Iloski, S., Nikolic, D., Stankovic, M., Zivkovic, M., & Glusac Draslar, B. (2025). Integrating Tele’Drama and Rational Emotive & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RECBT) for children and adolescents: A journey of transformation.

Tuesday, May 20th 2025

Iloski, S., Nikolic, D., Stankovic, M., Zivkovic, M., & Glusac Draslar, B. (2025). Integrating Tele’Drama and Rational Emotive & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RECBT) for children and adolescents: A journey of transformation. Tele’Drama Press.


Integrating Tele’Drama and Rational Emotive & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RECBT) for Children and Adolescents: A Journey of Transformation

Authors: Svetlana Iloski (North Macedonia), Dragana Nikolic (Serbia), Mirjana Stankovic (Serbia), Mina Zivkovic (Serbia), Bojana Glusac Draslar (Serbia)

Abstract
This article reflects on a session that explored the integration of Tele'Drama and Rational Emotive & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RECBT) to support children and adolescents in identifying and challenging irrational beliefs, while fostering emotional resilience.

Through experiential online methods—including role reversal, doubling, and mirroring—the team demonstrated how the combination of action techniques and cognitive frameworks can enhance insight, deepen empathy, and facilitate meaningful therapeutic change.

Keywords:
Tele’Drama, Rational Emotive & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, RECBT, children, adolescents, irrational beliefs, bullying, emotional regulation, experiential therapy, online therapy, psychodrama, role reversal

How the Topic Was Chosen
This session grew out of the team’s deep, lived experience working with children and adolescents who face emotional and behavioral challenges. Across settings and cultures, the team had witnessed a recurring dynamic: traditional therapeutic approaches often failed to reach young clients where they were emotionally—especially when peer bullying or social withdrawal clouded their sense of self. These were not isolated cases, but common stories shared in many classrooms and clinics.

As conversations unfolded among the presenters, a shared realization emerged: the techniques of Tele'Drama and RECBT each offered something the other lacked, and together they could become more powerful than either alone. Tele'Drama, with its spontaneous, embodied methods, provided a dynamic stage where emotions could be seen, heard, and physically felt—even online. Meanwhile, RECBT offered the cognitive scaffolding needed to make sense of irrational beliefs and transform them. Integrating these approaches allowed for deep exploration and concrete intervention.

The title of the session, then, was not chosen lightly. It was a reflection of both the challenge and the promise: a journey of transformation using methods that engage heart, body, and mind.

Recognizing the unique strengths of both Tele’Drama and Rational Emotive & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RECBT), we explored how these two methods could be integrated. Tele'Drama offers a dynamic, action-oriented format that resonates with youth, especially in online environments where they often feel more comfortable (Simmons, 2023). By combining Tele'Drama's experiential power with RECBT's cognitive clarity, we created an approach that engages both heart and mind.

Preparation Process
The planning process itself mirrored the kind of collaboration the session hoped to inspire in others. Facilitators based in different countries met repeatedly across time zones, weaving together their ideas and areas of expertise. Dragana Nikolic, Mirjana Stankovic, and Svetlana Iloski guided the structure of the session, while Mina Zivkovic and Bojana Glusac Draslar added essential insight from their therapeutic and educational practice.

Every detail was considered—from the wording of prompts to the pacing of transitions between exercises. The team didn't just want to deliver content; they wanted participants to experience the method. The A-B-C model of RECBT was not merely explained but enacted. Through role reversal, doubling, and mirroring, participants were invited to walk in the shoes of a bullied child, feel their emotional burden, and help reshape the narrative with cognitive clarity. The preparation was as experiential and integrated as the workshop itself.

Our team, spread across multiple countries, engaged in extensive planning and rehearsal. We revisited core principles of both Tele'Drama and RECBT, designing an experience that made these models come alive. The session was built around the A-B-C model of RECBT (Activating Event, Beliefs, Consequences), enhanced with Tele’Drama techniques like role reversal, doubling, and mirroring (Kellermann, 1992).

We created immersive activities to intellectually and emotionally engage participants, including visual tools like galleries and screen sharing for an enriched online environment.

Objectives: Our goals were to:
- Introduce the A-B-C model and explain how irrational beliefs drive emotional and behavioral difficulties.
- Demonstrate how Tele'Drama techniques can be used to dispute these beliefs effectively.
- Provide practical tools for therapists and educators working with young clients.
- Facilitate experiential learning that builds empathy and insight.

By the end, we aimed for participants to leave with actionable strategies to use in both online and in-person settings.

Delivery & Methodology
We delivered an interactive workshop using these components:

The session was grounded in the integration of two powerful frameworks: Rational Emotive & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RECBT) and Tele'Drama's action methods. RECBT, originally developed by Albert Ellis, posits that emotional and behavioral disturbances often arise from irrational beliefs. Its core structure—Activating Event (A), Belief (B), and Consequence (C)—provides a practical roadmap for identifying and challenging distorted thinking (Ellis, 1962). The model’s structured approach is particularly useful with children and adolescents, who often benefit from clear frameworks that make emotions and thoughts visible and manageable.

