A Fresh Take on the Couples Experiential…
Observe How TWO Senior RLT Therapists Work LIVE and In-Depth With FOUR Couples To Breathe New Life Into Your Couples Therapy Sessions
Join Cathy Hill and Julie Rudiger from the RLI faculty to see how they adapt RLT techniques to their own style for profound results – and show how you can do it too.
🗓 Thursday & Friday, August 22–23, 2024, from 11am to 6pm ET
Have You Ever Wondered if You Could Achieve the Same Results With RLT as Terry Real?
Then you don’t want to miss the upcoming two-day Couples Experiential.
For the first time ever, watch two senior RLT therapists, Cathy Hill and Julie Rudiger, work in tandem to guide four couples closer to connection. You’ll get a real-time, inside look at how they do it—and how you can do it, too.
Perhaps you’ve seen Terry’s powerful one-shot interventions before, and now you get to see how two highly experienced therapists apply RLT to their own styles of therapy.
You’ll leave having witnessed transformations that previously might have seemed impossible.
And, as a result of the Q&A, you’ll understand how it was able to happen, which will help you strengthen your own work with couples.
Whether you’re a seasoned couples therapist or new to RLT, don’t miss this unique opportunity to get an inside look at other therapist’s sessions to bring fresh perspectives to your own work.
How the Couples Experiential Works
The Couples Experiential takes place entirely online over Zoom for two full days. There are two elements of the workshop:
Observation
This is where you will observe Cathy and Julie working in-depth with each of our four couples one at a time (spending up to two hours per couple). Then watch as they encourage the other couples to engage and provide feedback to the couple who has just done their work.
During this portion of the workshop, you will remain on mute and not participate in the sessions.
Q&A
❗12 CE credits are available for an additional $40 if you attend the two days LIVE and in full. Learn more →
What You’ll Learn
In this immersive two-day workshop, you will watch two senior RLT therapists interact and intervene LIVE with four couples to bring a fresh perspective to your own work.
You will:
- Observe how two experienced therapists apply Terry Real’s Relational Life Therapy model to their own therapeutic style.
- Discover diagnostic tools that help you swiftly get to the root of the problem in relationships which you can use in your own work.
- Learn how to lovingly confront clients with the truth about how their behavior harms their relationship and how they can change it.
- Witness how healing relational trauma in the presence of the partner enhances intimacy & builds empathy between couples.
- Understand how to engage each partner in the therapeutic process: how to find leverage and establish trust.
Join Us for the Couples Experiential
Choose between a single payment or payment plan to register.
You’re Protected by a 100% Money-Back Guarantee
We’re confident you’ll love the Couples Experiential. However, if you’re not 100 percent satisfied with your purchase, simply contact us at support@terryreal.com within 48 hours of the first live call and we’ll give you a full refund, no questions asked.
Who Is This For?
The Couples Experiential is for relationship professionals already working with couples or looking to add couples therapy to their practice, including:
- Therapists, counselors, and psychologists
- Social workers
- Relationship and life coaches
What Your Colleagues Have to Say
– Dr. habil. Antje Schneider, scientist in the field of Intercultural Communication and Systemic Counselor (on the Couples Experiential with Terry Real)
This is my second observation of a couples intensive and it was amazing to see Des do the RLT work I’ve come to know through Terry. Gives me hope that it is transferable and not solely a function of Terrys talent and skills. Also seeing different couples with their own stances and dynamics help to generalize the work. Thanks you for another inspirational couple days.
Meet Your Teachers
Cathy Hill and Julie Rudiger are senior members of the RLI faculty, responsible for training professionals worldwide in Relational Life Therapy.
Cathy Hill, PhD, Licensed Psychologist in British Columbia, Canada
I’ve been training with Terry since 2010 and learn more every time I teach the concepts. RLT is an incredibly rich and powerful mode of therapy and I’m proud to be involved with its expansion.
In order to help with that I’m also the Director of Research at the Relational Life Foundation, where we are working on getting RLT evidence-based.
Julie Rudiger, LCSW, Private Practice, Denver, Co area
I have been a licensed therapist since 1993 and was introduced to Terry Real’s Relational Life Therapy in 2008. I became certified in 2010, and since then, my practice and personal life has transformed. I love the value of Full Respect Living, which is the tenet of RLT.
Teaching clients and therapists the model remains the central focus of my practice. I love the role of “coach” in teaching the skills. Most couples and individuals just need the education and tools to better care for themselves and their partners and families. I am also co-leader of the Relationship Boot Camp in Denver, whereby we help individuals and couples learn the skills in a 2 day intensive workshop.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Couples Experiential?
The Couples Experiential takes place on Thursday & Friday, August 22–23, 2024, from 11am to 6pm ET
both days.
How much does it cost to attend as an observer?
What are the workshop hours?
Will the workshop be recorded?
Is the workshop eligible for Continuing Education credits (CEs)?
12 CE credits are available to therapists who attend live for an additional $40 fee. Please be aware this purchase is separate from your registration fee and will be offered only after the event. Find more information on CE credits here.
