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Join Real Life: Continuous Education for Relationship Professionals

Enhance Your Expertise and Expand Your Practice with Terry Real (CE credits not available)

  • Learn directly from Terry to elevate your couples work.
  • Grow your practice with specialist business training.
  • Connect with a community of like-minded colleagues.
Join Real Life
  • 14 day money-back guarantee
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The group has accelerated my understanding, practice and confidence as a therapist. I have gained a huge amount particularly from working with Terry on cases I have presented and from listening to fellow RLT therapists work.
Victoria Shalet, RLT Practitioner, London UK

A Letter From Terry Real

Welcome to Real Life!

As new cases and challenges arise in your practice, navigating them alone is overwhelming. Real Life is a safe place to turn in those moments when you wonder, “What do I do now?” Consider this community your lifeline—an encouraging network to call upon for fresh perspectives and creative solutions. 

In our live calls, you’ll come together with senior RLT therapists and educators, like-minded peers, and myself. Each month, we dive deep into a particular aspect of your work with couples—topics from recent months include working with two blatant and protecting yourself from burnout. You’ll also have the opportunity to receive input on your cases from the faculty and me.

Our Real Life community is designed to accelerate your professional growth, helping you strengthen your skills and deliver improved outcomes for your clients. 

Not only that, we also recognize the importance of providing you with all the support you need to build a thriving therapy business. This is why we host a monthly business call to help you establish a new practice or grow an existing one. 

Real Life is the only place I share my latest thinking on the most effective strategies for transforming relationships. It’s where you can seek my advice and guidance on your specific cases as you grow your skills as a couples therapist or coach. 

When you join Real Life, you unlock the supportive connection, continuous learning, and business knowledge you need to build a thriving couples therapy practice.

What Will Real Life Do for You?

 As a Real Life member, you will grow your skills as a relationship professional, receive input on your difficult cases, and access training on the business side of your practice.

Join Real Life
LIVE Learning with Terry Real

Real Life is the closest access you can get to Terry Real and get his answers to your questions and support on your clinical cases. Via one 90 minute LIVE call each month, you’ll access Terry’s latest thinking on specific aspects of working with couples to enhance your skills and improve client outcomes.

Receive Support on Challenging Cases
Twice a month, the RLT faculty—senior RLT therapists and educators —will host live calls around the month’s theme to offer further insights. You can seek their advice on your challenges and specific clinical cases in a supportive, non-judgmental environment.
Evolve Your Couples Therapy Skills
As a Real Life member, you’ll be at the forefront of new developments in the RLT approach. You’ll join an exclusive group of practitioners who first benefit from new perspectives, as we take an in-depth look at a particular aspect of your couples work each month.

How is Real Life Structured?

Our community comes together for five live 60-minute calls each month. Four of these calls are where you explore the month’s topic in-depth, centered around a particular aspect or challenge of your work with couples. Each call consists of dedicated teaching time from either Terry or the RLT faculty and also Q&A.

Terry hosts 1 90munite call each month. All members can watch the call live and access the recording; however, questions and case consultations will be exclusively from advanced RLT practitioners (those who have completed RLT Level 3 or are Certified RLT therapists).

Our fifth call provides training on the business side of your practice, delivered by Terry’s wider team.

Join Real Life

An Overview of Everything You Get

  • 1 LIVE 90 minute monthly calls with Terry Real
  • 2 LIVE monthly calls with RLT faculty
  • 1 LIVE monthly therapy business call
  • Client handouts
  • Call recordings from the previous 12 months
  • Access to a private membership site

Plus Receive These Bonuses

Terry On-Demand: Ever-Growing Library of Advice Videos From Terry Real

Search the library of short recorded videos from Terry to receive his advice on pressing and challenging topics outside of your regular calls. You’ll find answers to challenges such as what to do when you take the wrong side or have an overly compliant client.

We currently have 37 videos for you to search and we’re adding more each month—these will include standout responses to questions from the Real Life calls, so a great resource to check if you’re short on time. 

What’s in the library:

Special Expert Interviews

Ed Tronick, PhD, infant observational researcher
  • Mother / Infant Relationships Are Messy – And So Are Yours: What Infant Observational Research Can Teach Couples Therapists
Carol Gilligan, American feminist, ethicist, psychologist, and author
  • From Boys to Men – Trauma and the Culture of Masculinity Re-Imagining Adam & Eve: New Directions for Intimacy
Dick Schwartz, PhD, founder of Internal Family Systems (IFS)
  • Working the Many Parts of Men: From Anger to Self Compassion
Esther Perel, relationship, sex, & intimacy therapist
  • Modern Infidelity

Our Upcoming Discussion Topics

A look at what we’ll be exploring together in the coming months.

