how to be a relational therapist

At the completion of the training, participants will be able to:

1. Identify common types of relational ruptures and describe at least three strategies for facilitating repair.

2. Normalize client ambivalence and articulate how to address the “six-month hump” when acute symptoms resolve.

3. Demonstrate interventions for working with grief from a relational lens, including maintaining connection in the presence of loss.

4. Describe shame as a relational and social phenomenon, and practice at least two interventions to support clients in moments of shame.

5. Apply unconventional relational interventions (e.g., collateral sessions, extended sessions, or co-therapy with loved ones) and evaluate their clinical appropriateness.

6. Reframe dual relationships as potentially supportive rather than inherently unethical, and articulate guidelines for navigating them with integrity.

7. Discuss how to integrate political, cultural, and justice-oriented conversations into therapy in ways that support client authenticity and belonging.

8. Develop policies that balance client care with therapist sustainability, and explain how these policies can be presented as part of relational practice.

9. Practice therapeutic responses that embody “trusting the process” during moments of uncertainty or stagnancy.

10. Experiment with humor, play, and celebration as relational interventions that foster resilience, shift energy, and support long-term engagement in therapy.

• Licensed Therapists, Associate Therapists, & Graduate Students currently attending a psychotherapy program who are able to attend an in-person training in Highland Park, Los Angeles. Please note: graduate students and associate therapists are not eligible for CEU credit.

  • Therapists wanting to understand relational therapy more

  • Therapists wanting to gain and practice relational therapy skills

  • Therapists wanting to build community with other therapists with shared clinical interests

  • Therapists wanting to increase their ability to question therapeutic norms and standards rooted in oppressive systems

  • Therapists wanting to find a therapeutic style that fosters more personal authenticity, sustainability, and works to combat burnout as a clinician

  • Therapists wanting to learn new clinical skills and interventions for working with individual clients

  • Please note that the training material will be primarily focused on supporting therapists working in private practice who have the flexibility of seeing clients on a long-term basis (approximately 1+ year or so). If you work in an agency setting or work more short-term with clients, you absolutely can benefit from this training, just know that it is primarily geared towards longer-term work.

To support a cohort feel, our ideal size for this workshop is 10-14 registrants in order to provide a trauma-sensitive, containing space that better supports learning and makes room for all attendees to ask questions. Once you have submitted your registration and payment, your spot is secured and you will receive more information as the start date gets closer.

If you need to cancel your registration for any reason, you must do so by Thursday, January 22nd by sending an email to training@kindman.co. If you cancel by this date, you will be eligible for a full refund of any payment you’ve already made. Any cancellations after this date will only be eligible for a partial refund.

If you‘ve signed up for the bundle pricing and decide to cancel your full registration, you must cancel one month prior to the start of level one for a full refund. If you decide to cancel only your level two registration, you must cancel one month prior to the start of level two. In this case you will be refunded the remaining amount, less the full level one price (based on your pricing tier.)

If you really want to join us but can’t make all of the training module dates, please email us with more info at training@kindman.co and let’s chat about what’s possible!

We are dedicated to making our service offerings and trainings accessible to all who are interested. We do have a handicapped parking spot available in our private lot that can be made available to you with advance notice. Please know that depending on the size of the training, we may need to move to a larger space above our office, that does require the use of stairs. If you need any accommodations, please email us at training@kindman.co and we will do our very best to meet your needs!

Level Two course meets the qualifications for 12 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

Participants will receive a certificate of course completion in exchange for a completed evaluation form by one week following the conclusion of their training. If a participant needs another copy of their records, they may contact Kindman & Co. via email or phone at any time, using either training@kindman.co, or our main phone line (213) 793-2990 and either our Care Coordinator, Training Coordinator, or another member of our team will get them another copy of their certificate within 48 business hours. 

Grievances shall be submitted by email and acknowledgement of receipt sent within 24 business hours. The Program Administrator will review the grievance and respond back to participant within 48 business hours.