Tele'Drama, on the other hand, is rooted in the action-oriented philosophies of J.L. Moreno’s psychodrama and sociometry. Moreno emphasized the importance of spontaneity, role-play, and relational mapping in understanding psychological and social functioning (Moreno, 1953). Tele'Drama adapts these principles for virtual and hybrid environments, creating a stage for deep therapeutic work regardless of physical location. Techniques like role reversal, doubling, and mirroring help participants externalize and explore internal dynamics in a safe, embodied way.

The session's design reflected a fusion of these philosophies: RECBT's cognitive structure brought clarity, while Tele'Drama’s dynamic techniques provided emotional depth. By combining the cognitive insight of RECBT with the embodied relational tools of Tele'Drama, participants were able to engage their minds, emotions, and bodies in service of growth. This dual approach allowed young clients to confront irrational beliefs not only intellectually, but experientially—offering a richer, more sustainable path toward change.

1. Sociometry:
Participants answered questions about their work with youth, familiarity with RECBT, and experience with bullying cases, helping create group cohesion (Moreno, 1953).

2. Warm-up – Empty Chair Exercise:
An empty chair represented a bullied child. Participants used role reversal to step into the child’s perspective.

3. Main Exercise – Applying RECBT with Sociodrama:
We explored a case study of a 10-year-old boy experiencing bullying:
- A (Activating Event): Repeated peer teasing
- B (Beliefs): “Everyone is teasing me. I can’t stand this. I’m worthless.”
- C (Consequences): Emotional distress, withdrawal, depressive symptoms
- D (Disputation): Using role-playing, mirroring, and doubling to challenge these beliefs and offer alternatives

4. Sociodramatic Sharing:
An open group reflection followed, where participants shared emotional and intellectual takeaways.

5. Closure:
Participants expressed their final insights using a word or gesture to reinforce session themes.

Outcomes & Insights
The session sparked rich emotional and intellectual responses. Participants were moved not only by the stories they encountered but by their own reactions. One attendee shared, “I’ve taught the A-B-C model for years, but this was the first time I truly felt it in my body.” Another noted how seeing a child’s irrational belief portrayed through role reversal made the therapeutic process suddenly real and immediate.

These moments reminded the presenters why they had chosen to combine methods. Cognitive change does not need to be dispassionate—it can be embodied, creative, and relational. Many participants expressed surprise at how powerful the online format could be when supported by well-facilitated action techniques. Even through screens, the emotional depth and group cohesion were palpable.

The session affirmed what the team had suspected: when used together, RECBT and Tele’Drama offer a uniquely potent framework for helping young people identify and transform the beliefs that limit them. The impact was visible not only in feedback forms but in the quiet pauses, teary eyes, and meaningful words shared during the closing circle.

A key insight was the role of creative expression in reshaping beliefs and behaviors. Even in a virtual setting, Tele’Drama provided a safe and powerful space for exploration and growth (Simmons, 2023). The session confirmed that experiential work is not only possible but also deeply effective in online environments.


Expanding the Work
With more time, we would have explored additional case studies across age groups and cultural contexts. We also wanted to deepen the disputation phase, allowing participants more practice in challenging irrational beliefs. A live Q&A segment would have enriched the dialogue and addressed specific participant needs.

Evaluation
As presenters, we found the session both rewarding and impactful. Our objectives were met, and the audience engagement exceeded expectations. Participants shared thoughtful reflections, and many expressed a desire to bring these techniques into their own therapeutic or educational settings.

Conclusion
This session demonstrated the transformative potential of combining Tele’Drama with RECBT. By uniting action-based methods with cognitive frameworks, we created an approach that resonates with today’s youth and adapts to online formats without losing depth or meaning. We’re excited to continue developing this work and to support practitioners seeking creative, effective tools for helping young minds heal and grow.


References
Moreno, J. L. (1953). *Who shall survive? Foundations of sociometry, group psychotherapy and sociodrama*. Beacon House.

Kellermann, P. F. (1992). *Focus on psychodrama: The therapeutic aspects of psychodrama*. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Nichols, M. P. (2009). *The essentials of family therapy* (4th ed.). Pearson.

Simmons, D., & Wilches, A. (2021). TELE’DRAMA — International sociometry in the virtual space. Implementing action methods via online video communication. *Zeitschrift für Psychodrama und Soziometrie*, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11620-021-00600-2

Simmons, D., Christoph, A., Lee, T. L., & Karakılıç Üçer, H. (2022). Implementing Tele’Drama During the Pandemic. *FORUM, Journal of the International Association for Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes*, 60–67.

Simmons, D. (2023). *The Tele’Drama method: Action methods in the virtual space*. Tele’Drama Press.



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