January 2026
What’s New in RLT?

In this extended 3-hour annual update, Terry and Desirae reflect on key developments in the RLT model over the past year. They’ll also bring clarity to several core areas of the model and share an exciting look ahead to the training and events coming in 2026! 

February 2026
Cultural and Collective Repair

This month, we’ll bring relational wisdom to the very alive wounds from systemic oppression as they show up in our work. We’ll look at how culture and power dynamics shape our clients’ experiences and our own. Along with how to approach these realities with openness and relational skill to support healing and repair, both personally and collectively.

March 2026
Feeling Good About Feeling Bad

In March, we’ll explore why the idea of “safety” in relationships is a myth – and why being willing to take the risk is essential to intimacy. We’ll look at how to help clients open their hearts to vulnerability and build distress tolerance for relational rupture and disharmony. We’ll also help clients strengthen their psychological boundaries to know where they end and others begin.

April 2026
Core Negative Image

In April, we’ll examine how partners’ Core Negative Image (CNI) shapes recurring conflict, and how we can use this awareness as operating instructions for the relationship. We’ll look at how each partner’s CNI represents an exaggerated version of the other at their worst, and how it can also serve as a roadmap for repair. This includes helping clients stop arguing against their partner’s CNI of them and instead learn to acknowledge the grain of truth within it to diffuse conflict. 

May 2026
Therapeutic Use of Self

This month, we’ll focus on how to bring appropriate discrepancy into your work to skillfully discern the gap between where clients are now and where they are being invited to go. Then, to move them toward lasting change, we’ll look at the practice of joining and challenging – and how to know when to do which. 

June 2026
Moving Into Intimacy is Moving Beyond Patriarchy

In June, we’ll discuss why moving into healthy intimacy is synonymous with moving beyond patriarchy. We’ll look at the cost of traditional gender roles, how patriarchy is a system that harms everyone, and how RLT offers a roadmap toward ecological wisdom. We’ll also explore how to help clients unlearn dominance and compliance patterns so they can meet each other as same-as, equal partners.

July 2026
Somatic Practices in RLT

This month, we’ll explore how somatic practices can deepen the work of RLT. Building from a neuroscience foundation, we’ll look at how the inner child shows up for both clients and practitioners, and how to use somatic awareness to help shift into the Wise Adult. We’ll explore how to use somatic practices to slow down a session and regulate the room, as well as ways to incorporate somatic awareness into the three phases of RLT.

Our Upcoming Discussion Topics

A look at what we’ll be exploring together in the coming months.

Key topics you’ll explore:

January 2025
What’s New in RLT?
This month, we’ll review updates in RLT from the past year, including new concepts introduced in 2024. We’ll also check-in with students and reflect on what they’ve accomplished and added to their practices this year.
January 2025
What’s New in RLT?
This month, we’ll review updates in RLT from the past year, including new concepts introduced in 2024. We’ll also check-in with students and reflect on what they’ve accomplished and added to their practices this year.
January 2025
What’s New in RLT?
This month, we’ll review updates in RLT from the past year, including new concepts introduced in 2024. We’ll also check-in with students and reflect on what they’ve accomplished and added to their practices this year.
January 2025
What’s New in RLT?
This month, we’ll review updates in RLT from the past year, including new concepts introduced in 2024. We’ll also check-in with students and reflect on what they’ve accomplished and added to their practices this year.

Join the Hundreds of Mental Health Professionals Who Have Strengthened Their Client Outcomes & Practices With Real Life…

“As a relative newcomer to RLT, the group has accelerated my understanding, practice and confidence as a therapist.
I have gained a huge amount particularly from working with Terry on cases I have presented and from listening to fellow RLT therapists work. I very much enjoy the sense of belonging to a larger community, especially given that I’m in the UK.”
  • Victoria Shalet, MBACP (London, UK)
“Being from a state/city that has very limited RLT therapists the consult group has given me the opportunity to talk with others of like experience and views of couples work.
For many years being part of a group that speaks the same language has been very, very professionally enriching.”
  • Mercy Dennis, MA, LMFT (Alaska)
“Listening to Terry teach is enlightening and I always gain clarity about concerns that I have about a case that I am working with. 
I also really like Terry’s uncanny ability to get to the deeper layers of the ‘person of the therapist’ to crystallize my therapeutic approach with clients.”
  • Clare Mezes, MSC, RP, RMFT (Ontario, Canada)
Join Real Life

Membership Plans

Choose the plan that best suits your needs.

