The Relational Life Institute trains therapists and coaches in Relational Life Therapy – the method developed by Terry Real that helps couples in crisis heal, reconnect, and build relationships that last.
People all around the world are crying out for more from their relationships. We want lifelong romance filled with passion, joy, and meaningful connection – but most of us were never taught how to create it.
The Relational Life Institute exists to bridge that gap. We train therapists and coaches in Relational Life Therapy (RLT), a compassionately direct, results-oriented method known for producing deep, lasting change in our most important relationships. Through workshops, courses, and a global directory of certified practitioners, we bring those same tools straight to couples and individuals.
What becomes clear is that the skills that bring joy back to a marriage also strengthen every bond in our lives – with a partner, a parent, a relative, a friend – opening the door to truly beautiful connections.
We're building a movement of relational practitioners guiding couples, individuals, and our culture at large into the authentic, lasting connection we crave and rightly deserve.
Institute founded by Terry Real
Practitioners trained in RLT
Years of clinical experience behind the method
Terry Real is an internationally recognized family therapist, New York Times bestselling author, and the creator of Relational Life Therapy. For more than four decades, he has worked with couples the field had given up on – pioneering an approach that takes sides when needed and heals the trauma underneath the conflict to restore balance.
His first book, I Don’t Want to Talk About It, was the first book published on male depression. Terry’s latest, Us: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship, is the culmination of his life’s work and a New York Times bestseller. In 2008, he founded the Relational Life Institute to pass the method on, so its impact would no longer be limited to one therapist’s practice.
“I founded the Relational Life Institute because people all around the world are crying out for more from their relationships. We were never taught how to create the connection we crave. We’re building a movement of practitioners who can bridge that gap.”
— Terry Real, Founder
RLT combines psychotherapy, family systems, trauma work, and neurobiology into a clear roadmap that helps even the most distant or volatile couples reconnect – often from the very first session.
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We directly but lovingly confront the unhealthy behaviors harming the relationship, helping clients see the repeating patterns they’re stuck in – so they can finally break them.
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We heal the relational wounds driving those behaviors through deep inner-child work with both partners present, creating corrective emotional experiences where trust and empathy deepen.
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We directly but lovingly confront the unhealthy behaviors harming the relationship, helping clients see the repeating patterns they’re stuck in – so they can finally break them.
Relational Life Therapy emerged from a need for deeper, more effective couples therapy – and grew into a worldwide community of practitioners.
We tell the truth about how people show up in their relationships and what needs to change with warmth and respect. Honesty is a form of love.
We don’t stop at managing conflict. We go to the root – healing the relational wounds underneath – so change is deep and lasting, not surface-level and temporary.
Insight alone isn’t enough. We pair it with concrete relational skills, so couples and practitioners alike have the tools to live deeply rewarding relational lives.
Get a clear roadmap for working with even the most challenging couples. Our certification and Continuing Education courses teach you to quickly identify destructive patterns, confidently address power imbalances, and give clients skills that make your work truly lasting.
Break free from the patterns that keep you stuck in endless arguments, years of silence, or broken trust. Our offerings are vast: join a workshop, take an online course, or immerse yourself in a relationship bootcamp – or find an experienced RLT therapist to work with.
After 25 years of working as a Psychotherapist and Marriage Counselor I was ready to “hang it all up.” I was more than burnt out. Now, 6 months later, I am reinvested in my work and enjoying it in a brand new way. Renewed energy and enthusiasm for my work has replaced the negativity I was experiencing. Thanks so much RLT!
Roseanna Zoubek
The things I was taught in school were not practical and I felt stuck in my practice. I’m so grateful for the experiences I have had with the RLT training. I now see relationships in a way that finally makes sense to me and I have more confidence working with couples because I have something that is realistic and I believe works and more importantly my clients are able to grasp and practice.”
— Jen K.
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