Do observers participate in the couples work and feedback?
Is the Couples Experiential part of the RLT Certification?
Yes—when you enroll in the RLT Certification (our deepest, richest couples therapy training), you unlock unlimited access to all Couples Experientials for the duration of your studies. Find more information on the RLT Certification here.
What is Relational Life Therapy?
Relational Life Therapy (RLT) combines the most effective techniques from multiple therapies to create a state-of-the-art, integrated method to powerfully heal relationships. RLT breaks many of the rules of traditional therapy to go deep quickly and help clients make rapid and significant changes.
Using a range of powerful diagnostic and transformative tools, RLT helps people to first reconnect to themselves—their feelings, needs, and desires—to build a stronger, more intimate connection with their partner.
Get an inside look at how TWO senior therapists apply Relational Life Therapy techniques to their own therapeutic style to expertly guide couples closer to connection.
Copyright © 2024 Relational Life Institute
CE REQUIREMENTS:
The Relational Life Institute is pleased to offer:
Healing in Connection:
The Power of Relational Presence in Trauma Recovery
Relational Life Institute (RLI) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7495. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Relational Life Institute (RLI) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
ACEP No. 7495
FORMAT: A LIVE Online Webinar facilitated by Desirae Ysasi, LPC-S; RLT Director of Training
Continuing Education credits offered: 1.5 credit hours
Course Description:
This free training introduces clinicians to the Relational Life Therapy (RLT) approach to trauma healing within couples therapy. Participants will learn how trauma-driven behaviors emerge in intimate relationships and how to identify and address these patterns in practice.
The session will demonstrate how conducting inner child work in the presence of a partner allows clients to have corrective emotional experiences, rewire trauma-rooted beliefs, and strengthens their relationships. Through lecture, clinical examples, and Q&A, participants will gain actionable insights on how to integrate relational presence and co-regulation into their clinical work.
Learning Objectives: At the completion of this course, participants can expect to be able to:
- Describe how trauma impacts the nervous system and relational behaviors, and explain how RLT frames these adaptations as “Adaptive Child” strategies.
- Identify three ways that relational connection and co-regulation contribute to healing trauma.
- Apply core RLT principles – truth-telling, compassionate confrontation, and skill-building – to facilitate relational healing in couples therapy.
Target Audience: Social Workers, MFTs, Counselors, Substance Abuse Counselors, Nurses, and LMHCs, LMFT’s, Educators, Coaches, Chemical Dependency Counselors
Course Content Level: The course content is appropriate for Beginner level clinicians.
Cost: This is a free webinar!
Course Date & Hours: Monday, September 22, 2025 2:30 – 4:00pm ET
TO REGISTER: https://relationallife.com/trauma-recovery
Cancellation Policy: You may cancel your registration up until September 22, 2025.
Please contact support@terryreal.com if you wish to cancel.
If you need special accommodations or have questions, please contact us at support@terryreal.com
Please contact our Support team if you have any questions support@terryreal.com
Instructor’s Bio:
Desirae Ysasi, LPC-S is a Licensed Professional Counselor – Supervisor with nearly two decades of experience, specializing in relationship counseling. Serving the San Antonio community since 2006, she works exclusively with couples in romantic relationships, folks in non-traditional romantic relationship structures (ethical nonmonogamy), and adults seeking to improve family dynamics. Desirae became a Certified Relational Life Therapist in 2018 trained directly by Terry Real, the founder of Relational Life Therapy (RLT). She joined the faculty of the Relational Life Institute in 2022 and now serves as Director of Training & Certification, overseeing the global certification program. She has been the owner of Ysasi Counseling since 2014 and in the fall of 2024, Desirae opened Relational Life Texas, a virtual therapy group practice focused on RLT, providing relationship therapy across Texas.
CONFLICT of Interest: There is no known conflict of interest or commercial support for this event.
Grievance Procedure:
If a student believes they have been discriminated against, they can submit a written complaint that includes their name, address, phone number, location, date, and a detailed description of the issue. If a student with a disability disagrees with the accommodation provided or has any other grievances, they can schedule a meeting to discuss and attempt to find a solution together. If the student is still not satisfied with the accommodation after further discussion, they can contact the Operations Director for
the Relational Life Institute (RLI), Lisa Sullivan, via phone, email, or mail. If the grievance cannot be resolved, the complainant will be advised to contact the appropriate Ethics Committee or Licensing Board. The Operations Director will keep all grievances and their resolutions confidential in locked files.
A copy of this Grievance Procedure is available upon request.
Contact information: ACEP Administrator & Operations Director for Relational Life Institute (RLI), Lisa Sullivan follows: 291 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459; 617-861-3030 lisa@relationallife.com
CE REQUIREMENTS:
The Relational Life Institute is pleased to offer:
Working With Men
Relational Life Institute (RLI) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7495. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Relational Life Institute (RLI) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
ACEP No. 7495
FORMAT: A LIVE Online Course facilitated by Terry Real, LICSW; and Julie Rudiger, LCSW
Continuing Education credits offered: 12 credit hours
There is an additional $40 fee to receive a certificate, and you must attend all 8 classes in their entirety. There is no partial credit, attendance will be taken.