Monthly Plan

$67

per month
Join Monthly Plan

Annual Plan

$499

per year
(38% saving)
Join Annual Plan

Our Promise to You

We’re confident you’ll love Real Life, but we offer a money-back guarantee for your peace of mind. If you join on the annual plan and are not completely satisfied, please contact us at support@terryreal.com within 14 days of purchase and we’ll issue you a full refund, no questions asked. If you join on the monthly plan, you can cancel any time.

About Terry Real

Terry Real, creator of Relational Life Therapy
Terry Real is an internationally recognized family therapist, bestselling author, and sought-after speaker.


A former senior faculty member of the Family Institute of Cambridge in Massachusetts and a retired Clinical Fellow of the Meadows Institute in Arizona, Terry is renowned for his ability to save couples on the brink of divorce using the progressive approach he created, Relational Life Therapy. RLT equips people with the powerful relational skills they need to cultivate meaningful connections—to themselves, each other, and the planet as a whole.


Via his esteemed training school, the Relational Life Institute, Terry has trained thousands of mental health practitioners in his RLT method to date. His original insights on couples therapy, relationships, and men’s issues have been featured in outlets from Oprah and Vogue to The Today Show and CNN. His latest book is the New York Times bestseller, US: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship.

Free instant access. We will never spam you, unsubscribe anytime.

The Relational Life

Working With Grandiosity

Continuing Ed Details

Facilitated by Terry Real, LICSW

This course is approved for continuing education hours as described below.

NBCC (National Board of Certified Counsellors)

9.5 NBCC CE credit hours for Beginner Mental Health Professionals ($40 additional fee).
In this photo a seal logo with two crossed rings, with the writing "approved continuing education provider nbcc seal"

ACEP No. 7495 

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. 

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.

Format:

Self-Paced Online Course

Course Description

Over 5 LIVE 90-minute classes with Terry Real, you will learn how to effectively address issues of grandiosity in your clients. You’ll discover a range of strategies and techniques to confront grandiose clients with the impact of their behaviors, build an alliance, motivate them to change, and guide them into connection—with themselves and those around them.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants can expect to:

  • Identify what’s deficient in grandiose clients and understand how you supply it as the therapist.
  • Identify strategies to confidently handle resistance, evasion, and verbal abuse.
  • Understand how to reconnect grandiose clients to themselves and those around them.

Throughout the course, you’ll gain deeper competency in and be able to:

Understand the origins of grandiosity and why it isn’t always a defense against shame.

Identify techniques to find leverage to motivate grandiose clients to engage in the therapy.

Explain why taking sides is critical when working with grandiosity—and understand how to do it.

Registration URL

relationallife.com/working-with-grandiosity/

Continuing Ed Credits Available: 9.5 NBCC credit hours ($40 fee)

CE Certificate Requirements:

Satisfactory Course Completion required:
  • Participants must have paid for this course, completed a course Evaluation, and passed the test (80% or higher grade) showing the material has been learned in order to receive a certificate
  • No partial credit is available
  • Failure to complete and submit these materials will result in forfeiture of CE credit for the entire course. No exceptions can be made.
If you have questions please contact support@terryreal.com for guidance.
It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, organization is approved for these CE credit hours. There is no partial credit. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, organization is approved for these Continuing Ed credit hours. There is no partial credit. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

Cost

One-Time Payment

$495

3 Payments

3 x $175

$525 in total

Commercial Support Disclaimer

There is no conflict of interest for this program. 

Accommodations

If you need special accommodations or have questions, please contact us at support@terryreal.com 

Cancellation Policy

You may request a refund up to 2 days after purchase. Please contact support@terryreal.com if you wish to cancel your purchase.

Instructor’s Bios:

Terry Real, LICSW is the bestselling author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It, How Can I Get Through to You?, The New Rules of Marriage, and Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship. He founded the Relational Life Institute, offering workshops for couples, individuals, and parents as well as a professional training program for clinicians. Terry has been called “the most innovative voice in thinking about and treating men and their relationships in the world today.”

Please Note:

Licensing Boards change regulations often and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Contact information:

ACEP Administrator & Operations Director for Relational Life Institute (RLI), Lisa Sullivan follows: 291 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459; 

617-861-3030 support@terryreal.com www.relationallife.com 

The Relational Life

Level 2 Homestudy

Continuing Ed Details

Facilitated by Terry Real, LICSW

This course is approved for continuing education hours as described below.

