General Certification Questions

• What is included in Certification?

✅ RLT Certification for Couples Therapists (2-Year Program)

Four Required Pillars:

Core Curriculum (30 hrs)

RLT Level 1, 2, 3 (10 hours each)

Special Topic Courses (50 hrs)

Required:

The Art of Relational Living (20 hrs)

Working with Grandiosity (10 hrs)

Working with Infidelity (10 hrs)

One elective Special Topic Course (10 hrs)

Case Work with Terry Real (38 hrs)

RLT Sessions Over Time (10 hrs)

Couples Experiential 1 & 2 (14 hrs each) (2 Years of Access to All)

Live Practice & Integration (92 hrs)

Practicum 1, 2, 3 (24 hrs each)

Small Group Mentoring 1 & 2 (10 hrs each)

Case Review 1 (optional, 2 hrs)

Case Review 2 (required, 2 hrs)

Bonus Inclusions:

Real Life Membership (live calls + resources)

Business Mentoring sessions

Terry's On-Demand video library

50% off additional Special Topic courses

1-year of Alumni Membership, including their listing on RLT directory

Total Time Commitment: ~210 hours over up to 24 months

✅ RLT Certification for Relational Coaches (18 Month Program)

Four Required Pillars:

Core Curriculum (30 hrs)

RLT Level 1, 2, 3 (10 hours each)

Special Topic Courses (40 hrs)

Required:

The Art of Relational Living (20 hrs)

Working with Grandiosity (10 hrs)

One elective Special Topic Course (10 hrs)

Case Work (24 hrs)

RLT Sessions Over Time (10 hrs)

Couples Experiential (14 hrs)

Live Practice & Integration (61 hrs)

Practicum 1 & 2 (24 hrs each)

Small Group Mentoring (10 hrs)

Case Review (3 hrs)

Bonus Inclusions:

Real Life Membership

Terry’s video library

Access to all live Experientials for 12 months

1-year of Alumni Membership, including their listing on RLT directory

Total Time Commitment: ~155 hours over up to 18 months

• What is Terry Real's framework for sessions?

This kind of guidance is given in our Level 1 training, and even more deeply in our full Certification Training program.

• How are RLT Level 1/2/3 training hours calculated, and what is the sequence?

The 10 hours for Level 1 include live videos at the end. Levels 1–3 are asynchronous and should be watched in sequence. Questions can be addressed on Real Life calls or during practicums in Certification. Live calls for Level 1 are offered roughly twice a year.

• At what stage in the study timeline do you recommend it is appropriate to begin working with couples?

The earlier you can start, the better! We recommend before or around Practicum 2 is a great time to start working with couples, unless you feel ready sooner, only you know your scope of practice.

Therapists MUST be working with couples in time for P3 at the very latest. Case Review 1 for Therapists can be submitted with an individual OR a couple.

While Coaches could go through the entire coach certification working with only individuals, including practicum 2, if your goal is to work with couples, we recommend before or after Practicum 2 is a good time to start working with couples.

• What is the difference between the previous version called “RLT Trained” and the Current Fully Certified in RLT?

The Certification, which includes our courses, plus Practicums, small group Mentoring, and a Case Review.

RLT Training includes all of the same courses, but excludes the other 3 live components mentioned above, through which we are able to gauge whether someone is fully knowledgeable in RLT. To say in another way, we are not able to recommend those who have taken the Trained Program with us, because it is a self-study program.

• What is the recommended course order for Coaches?

If you are interested in Terry's work - this Certification Guide will be very informative and help you with understanding the path you can take relationallife.com/guide/

• What is the recommended course order for Therapists?

If you are interested in Terry's work - this Certification Guide will be very informative and help you with understanding the path you can take relationallife.com/guide/

• What is the difference between being certified as an RLT coach versus an RLT therapist?

Coaches do not receive training in RLT's approach to trauma work. They do receive training in non-experiential inner child and Family of Origin work which is one of the main techniques we use in RLT to dysfunctional relational patterns.

Therapists receive the full training, including these areas. Coaches can still use Relational Life Coaching methods and appear on the website under that designation.

• What if I need more time to complete the Certification past the 18 months/two years?

We have a 6 month extension available on a case by case basis. Reach out to faculty@relationallife.com

• How does transitioning from RLT Certified Coach to Therapist work?

Students may switch from the Coaches track to the Therapist track once they are licensed. Certification credentials on the map reflect the title at the time of application.

The therapist track is recommended if the student intends to become a licensed therapist.

