Relational Life Therapy
Relational Life Therapy in Greenwich, Darien, Westport, Westchester, and Surrounding Areas in Connecticut and New York.
What is Relational Life Therapy (RLT)?
Relational Life Therapy (RLT) is a type of couples and individual therapy that helps people build better relationships. The focus is on improving authenticity, connection, and mutual respect. RLT can help with most any type of interpersonal relationship: marriage and partnerships, families, friendships, or any close connection.
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RLT is built upon four Core Principles:
1. Relational Awareness - Helping individuals take notice of how their own behaviors, beliefs, and historical family patterns touch their relationships today.
2. Accountability and Empowerment - Participants are asked to take genuine responsbility for their roles and their actions, and learn to mend the rifts caused by previoud defensiveness and disconnection.
3. Equality and Repect - Balancing the power dynamic and improving respect among the relationship participants is key
4. Loving Confrontation - Unlike traditional talk therapy, the therapist often takes a more active and direct role, providing compassionate but direct feedback.
How does RLT compare to other couples therapy models?
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) focuses on the concepts of safety and attachment. The process is gentile, and focuses on helping the participants come to terms with and express their most vulnerable emotions.
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Gottman Method is structured and based upon extensive quantified research. It provides behavioral tools that improve communication skills, resolving conflict, improving friendships, and finding shared purpose.
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Relational Life Therapy is much more of a coaching-oriented direct and active approach. A therapist will gently confront the participants about their harmful behaviors. There is a focus, as stated above, on improving the power dynamics, accountability and overall honesty levels.
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Relational Life Therapy with Sala Psychology
Dr. Sala is trained in Relational Life Therapy, Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy. These approaches influence her approach to premarital counseling. She will help you strengthen your friendship, improve communication, improve conflict management, and find shared goals, values, and meaning. She will also help you understand how your familial experience growing up may be influencing your intimate relationship.