NBCC (National Board of Certified Counsellors)

10 NBCC CE hours for Intermediate Mental Health Professionals ($40 fee)
In this photo a seal logo with two crossed rings, with the writing "approved continuing education provider nbcc seal"

ACEP No. 7495 

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. 

ICF (International Coaching Federation)

10 ICF CCE hours (2 Core Competency + 8 Resource Development)
ICF CCE
International Coaching Federation (ICF) has approved this program for 2 Core Competency hours and 8 Resource Development hours. (Resource Development includes training formerly called Personal Development, Business Development, or Other Skills and Tools.)

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 Intermediate level clinicians.

Format:

Self-Paced Online Course

Course Description

Building on the foundational diagnostic lenses introduced in RLT Level 1, this course invites clinicians into the transformative next phase of Relational Life Therapy: deep trauma work. Therapists expand their capacity to understand each partner’s relational stance—how it was formed, how it functions defensively, and how it can be reshaped in the service of intimacy. Participants learn to conduct powerful inner child work in the presence of the partner, work effectively with resistance and leverage, and integrate attachment styles with trauma and relational stances—leaving with practical, structured tools for facilitating trauma repair within couples therapy.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants can expect to:

  • Explain when to use positive and negative leverage
  • Describe joining through, as opposed to clobbering someone with, the truth
  • Describe using the family of origin work to rebalance the relationship
  • Explain moving from the present into the past by using the “affect bridge” (when have you felt these feelings before?)
  • Explain Transitioning to Family of Origin by using the 3 questions: (Whom did you see do this? Who did it to you? And who did you do it to and no one stopped you?)
  • Explain how to frame current difficulties as the opportunity to transform one’s legacy and hand over a different future to one’s children
  • List 4 types of trauma and where they fall on the Trauma Grid
  • Describe how the Adaptive Child is formed
  • Discuss re-parenting the Adaptive and Wounded Child parts
  • List the five fears behind resistance and how to respond to them
  • Describe understanding and befriending the resistant part
  • Describe using positive and negative leverage with a resistant part
  • Explain how to sell the value of intimacy along with its skills to a Type 1 Love Avoidant
  • Explain how to teach negotiation and the assertion of needs along with appropriate trauma work when dealing with a Type 2 Love Avoidant
  • Explain how to work on self-esteem, boundaries, and the remembrance of abundance when working with Love Dependents

Throughout the course, you’ll gain deeper competency in and be able to:

Deepen understanding of each partner’s relational stance and its developmental origins

Identify and address multi-generational legacies influencing current couple dynamics

Conduct structured inner child work in the presence of the partner to foster empathy and intimacy

Facilitate trauma repair within the relational system rather than in isolation

Recognize and effectively work with client resistance using leverage principles

Practice detachment from outcome while maintaining clear therapeutic leadership

Apply attachment theory within RLT to guide interventions and strengthen relational connection

Registration URL

relationallife.com/level-2-training/

Continuing Ed Credits Available: 10 NBCC or ICF credit hours ($40 fee)

CE Certificate Requirements:

Satisfactory Course Completion required:
  • Participants must have paid for this course and attended all five LIVE online sessions in full in order to receive a Continuing Education certificate.
  • No partial credit is available — partial attendance does not qualify for partial CE hours.
  • At the end of the final session you’ll receive an email inviting you to request your certificate. The certificate is free of charge.
  • Failure to attend all sessions will result in forfeiture of CE credit for the entire course. No exceptions can be made.
If you have questions please contact support@terryreal.com for guidance.
It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, or organization is approved for these CE credit hours. There is no partial credit. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, organization is approved for these Continuing Ed credit hours. There is no partial credit. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

Cost

One-Time Payment

$397

3 Payments

3 x $137

$411 in total

Commercial Support Disclaimer

There is no conflict of interest for this program. 

Accommodations

If you need special accommodations or have questions, please contact us at support@terryreal.com 

Cancellation Policy

You may request a refund up to 2 days after purchase. Please contact support@terryreal.com if you wish to cancel your purchase.

Instructor’s Bios:

Terry Real, LICSW is the bestselling author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It, How Can I Get Through to You?, The New Rules of Marriage, and Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship. He founded the Relational Life Institute, offering workshops for couples, individuals, and parents as well as a professional training program for clinicians. Terry has been called “the most innovative voice in thinking about and treating men and their relationships in the world today.”

