RLT Conference 2025

Living Love: Transforming Ourselves and Our World

Connect, deepen your skills, and build your network at the world’s first RLT Conference. Early bird tickets are now available until December 31st.

With Terry Real, Carol Gilligan, Deran Young and many others!

Orlando, Florida

April 25-27 2025

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The RLT Conference is a multi-day, live, in-person experience with Terry Real and his esteemed faculty, to rebuild and nurture connection in a world that often feels anything but compassionate.

You’ll explore groundbreaking relational topics, connect with visionary therapists, and build a network of support within our thriving RLT community.

Awaken the Power of Love in an Unloving World

This year’s theme, Living Love: Transforming Ourselves and Our World, embraces intimacy not just as a tool in our work, but as a way of living in true connection with ourselves and others.

Our work as therapists can often feel isolating, but the RLT Conference offers a rare opportunity to step out of that solitude and into a room filled with peers who share your passion, challenges, and vision.

Forget impersonal seminars and virtual screens. This unique event will form new friendships, reimagine what’s possible in your practice, and inspire you with a weekend of professional growth and renewal. 

Join Terry Real and our RLT community to experience how we are building the future of effective relational therapy—together. 

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Join Our Community of Therapists for a Milestone RLT Event

RLT Conference 2025 includes a range of experiences to connect you with like-minded therapists, enrich your relationships, and elevate your practice.

GROWTH

Learn In-Person with Terry Real, guest speakers and RLI faculty

Gain firsthand knowledge and inspiration from the creator of our groundbreaking method, Terry Real, wonderful guest speakers and RLI’s faculty to elevate your practice and deepen your impact with clients. 

DISCOVER

Renewal for You and Your Practice

Step into an energizing space where professional growth meets personal inspiration. Recharge, inspire, and explore topics that resonate most with you and your practice. 

CONNECT

Be Part of the First RLT Conference

For years, we’ve connected online and learned together through screens, but this April, we’ll be coming together, face to face, to share our practices and build your network. 

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Agenda

Join Our Community of Therapists for a Milestone RLT Event

Experience a long weekend of connection and inspiration in the stunning Caribe Royale Orlando resort, led by the most respected minds in relational therapy.

Friday April 25 Saturday April 26 Sunday April 27
Yoga / Meditation
7:30 AM 		Yoga / Meditation
7:30 AM 		Yoga / Meditation
7:30 AM
Opening w/ Terry Real
9:00 AM 		Keynote #3
9:00 AM 		Panel #2
9:00 AM
Keynote #1
10:30 AM 		Panel on Psychedelics
10:45 AM 		Break (Checkout /Snacks)
10:45 AM
Lunch
12:00 PM 		Lunch
12:00 PM 		Final Keynote (Terry Real)
12:00 PM
Breakout Sessions #1
01:30 PM 		Breakout Sessions #2
01:30 PM 		Closing
01:30 PM
Keynote #2
03:15 PM 		Keynote #4
03:15 PM 		End of Conference
02:00 PM
Day 1 Closing
4:45 PM 		RLF Research
04:45 PM
Evening Social
06:00 PM 		Evening Social
06:00 PM

Please note that the full agenda is subject to change and grow as we finalize sessions.

Keynote Speakers

Terry Real

Topics: To Be Decided

Founder of Relational Life Therapy

Carol Gilligan​

Topic: To Be Decided

Keynote Speaker

Deran Young

Topic: To Be Decided

Keynote Speaker & Panelist

Michelle Esrick

Topic: To Be Decided

Keynote Speaker

Breakout Sessions

Anna Sterk

Sex Therapy through a RLT Lens; Innovations and Applications

Caron Starobin

No Ordinary Love: Neurodiversity, Intimacy, and Relational Life Therapy

Sue Musleh & Yolanda Harper

No Ordinary Love: Neurodiversity, Intimacy, and Relational Life Therapy

Announcing
5 More Sessions Soon!

Secure your early bird ticket to receive priority access when selecting your preferred breakout sessions ahead of our general release.

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Join Live In Orlando, Florida

$595

30% Off Early Bird Discount

20% Off Alumni Discount

What's Included?

  • 3 day, in-person RLT Conference
  • Morning Yoga & Meditation
  • Lifetime Video Recordings
  • Friday/Saturday Social Event
  • CUEs available at no extra cost
  • 3 day, in-person RLT Conference

Location

Orlando, Caribe Royale

For your convenience, we’ve reserved a number of rooms at the luxurious Caribe Royale Orlando, which we will share with you via email to book your room over the next few days.

Each suite offers ample space and comfortable amenities, making it an ideal choice for your stay.

  • Room Rates: $249/night for either a suite with 2 Double beds or 1 King bed
  • Room Features: All accommodations are suites and include a pullout sofa bed, providing extra space for relaxation

Room Sharing

The Caribe Royale Orlando suites are spacious and beautifully designed, making them ideal for room sharing. 

If you’re interested in sharing a suite, we’ll be facilitating connections among attendees via a Whatsapp group to make room sharing easier.

Alternative Accommodations

While we encourage you to stay at Caribe Royale for easy access to the conference, you are also welcome to make other accommodation arrangements at one of the many alternative hotels available nearby. 

Please Note: Participants are responsible for making their own travel and accommodation arrangements.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Travel: Getting to the Conference

The Caribe Royale Orlando is located just a 23-minute drive from Orlando International Airport, making travel to and from the conference convenient. 

Please note the following transportation options and details for parking at the hotel:

From Orlando International Airport (MCO)

  • Distance: 16 miles (approximately 23 minutes by car)
  • Transportation Options:
    • Uber/Lyft/Taxi: Rideshare and taxi options are readily available from the airport and cost around $75 one-way.

Please note: There are no direct shuttles or public transport options from the airport to the hotel.

Parking at Caribe Royale Orlando

  • Self-Parking: $30 plus tax daily for registered guests / $35 plus tax daily for non-registered guests
  • Valet Parking: $40 plus tax daily for overnight valet service
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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