• What is the Retention Rate for RLT Therapists? I am curious what the retention rate is for something like this. I used to adopt this kind of approach but the problem is that the powerful partner has the power to end the treatment too. So I find that a neutral approach but combined with using motivational interviewing that highlights cognitive dissonance is more useful for me?

Here is our take from an RLT perspective. You can't take sides unless you have buy-in and leverage. Leverage is often what I notice makes an RLT session so dynamic. The blatant partner needs safety (empathy) but also stress (leverage) to work with “taking sides” . Motivational interviewing is often not enough to get a blatant partner to change. They have to be uncomfortable about their behavior And also know they have something to gain and something to lose without change.

For the specific question in regards to retention rate, generally RLT therapists have very high retention rates and referral rates from both former clients and therapists within the community. However, we can't make any guarantee's or promises.

• How is malpractice insurance verified?

Faculty ask for proof of professional liability insurance when participants submit their case reviews. Insurance is required for Certification, but not for initial enrollment.

• What is live learning and what is home study? And can I join live?

In our Certification we have various live courses; Couples Experientials are one example as well as our Level 1 course which happens live, usually twice a year. While we run other courses live, the majority of the other courses you need for Certification are done as homestudy.

• How does RLI support students in completing online programs? What kind of accountability structures are there?

Practicums have mandatory attendance, which embeds motivation and accountability. Additional supports include welcome calls for new students, monthly Connection hour calls for new students, mentoring, and encouragement to form peer groups.

• Are there in-person RLT trainings available?

Not currently. We have switched to a largely online model for training. We do offer one or two live events for training in different parts of the world. You can check here - https://terryreal.com/upcoming-events/

• How will I get access to all the courses? Where will I access everything?

You will receive access to all courses via our student platform. Inside that platform you will have all core curriculum training (like RLT Level 1,2,3), all special topic courses... etc.

You will also have access to our RLT Certification Community, where you can connect to other students and get help and support from our faculty.

There is also a calendar, so you can see all upcoming calls and trainings in 1 place.

• Does the Certification Program offer any advice or resources about the logistics around running a successful practice - such as efficient ways to find clients, and other items for the business side of running a practice?

Yes, we address this in our monthly live call series called "The Business of Therapy" through the Real Life Membership, which is included with Certification. These calls address best practices for SEO, Website Development, Marketing and more. They are primarily led by RLT's Business Director, Vadim Fink with a few additional calls by our staff member and Business Coach For Healers, Wil Carlos

• What if I realise that the Certification is not for me?

We have a 21 days refund policy if you feel the full certification journey is not for you.

• I want to start the journey and need to get certified as a coach where is the place to go? (For US and non-US citizens?)

We encourage you to do your own research into certification programs to find a reputable, ethical, organized coaching program in your part of the world.

• Do any of the trainings in the Certification look into working with narcissists?

All trainings address working with grandiosity which in the model of RLT is what we consider narcissistic tendencies. (With the exception of those with a clinical diagnosis.) We also have a specific course "Working with Grandiosity". Terry has spoken out quite a bit about so-called personality disorders (which are being understood more and more as complex trauma responses).

RLT's understanding this is that if there's enough leverage for change then transformation is possible. RLT does "deep characterological change". For someone with very pronounced features of personality disorder, there is likely a trauma that needs to be addressed. The trauma may even be a precondition for intimacy. Deep trauma work like that does NOT take place in RLT.

• Do both Therapists and Coaches learn about trauma/inner child work during the Certification?

Coaches and Therapists start the same and can both be certified as a Coach on the Practitioner Directory once they have completed Practicums 1 and 2, as well as their mentoring groups. Therapists have the option of moving on for further training in Inner Child Work through Practicum 3 and the second Case Review. Terry talks about not doing Inner Child Work with every individual/couple and the focus for coach training will be more on deeper FOO interviewing - all still in the service of identifying and changing their stance within their present relationship.

We do not approve coaches to do trauma work as this may or may not be in their scope of expertise. Some coaches have done previous trauma training but many have not.

The Family of Origin Deep Interviewing process goes beyond the Data Gathering Lens. We're looking closely at patterns, and how they experienced them, adapted to them in a felt sense kind of way. This can be profound when done well.

Sometimes, Inner Child Work may not be necessary - either because a client won't do it, or the partner may not be emotionally safe to do it in their presence. Determining that is part of the decision making process in whether to do or not to do Inner Child Work and weather Coaching is required, or a referral to a Therapist.