Please Note:

Licensing Boards change regulations often and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Contact information:

ACEP Administrator & Operations Director for Relational Life Institute (RLI), Lisa Sullivan follows: 291 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459; 

617-861-3030 support@terryreal.com www.relationallife.com 

The Relational Life

Level 1 – Homestudy

Continuing Ed Details

Facilitated by Terry Real, LICSW

This course is approved for continuing education hours as described below.

NBCC (National Board of Certified Counsellors)

10 NBCC CE hours for Beginner Mental Health Professionals ($40 fee)
In this photo a seal logo with two crossed rings, with the writing "approved continuing education provider nbcc seal"

ACEP No. 7495 

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. 

ICF (International Coaching Federation)

10 ICF CCE hours (7 Core Competency + 3 Resource Development)
ICF CCE
International Coaching Federation (ICF) has approved this program for 7 Core Competency hours and 3 Resource Development hours. (Resource Development includes training formerly called Personal Development, Business Development, or Other Skills and Tools.)

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.

Format:

Self-Paced Online Course

Course Description

Terry Real presents RLI’s introductory training course, Relational Life Therapy Level 1. Over five recorded classes you’ll be introduced to the powerful principles behind Relational Life Therapy (RLT) as taught by Terry Real, designed to give you an in-depth introduction to the theory and practice of the RLT model. Students will discover the differences between RLT and traditional psychodynamic therapy, and explore the stances of “one-down shame” and “one-up grandiosity” in couples. RLT is about action and lasting results, and the concepts of Relational Mindfulness, Joining Through The Truth, and psychological patriarchy are presented. RLT Level 1 is the first step toward RLT certification and prepares you for the Level 2 & 3 trainings.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants can expect to:

  • Compare the RLT phases and how RLT differs from traditional therapy.
  • Describe the role and approach of the practitioner in RLT.
  • Diagnose the RLT view of power imbalances in couples, of psychological patriarchy, and how these are addressed through therapy.
  • Summarize Relational Mindfulness and the “fight, flight, fix” responses.
  • Describe the role and approach of the therapist in RLT.
  • Explain the two types of leverage.
  • Discuss the concept of appropriate discrepancy and how it works with neuroplasticity.
  • List the 8 diagnostic lenses in RLT.
  • Interpret how preconditions are addressed in RLT.
  • Compare the two types of boundaries.
  • Demonstrate strategies for empowering latent clients.

Throughout the course, you’ll gain deeper competency in and be able to:

Illustrate that true intimacy can only happen when partners are “same-as” – neither one-up nor one-down.

Discuss how RLT practitioners will confront and teach their clients how to live relationally.

Hypothesize how RLT practitioners use judicious self-disclosure, sharing stories of how they use these same skills in their own relationships.

Registration URL

relationallife.com/level-1-homestudy/

Continuing Ed Credits Available: 10 NBCC or ICF credit hours ($40 fee)

CE Certificate Requirements:

Satisfactory Course Completion required:
  • Participants must have paid for this course, completed a course Evaluation, and passed the test (80% or higher grade)
  • No partial credit is available
  • Failure to complete materials results in forfeiture of CE credit for the entire course. No exceptions.
Instructions are included in your RLT Course Library for Homestudy Level 1 at https://learn.relationallife.com/
If you have questions please contact support@terryreal.com for guidance.
It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, organization is approved for these CE credit hours. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, organization is approved for these Continuing Ed credit hours. There is no partial credit. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

Cost

One-Time Payment

$397

3 Payments

3 x $137

$411 in total

Commercial Support Disclaimer

There is no conflict of interest for this program. 

Accommodations

If you need special accommodations or have questions, please contact us at support@terryreal.com 

Cancellation Policy

You may request a refund up to 2 days after purchase. Please contact support@terryreal.com if you wish to cancel your purchase.

Instructor’s Bios:

Terry Real, LICSW is the bestselling author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It, How Can I Get Through to You?, The New Rules of Marriage, and Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship. He founded the Relational Life Institute, offering workshops for couples, individuals, and parents as well as a professional training program for clinicians. Terry has been called “the most innovative voice in thinking about and treating men and their relationships in the world today.”

Please Note:

Licensing Boards change regulations often and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Contact information:

ACEP Administrator & Operations Director for Relational Life Institute (RLI), Lisa Sullivan follows: 291 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459; 

617-861-3030 support@terryreal.com www.relationallife.com 

The Relational Life

Level 3 Homestudy

Continuing Ed Details

Facilitated by Terry Real, LICSW

This course is approved for continuing education hours as described below.

