What is Relational Life Therapy?
Discover the integrative approach to couples therapy created by distinguished therapist Terry Real that equips people with the lifelong skills to forge more authentic, honest, and intimate connections.
Helping Couples Remember
They’re on the Same Side
“We are relating now in a wholly new and expansive way. It’s what each of us knew we were missing but could not have found on our own!”
Tod, Boston, MA
RLT teaches couples how to achieve:
RLT works by:
The result? Dramatic character changes and relationship transformations in rapid time.
“After practicing RLT therapy for two years I am receiving numerous referrals for couples work from other therapists. I have withdrawn from all insurance panels and my income is up!”
— R.G., Madison, CT
Breaking the Rules of Traditional Therapy
You can’t connect to a relationship if you can’t connect to a person, and you can’t connect to a person if you can’t connect to yourself. RLT first reconnects people to themselves—their feelings, desires, and needs—and then reconnects them to their relationships.
What makes RLT unique is…
Want to Know About the RLT Certification?
If you’re a therapist, coach, or other mental health professional looking to train in the Relational Life Therapy model, we invite you to explore our RLT Certification: our deepest, most comprehensive training.
What People Are Saying About RLT
“My work with Terry has greatly enriched me as a therapist. I’ve been in practice over 35 years and trained with many exceptional therapists. Training with Terry has pulled all this together and enabled my interventions to be more elegant and to the point, resulting in my client work being more focused and penetrating without sacrificing empathy or compassion”
— Yana Hoffman
“After 25 years of working as a Psychotherapist and Marriage Counselor I was ready to “hang it all up.” I was more than burnt out. Now, 6 months later, I am reinvested in my work and enjoying it in a brand new way. Renewed energy and enthusiasm for my work has replaced the negativity I was experiencing. Thanks so much RLT!”
— Roseanna Zoubek
“Some of the things I love about Terry Real and his work are the practical steps, down-to-earth guidance and his model of having the courage and respect to be honest with couples when one partner is behaving in a way that needs to be addressed first.”
— Rachel M.
About Terry Real, the Founder of RLT
RLT was created by internationally recognized family therapist, speaker, teacher, and best-selling author, Terry Real. Terry founded the Relational Life Institute, offering workshops for couples, individuals, and parents around the country along with a professional training program for clinicians wanting to learn his RLT methodology. Drawing on three decades of experience, Terry knows how to lead couples on a step-by-step journey to greater intimacy—and greater personal fulfillment.
A senior faculty member of the Family Institute of Cambridge in Massachusetts and a retired Clinical Fellow of the Meadows Institute in Arizona, Terry has worked with thousands of individuals, couples, and fellow therapists. Terry’s ideas on men’s issues and couple’s therapy have been celebrated in venues from Good Morning America, The Today Show, and 20/20 to Oprah and The New York Times.
“This world does not belong to us, we belong to each other.”
— Terry Real
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What can I expect from an RLT session?
You will begin by creating with your therapist a clear assessment of what needs to change for your relationship to thrive. You can expect your therapist to be forthright in calling out each partner’s anti-relational behaviors and committed to and passionate about helping you both succeed. Your therapist will make suggestions for homework between sessions because relational intimacy is an ongoing practice.
Q: My partner and I have tried couples therapy before with little success. How is this different?
Traditional couples therapy may fail to yield results due to its heavy reliance on impartiality. This means the behaviors that are harming relationships often aren’t addressed, so couples can’t make the necessary changes. Like other therapies, RLT teaches relationship skills, but first we deal with the part of you that doesn't want to use them. RLT seamlessly integrates individual and couple treatment into one therapy to empower you to continue building authentic connections for life.
Q. How can RLT bring about lasting change?
Through RLT, you can profoundly—and permanently—change your individual character. You will identify the roots of your relationship-harming behaviors so that you can turn them around and lock in transformations at a deep level. Once clients experience the rewards of such changes, they rarely return to their old behaviors.
Q. Who can train in RLT?
The RLT training is suitable for licensed therapists (including counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists) who wish to begin working with or deepen their existing work with couples. Relationship coaches with basic training in relationship skills and graduate students in counseling programs will also find the training beneficial to their work.
Master The Practical, Sophisticated Skills to Transform Relationships and Individuals Profoundly and Permanently
Master RLT for…