances and Techniques in Restoration Therapy by Terry Hargrave, Nicole Zasowski and Miyoung Yoon Hammer

Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church by Soong-Chan Rah

Re-Visioning Family Therapy: Addressing Diversity in Clinical Practice by Monica McGoldrick and Kenneth V. Hardy

About RT Dialogue

Welcome to RT Dialogue with co-hosts Lance Ahl and Rhett Smith, LMFT. This podcast is about making connections, building community, and learning and practicing the model of Restoration Therapy together. Each episode features conversations with Restoration Therapy practitioners, leaders, and friends of the RT community about how the model shapes therapy, coaching, leadership, and everyday relationships.

Episode links and resources:
You can find all links mentioned in each episode on our Spotify and Substack pages.

Connect with the hosts: Rhett Smith and Lance Ahl

Learn more about: Restoration Therapy

Listen and subscribe on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Substack.

[FYI: we re-uploaded this episode w/different bumper music, as it created issues with Spotify and licensing]

Welcome to Episode 38 of the RT Dialogue Podcast. We wanted to do something different in this podcast, so we had on special guest RO Smith.

Spotify | Apple | YouTube

RO has been serving in ministry most of his life and was on staff with me (Rhett) at Bel Air Presbyterian Church back in the early 2000’s. He’s currently on staff at ⁠Point Loma Presbyterian Church⁠ as their Digital Content Creator and Worship Leader. Over the years RO has been asking me questions about the Restoration Therapy model. And this last year while on runs, he has been listening to the podcast with even more curiosity and interest. So back in September RO trained with ⁠Meghan Eaken ⁠in the ⁠RT Coaching model⁠ and came away from that inspired and with even more to talk about. He was raving about how great Meghan was in teaching the model!

So we wanted to sit down with RO and just have a conversation about coming into RT and questions he might have. We feel like it’s really important to hear questions from people at the beginning of their RT journey, as there are insights they have that sometimes we overlook when you have been in the model for a long time. We hope to have RO back on soon (and others new to the model) since it feels like we just got started with the questions.

Also, huge thank you to RO who started volunteering his time a few months ago to help us with the sound quality of the podcast.

About RT Dialogue

Welcome to RT Dialogue with co-hosts Lance Ahl and Rhett Smith, LMFT. This podcast is about making connections, building community, and learning and practicing the model of Restoration Therapy together. Each episode features conversations with Restoration Therapy practitioners, leaders, and friends of the RT community about how the model shapes therapy, coaching, leadership, and everyday relationships.

Episode links and resources:
You can find all links mentioned in each episode on our Spotify and Substack pages.

Connect with the hosts: Rhett Smith and Lance Ahl

Learn more about: Restoration Therapy

Listen and subscribe on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Substack.

Welcome to Episode 38 of the RT Dialogue Podcast. We wanted to do something different in this podcast, so we had on special guest RO Smith.

RO has been serving in ministry most of his life and was on staff with me (Rhett) at Bel Air Presbyterian Church back in the early 2000's. He's currently on staff at Point Loma Presbyterian Church as their Digital Content Creator and Worship Leader. Over the years RO has been asking me questions about the Restoration Therapy model. And this last year while on runs, he has been listening to the podcast with even more curiosity and interest. So back in September RO trained with Meghan Eaken in the RT Coaching model and came away from that inspired and with even more to talk about. He was raving about how great Meghan was in teaching the model!

So we wanted to sit down with RO and just have a conversation about coming into RT and questions he might have. We feel like it's really important to hear questions from people at the beginning of their RT journey, as there are insights they have that sometimes we overlook when you have been in the model for a long time. We hope to have RO back on soon (and others new to the model) since it feels like we just got started with the questions.

Also, huge thank you to RO who started volunteering his time a few months ago to help us with the sound quality of the podcast.