NBCC (National Board of Certified Counsellors)

11 NBCC CE hours for Advanced Mental Health Professionals ($40 fee)
In this photo a seal logo with two crossed rings, with the writing "approved continuing education provider nbcc seal"

ACEP No. 7495 

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. 

ICF (International Coaching Federation)

11 ICF CCE hours (7 Core Competency + 4 Resource Development)
ICF CCE
International Coaching Federation (ICF) has approved this program for 7 Core Competency hours and 4 Resource Development hours. (Resource Development includes training formerly called Personal Development, Business Development, or Other Skills and Tools.)

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 advanced level clinicians.

Format:

Self-Paced Online Course

Course Description

This is an advanced training for RLT clinicians who have completed our Level 1 and Level 2 trainings. Terry guides participants through a combination of lecture, video presentation, discussion, role plays, and a previously recorded LIVE demonstration of RLT couples therapy, grounding theory in practice. You will observe and then practice the more advanced techniques of RLT—drilling down into how to empower the latent and reconnect the blatant—focusing on the art of therapeutic coaching and mentoring clients into relationality.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants can expect to:

  • Practice ways to increase skill in working with family of origin issues.
  • Construct empowering reframes.
  • Demonstrate blocking and repositioning.
  • Analyze and articulate the couple’s choreography, their dynamic (e.g. the more she pursues, the more he withdraws).
  • Integrate Attachment Theory into RLT.
  • Identify and work on your “edges” as an RLT therapist.
  • Interpret the tri-part system of the psyche: wise adult, adaptive child, wounded child.
  • Measure the neurobiological underpinnings of trauma adaptation and recovery.
  • Utilize their clients’ relationships as crucibles for their own transformation.
  • Explain to your clients how to use the relational map and tool kit, a relational technology, that has the power to deliver on our new romantic ambitions.

Throughout the course, you’ll gain deeper competency in and be able to:

Joining through the truth

What is relationality, what is self esteem?

What is real intimacy?

Triggering, types of leverage, relational reckoning

Taking a fixed position

Identifying reacting and modeling behaviors

Using skill transference, relational jujitsu

Constructing empowering reframes

RLT Stances, amplifying progress and dealing with resistance

Blocking and repositioning

Registration URL

relationallife.com/level-3-training/

Continuing Ed Credits Available: 11 NBCC or ICF credit hours ($40 fee)

CE Certificate Requirements:

Satisfactory Course Completion required:
  • Participants must have paid for this course and attended all five LIVE online sessions in full in order to receive a Continuing Education certificate.
  • No partial credit is available — partial attendance does not qualify for partial CE hours.
  • At the end of the final session you’ll receive an email inviting you to request your certificate. The certificate is free of charge.
  • Failure to attend all sessions will result in forfeiture of CE credit for the entire course. No exceptions can be made.
If you have questions please contact support@terryreal.com for guidance.
It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, or organization is approved for these CE credit hours. There is no partial credit. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, organization is approved for these Continuing Ed credit hours. There is no partial credit. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

Cost

One-Time Payment

$397

3 Payments

3 x $187

$561 in total

Commercial Support Disclaimer

There is no conflict of interest for this program. 

Accommodations

If you need special accommodations or have questions, please contact us at support@terryreal.com 

Cancellation Policy

You may request a refund up to 2 days after purchase. Please contact support@terryreal.com if you wish to cancel your purchase.

Instructor’s Bios:

Terry Real, LICSW is the bestselling author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It, How Can I Get Through to You?, The New Rules of Marriage, and Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship. He founded the Relational Life Institute, offering workshops for couples, individuals, and parents as well as a professional training program for clinicians. Terry has been called “the most innovative voice in thinking about and treating men and their relationships in the world today.”

Please Note:

Licensing Boards change regulations often and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Contact information:

ACEP Administrator & Operations Director for Relational Life Institute (RLI), Lisa Sullivan follows: 291 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459; 

617-861-3030 support@terryreal.com www.relationallife.com 

The Relational Life

Working With Infidelity

Continuing Ed Details

Facilitated by Terry Real, LICSW

This course is approved for continuing education hours as described below.

NBCC (National Board of Certified Counsellors)

7 NBCC CE hours for Intermediate Mental Health Professionals ($40 fee)
In this photo a seal logo with two crossed rings, with the writing "approved continuing education provider nbcc seal"

ACEP No. 7495 

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. 

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 Intermediate level clinicians.

