Breathe New Life Into Your Couples Therapy Sessions as You Observe a Master Therapist Work LIVE With 5 Couples
(with Q&A)

Watch leading couples therapist Terry Real work with 5 couples in real-time in the Couples Experiential, an immersive two-day online workshop for clinicians looking to strengthen their work with couples. 
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🗓 Thursday & Friday, 6–7 April 2023, 10am to 5pm ET

“When therapists step behind the mask of professional neutrality, we lose such a powerful tool. Over and over again, in exit interviews, my clients say that the most important thing for them was the feeling that I was in it with them. I simply do not know how to teach my clients to be more relational without being relational with them.”

— Terry Real

Witness the Extraordinary Speed & Precision of RLT Couples Therapy in Real-Time

If you’ve ever felt stuck in your couples sessions, unsure how to move a particularly complex case forward…

Or if you’re considering adding couples therapy to your practice and are intrigued to see what you could expect from this work…

There’s no better way to reinvigorate your sessions or see if this work resonates with you than observing a master therapist in action—LIVE and unedited. 

In the Couples Experiential, you’ll see how Terry Real, the creator of Relational Life Therapy—a progressive approach to couples therapy— approaches the challenges that appear in therapy rooms every day: couples stuck in the same old fight, partners who resist your every suggestion, and those who just don’t want to be there. 

As you watch Terry work LIVE with 5 couples, you’ll discover a refreshingly direct yet compassionate approach that’s known for getting results… 

Imagine those couples that come to therapy looking like they don’t even want to move forward: those cases who feel like a lost cause. Those are the couples Terry Real excels at saving—and this workshop allows you a real-time, inside look at how he does it (and how you could do it, too).

The results are often nothing short of remarkable as each couple opens their hearts and moves closer to connection with extraordinary speed. Some couples go from good to great, and some pull back from imminent divorce, changing patterns that have plagued them for years.

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 this work, the Couples Experiential is a truly immersive learning experience that will open you up to new approaches and show you how to put them into practice.

How Does The Couples Experiential Work?

The Couples Experiential takes place entirely online over Zoom.
There are two elements of the workshop:

1

Observation

This is where you will observe Terry working in-depth with each couple one at a time (spending up to two hours per couple), then watch as he encourages 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.

2

Q&A

Each day will have dedicated time for Q&A with Terry (while the couples take a break) to discuss what happened in each session. This is where you can share your observations and ask Terry questions. He will be completely candid in his response, disclosing the RLT tools he used and explaining why he took certain stances.  

What You’ll Learn

In this immersive two-day workshop, you will watch a master therapist interact and intervene LIVE with 5 couples to strengthen your own work with couples.

You will…

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The deepest training in the RLT model.

Did you know...

This course is part of the RLT Certification program
To learn more, get the free guide

Who is this for?

The Couples Experiential is for clinicians already working with couples or looking to add couples therapy to their practice. 

Whether you are familiar with RLT or are brand new to the model, the Couples Experiential is designed to help therapists, coaches, and mental health practitioners deepen their understanding and strengthen their skills in working with couples. 

Who is this not for?

This workshop isn’t suitable for non-mental health professionals. This is a learning and development workshop designed for clinicians working with couples. If you are an individual or couple looking for help with your own relationship, we recommend Terry’s powerful online course for improving relationships, Staying in Love: The Art of Fierce Intimacy. 

Join us for the Couples Experiential

Thursday & Friday, April 6–7, 2023 

The deepest training in the RLT model.

Did you know...

This course is part of the RLT Certification program
To learn more, get the free guide

What Your Colleagues Have to Say

“I love sending my clients to this workshop which never fails to accelerate my work. My clients always come back changed, moved, and grateful.”

— Lyn J., MSW, Albuquerque, NM

About Terry Real

Terry Real, LICSW, is a leading couples and family therapist, speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Having worked with thousands of individuals, couples, and fellow therapists, Terry knows how to lead people on a step-by-step journey to greater intimacy and personal fulfillment. His expertise has been featured in outlets such as Psychology Networker, Psychology Today, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Vogue, Forbes, Oprah, and The New York Times.

With 30+ years of clinical experience, Terry is a senior faculty member of the Family Institute of Cambridge in Massachusetts and a retired Clinical Fellow of the Meadows Institute in Arizona. He is the founder of the Relational Life Institute, which provides workshops for couples and individuals as well as a professional training program for clinicians wanting to learn his Relational Life Therapy (RLT) methodology. RLT teaches people how to make their relationships work by equipping them with the relational skills they need to cultivate and sustain authentic connections—to themselves, each other, and the planet as whole.

Frequently Asked Questions

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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

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:   

1pm-2:30pm Eastern Time on:

September 10, 17, 24; October 1, 8, 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