Course Description:
Over eight live online classes, learn the skills to engage, motivate, and create breakthrough change with resistant male clients in this live, practice-focused training led by renowned couples therapist and male-psychology expert Terry Real, alongside RLT Faculty Member Julie Rudiger, LCSW. Grounded in Relational Life Therapy (RLT), the course unpacks how patriarchal conditioning and performance-based self-worth fuel disconnection, defensiveness, and shutdown, then shows you how to build trust with even the most challenging men through clear, compassionate confrontation that preserves the therapeutic alliance. You’ll learn to create effective leverage for transformation without triggering collapse, withdrawal, or escalated resistance; tailor interventions for the three common presentations—“boys, bullies, and avoiders”; and reframe masculinity so emotional expression is aligned with strength, honor, and integrity rather than weakness. Through demonstrations and actionable tools from both instructors, you’ll guide men in trauma healing and relational skill development that supports healthier partnerships and parenting. Leave with a concrete RLT roadmap you can use immediately to help clients move from resistance to responsibility and from disconnection to genuine intimacy.
Learning Objectives: At the completion of this course, participants can expect to be able to:
- Summarize the cultural shaping of masculinity and its consequences.
- Recognize shame and grandiosity as dual defenses tied to male self-worth.
- Develop skills to help men shift from defensiveness to compassion.
- Identify how shame and performance-based esteem show up in male clients.
- Discuss culturally sensitive ways to challenge entitlement and grandiosity.
- Identify and work with three major types of difficult men: boys, bullies, and avoiders.
- Describe how to use leverage as a tool to create change.
- Identify patterns of resistance in men and learn how to engage them effectively.
- Utilize leverage to create internal or external motivation for change.
- Illustrate empowerment to the partner or family system to create pressure that opens the door to transformation.
- Compare and differentiate between their wounded child, adaptive child, and functional adult selves.
- Develop an internal caregiving relationship with their inner children rather than expecting partners to repair old wounds.
- Demonstrate full relational responsibility as an adult, especially in high-conflict, high-defensiveness relationships.
Target Audience: Social Workers, MFTs, Counselors, Substance Abuse Counselors, Nurses, and LMHCs, LMFT’s, Educators, Coaches, Chemical Dependency Counselors
Course Content Level: The course content is appropriate for Beginner level clinicians.
Cost: $497 or three payments of $197 each.
Course Date & Hours:
90 minutes each class on:
September 10, 17, 24; October 1, 7, 9, 14, 21, 2025
TO REGISTER: https://relationallife.com/working-with-men
Cancellation Policy: You may cancel your registration up until September 16, 2025
Please contact support@terryreal.com if you wish to cancel.
If you need special accommodations or have questions, please contact us at support@terryreal.com
Please contact our Support team if you have any questions support@terryreal.com
Instructor’s Bio:
Terry Real, LICSW: Terry Real is the bestselling author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression, the straight-talking How Can I Get Through to You? Reconnecting Men and Women, The New Rules of Marriage: What You Need to Make Love Work and most recently Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship just debuted in June 2022. Terry founded the Relational Life Institute, offering workshops for couples, individuals, and parents as well as a professional training program for clinicians. Terry’s work, with its rigorous commonsense approach, speaks to both men and women. A proponent of “full-throttle marriage,” Terry has been called “the most innovative voice in thinking about and treating men and their relationships in the world today.”
Julie Rudiger, LCSW has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for the last 30 years. In 2002, Julie opened her private practice, where she has helped hundreds of individuals and couples over the last two decades. Her professional journey took a transformative turn in 2008 when she began training with Terry Real, the founder of Relational Life Therapy (RLT). Julie has since used RLT to guide clients in discovering self-esteem, healing early wounds, and fostering deeper, more authentic relationships. A faculty member at the Relational Life Institute since 2022, Julie now trains other therapists and leads community workshops, including Men’s Groups and Relationship Skills Bootcamps. Additionally, she is trained in EMDR, ACT, DBT, Gestalt, and the Enneagram.
CONFLICT of Interest: There is no known conflict of interest or commercial support for this event.
Grievance Procedure:
If a student believes they have been discriminated against, they can submit a written complaint that includes their name, address, phone number, location, date, and a detailed description of the issue. If a student with a disability disagrees with the accommodation provided or has any other grievances, they can schedule a meeting to discuss and attempt to find a solution together. If the student is still not satisfied with the accommodation after further discussion, they can contact the Operations Director for
the Relational Life Institute (RLI), Lisa Sullivan, via phone, email, or mail. If the grievance cannot be resolved, the complainant will be advised to contact the appropriate Ethics Committee or Licensing Board. The Operations Director will keep all grievances and their resolutions confidential in locked files.
A copy of this Grievance Procedure is available upon request.
Contact information: ACEP Administrator & Operations Director for Relational Life Institute (RLI), Lisa Sullivan follows: 291 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459; 617-861-3030 lisa@relationallife.com