Format:

Self-Paced Online Course

Course Description

A 5-module previously recorded training on how to work with couples to help them come back from infidelity. This offers the unique RLT perspective on working with infidelity, where not only do we help couples survive an affair, but we focus on using the crisis as an opportunity for deeper change in the relationship.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants can expect to:

  1. Summarize the goals of treatment: using the crisis as a springboard for transformational change in the character of each partner and the essential character of the union itself
  2. Compare the 2 phases of treatment: containment and transformation
  3. Demonstrate how to deal with countertransference: managing your own feelings around infidelity
  4. Create a platform for the hurt partner to deal with the trauma of betrayal and deceit
  5. List what ultimately helps hurt partners regain trust
  6. Identify the dysfunctional relational stances that contributed to the infidelity and how to address them
  7. Explain the 3 reasons behind an involved partner’s lack of “no”
  8. Outline how each partner can implement the relational skills for a stronger and healthier relationship
  9. Discuss moving beyond the victim/perpetrator framework into one that builds hope

Throughout the course, you’ll gain deeper competency in and be able to:

An Overview of the RLT Approach to Infidelity

The Hurt Partner: Infidelity as a Trauma

The Involved Partner: Understanding the Lack of “No”

Infidelity as an Opportunity for Transformation

Infidelity in the Modern Age: Biases, Assumptions, and Models of Fidelity

Registration URL

relationallife.com/infidelity/#link

Continuing Ed Credits Available: 7 NBCC credit hours ($40 fee)

CE Certificate Requirements:

Satisfactory Course Completion required:
  • Participants must have paid for this course, completed a course Evaluation, and passed the test (80% or higher grade)
  • No partial credit is available
  • Failure to complete materials results in forfeiture of CE credit for the entire course. No exceptions.
Instructions are included in your RLT Course Library for this course at https://learn.relationallife.com/
If you have questions please contact support@terryreal.com for guidance.
It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, organization is approved for these CE credit hours. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, organization is approved for these Continuing Ed credit hours. There is no partial credit. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

Cost

One-Time Payment

$497

3 Payments

3 x $179

$537 in total

Commercial Support Disclaimer

There is no conflict of interest for this program. 

Accommodations

If you need special accommodations or have questions, please contact us at support@terryreal.com 

Cancellation Policy

You may request a refund up to 2 days after purchase. Please contact support@terryreal.com if you wish to cancel your purchase.

Instructor’s Bios:

Terry Real, LICSW is the bestselling author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It, How Can I Get Through to You?, The New Rules of Marriage, and Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship. He founded the Relational Life Institute, offering workshops for couples, individuals, and parents as well as a professional training program for clinicians. Terry has been called “the most innovative voice in thinking about and treating men and their relationships in the world today.”

Please Note:

Licensing Boards change regulations often and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Contact information:

ACEP Administrator & Operations Director for Relational Life Institute (RLI), Lisa Sullivan follows: 291 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459; 

617-861-3030 support@terryreal.com www.relationallife.com 

The Relational Life

Getting to a Second Session

Continuing Ed Details

Facilitated by Terry Real, LICSW

This course is approved for continuing education hours as described below.

NBCC (National Board of Certified Counsellors)

2 NBCC CE hours — free upon successful completion of a short online assessment
In this photo a seal logo with two crossed rings, with the writing "approved continuing education provider nbcc seal"

ACEP No. 7495 

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. 

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 Intermediate level clinicians.

Format:

Self-Paced Online Course

Course Description

This self-paced training introduces therapists and coaches to one of the eight core diagnostic lenses used in Relational Life Therapy (RLT): The More, The More. Participants learn how to quickly identify the repeating relational pattern in a couple’s first session — and give them a compelling reason to return for a second.

Registration URL

relationallife.com/second-session/

Continuing Ed Credits Available: 2 NBCC credit hours (free with completion)

CE Certificate Requirements:

Satisfactory Course Completion required:
Participants must complete a course Evaluation and pass a short online assessment (80% or higher). The 2 NBCC CE credit hours are then available free upon completion. No partial credit is available.

It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, organization is approved for these Continuing Ed credit hours. There is no partial credit. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

Commercial Support Disclaimer

There is no conflict of interest for this program. 

Accommodations

If you need special accommodations or have questions, please contact us at support@terryreal.com 

Cancellation Policy

You may request a refund up to 48 hours after the first live class. (Deadline for refunds: May 21, 2026.)

Please contact support@terryreal.com if you wish to cancel your purchase. 

