Work With a Certified RLT Therapist in Atlanta
Relational Life Therapy (RLT) is Terry Real’s direct, skills-based approach to relationships — and finding a therapist actually certified in it is harder than it should be. Amy Robbins is one of only twelve therapists in the state of Georgia certified in RLT, and she has been practicing as a Licensed Professional Counselor since 1999.
If you have read Us, Fierce Intimacy, or The New Rules of Marriage and thought “this is the approach I want,” this is the page for you. RLT is available here through weekly couples therapy, through a concentrated couples therapy intensive, and through our twice-yearly RLT Relationship Bootcamps.
What Is Relational Life Therapy?
Relational Life Therapy is a couples therapy model developed by therapist and author Terry Real. It starts from a simple premise: most of us were never taught what the actual work of a relationship is. We learned to win arguments, keep the peace, or disappear — none of which build intimacy.
Rather than staying neutral, an RLT therapist takes a position. Your therapist will name the pattern in the room, in the moment it is happening, and then teach both partners a different move. It is warm, but it is candid — RLT is often described as the model that “breaks the rules” of traditional couples therapy.
How RLT Is Different From Traditional Couples Therapy
- Directive, not just reflective. Your therapist coaches actively as patterns happen, instead of only discussing them afterward.
- The therapist takes sides — temporarily. RLT calls out the partner who is being harsh or checked out, then does the same for the other. Even-handed over the course of the work, not neutral in the moment.
- Individual work inside couples work. Each partner gets real one-on-one attention on their own core patterns, because most relational stances are older than the relationship.
- Skills you keep. RLT is built to be portable. The goal is that you can run the repair yourselves long after therapy ends.
The Core RLT Tools You’ll Learn
RLT is unusually concrete. These are the tools couples most often name as the ones that changed things:
- The Feedback Wheel. A four-step structure for raising something hard — what I saw, what I made of it, how I felt, what I would like — that gets you heard instead of triggering a defense.
- The Five Losing Strategies. Needing to be right, controlling your partner, unbridled self-expression, retaliation, and withdrawal. Naming which one is yours is usually the first real shift.
- Grandiosity and the one-down stance. The two positions — one-up and one-down — that quietly block closeness, and how to move to full respect for both people at once.
- Relational reckoning and repair. A structured way through ruptures, including infidelity, long-held resentment, and emotional shutdown.
- Cherishing and daily maintenance. Rebuilding warmth and desire once safety is back in place, on purpose rather than by luck.
Who Is Terry Real?
Terry Real, LICSW, is an internationally recognized family therapist, bestselling author, and the creator of Relational Life Therapy. He founded the Relational Life Institute (RLI), which trains and certifies practitioners in the model. Amy earned her certification through the RLI and continues to work within Terry Real’s framework — the Relationship Bootcamps offered here are an authorized presentation of his Relational Bootcamp.
Three Ways to Do RLT Here
- Weekly couples therapy. RLT delivered in the standard cadence, at our Kirkwood or Grant Park offices or virtually. Start with couples therapy.
- A couples therapy intensive. A half-day to full-weekend block for couples in crisis, at a crossroads, or too far apart geographically for a weekly slot. See couples therapy intensives for format and pricing.
- The RLT Relationship Bootcamp. A two-day group workshop in Atlanta led by Amy Robbins LPC and Sheri Hardin LCSW, both Certified RLT Practitioners. Open to couples and to individuals attending alone. See upcoming dates.
RLT for Individuals
You do not need your partner’s participation to start. A great deal of RLT is about your own relational stance — how you handle being wrong, how you ask for what you want, what you do when you are hurt. Individuals do this work here both in therapy and at the Bootcamp, and it frequently shifts the relationship even when only one person is in the room.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an RLT therapist near me? Certified RLT practitioners are scarce — there are only twelve in Georgia. We see clients in person at our Kirkwood and Grant Park offices in Atlanta and virtually elsewhere in the state. The two-day Relationship Bootcamp is a workshop rather than therapy, so participants regularly travel in to attend it.
Do we have to be married? No. RLT is used with dating, engaged, married, partnered, and polyamorous relationships, and with people working on their own patterns alone.
How is RLT different from the Gottman Method? Gottman is research-led and largely assessment- and skills-based, with the therapist staying fairly neutral. RLT is more directive — the therapist intervenes in real time and will challenge either partner. Many couples find RLT moves faster; some prefer Gottman’s gentler pace. Amy draws on both.
Is RLT confrontational? It is direct, always delivered with care and respect. The aim is to interrupt a harmful pattern quickly and honestly, never to shame either partner.
Does RLT work after an affair? Yes — repair after betrayal is one of the things the model is built for, through a structured reckoning rather than an open-ended conversation.
Can I do RLT if my partner refuses to come? Yes. See “RLT for Individuals” above.
Start RLT Therapy in Atlanta
If the direct, skills-first version of couples work is what you have been looking for, we would love to hear from you.