Getting Started With Couples Therapy - Imago Relationship Therapy Foundations
Over two intensive days, students will learn the foundational theory and practical clinical skills of Imago Relationship Therapy - a structured, relational approach to couples work used by therapists worldwide.
By the end of the training, students will be able to:
- Hold a couple safely through the Imago Dialogue process, turning conflict into connection in the room
- Apply practical interventions from session one, rather than "winging it" with two people on the couch
- Structure a couples session with a clear roadmap, knowing what to do next at each stage
- Recognise how romantic love, the power struggle, and childhood wounding interact to create couple dynamics
- Work with an intersectional lens, understanding how race, culture, gender, sexuality, class, disability, and neurodiversity shape relationship experiences and therapeutic presence
- Use observation skills honed through watching real couples in dialogue (not demonstrations or actors)
- Give and receive supportive feedback in a safe, experiential learning environment
This is Module 1 (Days 1-2) of the official 12-day Imago Clinical Training pathway. Students leave with usable skills, not just theory.
-- WHAT'S COVERED (Course Content) --
Day 1: Foundations of the Imago Model
- The Relational Paradigm: moving from the individual self to the quantum "Space-Between"
- Why couples stay stuck: romantic love, the power struggle, and the neurobiology of attraction
- The Imago Dialogue process: mirroring, validating, and empathising with sentence stems
- Understanding childhood wounding and adaptation: how each partner's history shows up in the present dynamic
- Experiential practice in triads: giving and receiving the dialogue process with peer feedback
- Video observation: real couples in real dialogue sessions (not demonstrations or actors)
Day 2: Putting Theory Into Practice
- Holding the Space-Between: the therapist's role as facilitator at the periphery, not the resource
- Structuring a couples session from opening to close: a clear roadmap you can follow immediately
- Managing reactivity and escalation: what to do when conflict heats up in the room
- Intersectionality in couples work: how identity, culture, and social positioning shape relationship dynamics and therapeutic presence
- Advanced dialogue techniques for stuck couples
- Consolidation and integration: designing your next steps as a couples therapist
-- WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR --
This training is designed for qualified and trainee counsellors and psychotherapists who:
- Currently work with individuals and want to add couples to their practice
- Have clients asking for relationship support and want to serve them more fully
- Feel curious about couples dynamics but lack formal training in this modality
- Want a structured, evidence-informed approach instead of improvising with two people in the room
- Value working in ways that honour the full complexity of clients' identities and experiences
- Are training in Transactional Analysis and want couples therapy hours that support Diploma, UKCP, or CTA pathways
You do not need prior couples therapy experience. You do need an existing counselling or therapy qualification (or be in training towards one) and a genuine interest in helping relationships.
-- WHAT'S INCLUDED --
- 2 full days of live training (9:30am - 4:30pm each day) with a qualified, experienced facilitator team
- All training materials provided in advance so you can prepare in the way that works best for you
- Extensive hands-on practice in small triads with supportive feedback
- Video observation of real couples engaged in Imago Dialogue
- A clear session structure you can use from your first couples appointment
- Certificate of attendance for CPD/portfolio purposes
- Pathway guidance: if you want to continue, this course gives you credit towards the full 12-day Imago Clinical Training and eventual Certification as an Imago Relationship Therapist
- A safe, accessible learning environment with regular breaks, accommodation for sensory and movement needs, and an intersectional approach woven throughout
-- FORMAT OPTIONS --
Face-to-face: The Affinity Centre, 7A High Street, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 1AX
Online: Live interactive Zoom with the same experiential practice and personal attention
-- UPCOMING DATES --
5-6 October 2026 (Face-to-face)
26-27 October 2026 (Online)
-- INVESTMENT --
£330
-- FACILITATORS --
Ian Tomlinson: One of only two UK members of the Imago International Training Institute licensed to train therapists in Imago Relationship Therapy internationally.
Joanna Groves: UKCP Registered Psychotherapist, Certified Advanced Imago Relationship Therapist, and Provisional Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (PTSTA-P).