Instructor’s Bios:

Terry Real, LICSW is the bestselling author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It, How Can I Get Through to You?, The New Rules of Marriage, and Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship. He founded the Relational Life Institute, offering a professional training program for clinicians, and has been called “the most innovative voice in thinking about and treating men and their relationships in the world today.”

Please Note:

Licensing Boards change regulations often and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Contact information:

ACEP Administrator & Operations Director for Relational Life Institute (RLI), Lisa Sullivan follows: 291 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459; 

617-861-3030 support@terryreal.com www.relationallife.com 

The Relational Life

RLT Level 1 Training

LIVE Workshop Continuing Ed Details

Facilitated by Bonny Slim, LMFT & Terry Real, LICSW

This course is approved for continuing education hours as described below.

NBCC (National Board of Certified Counsellors)

10 NBCC CE hours for Beginner Mental Health Professionals — free certificate
In this photo a seal logo with two crossed rings, with the writing "approved continuing education provider nbcc seal"

ACEP No. 7495 

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. 

Target Audience

Social Workers, MFTs, Counselors, Substance Abuse Counselors, Nurses, and LMHCs, LMFT’s, Educators, Chemical Dependency Counselors

Course Content Level

The course content is appropriate for Beginner level clinicians.

Format:

Five LIVE Online Sessions on Zoom — facilitated by Bonny Slim, LMFT & Terry Real, LICSW

Course Description

Over five live classes you’ll be introduced to the powerful principles behind Relational Life Therapy (RLT) — an in-depth introduction to the theory and practice of the RLT model. Discover the differences between RLT and traditional psychodynamic therapy; the stances of “one-down shame” and “one-up grandiosity” in couples; and the concepts of Relational Mindfulness, Joining Through the Truth, and psychological patriarchy. RLT Level 1 is the first step toward RLT certification and prepares you for the Level 2 & 3 trainings.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants can expect to:

  • Compare the RLT phases and how RLT differs from traditional therapy.
  • Describe the role and approach of the therapist in RLT.
  • Diagnose the RLT view of power imbalances in couples, of psychological patriarchy, and how these are addressed through therapy.
  • Summarize Relational Mindfulness and the “fight, flight, fix” responses.
  • Identify the different types of leverage.
  • Discuss the concept of appropriate discrepancy and how it works with neuroplasticity.
  • List the seven lenses.
  • Interpret how preconditions are addressed in RLT.
  • Compare the two types of boundaries.
  • Demonstrate strategies for empowering latent clients.

Throughout the course, you’ll gain deeper competency in and be able to:

Illustrate that true intimacy can only happen when partners are “same-as” — neither one-up nor one-down.

Discuss how RLT therapists and coaches will confront and teach their clients how to live truly relationally.

Hypothesize how RLT therapists and coaches use judicious self-disclosure, sharing how they use these same skills in their own relationships.

Registration URL

relationallife.com/level-1-live-july-26/

Continuing Ed Credits Available: 10 NBCC credit hours (free with completion)

CE Certificate Requirements:

Requirements for CE Certificate (free of charge):
At the end of the course you’ll receive an email inviting you to request your free CE certificate. To qualify you must attend the entire course (attendance is recorded; no partial credit) and pass an assessment quiz demonstrating your understanding of the material.

It is the participant’s responsibility to check if their Board, state, organization is approved for these Continuing Ed credit hours. There is no partial credit. No refunds will be given on CE purchases for failure to check state approval.

Cost

One-Time Payment

$395

3 Payments

3 x $137

$411 in total

Commercial Support Disclaimer

There is no conflict of interest for this program. 

Accommodations

If you need special accommodations or have questions, please contact us at support@terryreal.com 

Cancellation Policy

You may request a refund up to 48 hours after the first live class. (Deadline for refunds: May 21, 2026.)

Please contact support@terryreal.com if you wish to cancel your purchase. 

Instructor’s Bios:

Terry Real, LICSW is the bestselling author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It, How Can I Get Through to You?, The New Rules of Marriage, and Us. He founded the Relational Life Institute and has been called “the most innovative voice in thinking about and treating men and their relationships in the world today.”

Bonny Slim, LMFT began training in RLT in 2012 and has participated in most of Terry’s courses since. She teaches several Practicum Trainings each year; her favorite aspect of RLT is that practicing relational skills in our own lives is essential to authentically sharing them with others.

Please Note:

Licensing Boards change regulations often and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Contact information:

ACEP Administrator & Operations Director for Relational Life Institute (RLI), Lisa Sullivan follows: 291 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459; 

617-861-3030 support@terryreal.com www.relationallife.com