Welcome

Imago Clinical Training

Relationship Therapy Training for Clinicians

We teach people how to have an effective – and safe! – conversation. Our goal is to inspire a relational world by providing couples, families, and organizations with communication techniques proven to strengthen relationships at home, work, school and everywhere.

Imago is more than just a therapy

John Hjarsø Mortensen, dean of the faculty

It is never about what it is about.

Tony Victor, co-dean of the faculty

Imago as a spiritual path

Ben Cohen, previous dean of the faculty

Quantum Physics and Imago

Harville Hendrix, co-founder of Imago Relationship Therapy

Learning Objectives of the Clinical Training Program

Participants will be able to:

Discuss childhood stages of development and wounding as well as resulting characterological adaptations in primary relationships.
Discuss the concept of the Imago and the role it plays in partner selection and subsequent stages of adult relationships.
Work with a couple’s resistance, flow with it and keep volatile couples in dialogue.
Demonstrate dialogical skills to assist couples in restructuring conflict and frustration, resolving adult and childhood rage, bringing them into a healing relationship, and guiding them from unconscious to conscious relating (moving them from reactivity to intentionality).
Demonstrate skills to assist couples in increasing validation and empathy and achieve a deeper level of commitment and intimacy.
Focus on their own personal Characterological Growth and thus be more able to deepen client’s affect, getting them in touch with childhood pain, and thus helping them find healing in the adult intimate relationship.
Empower couples to continue the work of healing after therapy is terminated.

Course Structure

The course is offered in two sections.

The first part is a 96 hour (12-day) training program which is usually completed in three sessions, each four days long, or sometimes as six sessions, each two days long. The sessions are scheduled over a period of time to enable trainees to practice with clients and prepare tapes.

The second part is based around a six month program of supervision which prepares for submission of a final clinical videotape for evaluation as well as written reports.

Admission Requirements for Certification

Participation in a Getting the Love You Want Couples Workshop led by a Certified Couples Workshop Presenter® prior to admission into training. (Note: Participation should be with one’s committed, intimate partner. Single therapists may attend with a close friend, relative or colleague of either gender). This must be done before training.

-Possession of an advanced degree (masters or doctorate degree) in the mental health field (the common degrees are M.A. or M.S. in counseling or psychology, M.S.W. in social work, M.Div. in pastoral counseling, Ph.D. in clinical psychology, M.D. in psychiatry).

-Membership in a recognized professional association (i.e. NASW for clinical social workers, AAMFT for marriage and family therapists, AAPC for pastoral counselors, APA for psychologists, AMA for psychiatrists). All Imago Therapists must keep their memberships in their professional organization current at all times. See catalog section 4.5 for more details. Please contact us to ask about variations around the world.

-Required documents should be emailed to Training@imagorelationships.org or faxed to 1-212-208-4612.

-Two letters of recommendation from colleagues who know your work well.

-License to practice psychotherapy if required by your state or province.

-300 hours of post graduate supervision (150 hours may be group supervision. 150 hours must be one-on-one supervision).

-Proof of malpractice insurance.

-Copy of graduate degree.

Each applicant will be considered on his or her own merits. If you do not have all of the above credentials, please attach a cover letter that addresses the exception to your applications. Please note that admission to this program does not guarantee certification.

Tuition and CE Credits

CE Credits:

96 hours of CE credits are awarded, which are recognized by APA*.

(US & Canada) Tuition:

12 Day Training: $ 3,000

Supervision: $100 per month (6 months minimum)

Final tape submission and Certification: $195

If a subsequent tape is needed, the fee will be $150 for each further tape presented for certification.

A non-refundable deposit of $750 (as part of the $3,000) should be made while registering with Imago Relationships International. The balance is due directly to the Clinical Instructor to be paid in full three weeks before the start of the training. If you would like a payment program, this can often be arranged directly with the Clinical Instructor.

Average Total Investment: $3,795

* Imago Relationships International is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Imago Relationships International maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Auditing

Non-certification admission to this course – for

audit only

This course is provided primarily for fully qualified professionals as an advanced training. However we also welcome the following to audit the course, with no certification available:

-Partners of therapist, accompanying their partners on the program

Process and Requirements for Certification

The requirements for certification:

-Complete the 12 Days of training to the satisfaction of your clinical instructor
-Complete 6 months of supervision to the satisfaction of your clinical instructor or consultant
-Submit 3 and 6 month reports to your clinical instructor (see below)
-Assist at a Getting The Love You Want weekend workshop
-Provide a DVD of your work for evaluation
-Complete a signed copy of the certification agreement

Reports:

At three months, the participants should write a one or two page typed report of their experiences both in their personal lives and in their clinical practice and submit it to their Clinical Instructor. This report can be written before the evaluative tape is passed. It is important that this report is not a glowing report of how wonderful everything is. It is to be a report of your growing edge and what you are personally and professionally working on to become a better clinician.

At six months , the participant should write a second one or two page typed report of their development both in their personal lives and in their clinical practice and submit it to their Clinical Instructor.

These two reports should be about the trainee’s growth edge both personally and professionally to encourage the theory and practice of Imago Therapy to become more integrated in the trainee’s life and practice.

Assisting at a workshop:

After completion of the 12 Days of training the participant should serve as a support therapist in a twenty hour “Getting the Love You Want Couples Workshop: conducted by a Certified Workshop Presenter®. The trainee must meet with the presenter for one hour after the workshop for feedback and receive a positive evaluation from the presenter, which must then be submitted directly to the Professional Training Coordinator with a copy sent to the course instructor.

*After completing the requirements of the 12 Days of training and the 6 month supervision consultation to the satisfaction of your clinical instructor for 6 months you may apply for Certification.

Tape Evaluation

Record a DVD of a clinical session involving the Imago Dialogue and self-evaluate it using the current scoring sheet. Be sure that this tape achieves a pass mark of 70%.

-Ask your Clinical Instructor, or whoever is providing your 6 months of supervision consultation to review this DVD as part of their consultation service to you, and to provide a note indicating that they agree the DVD is at a 70% or above level.

-Contact the Imago Training Coordinator at Training@ImagoRelationships.org, who will assign an Evaluator.

-Send the DVD, your evaluation and the note from your trainer or consultant to the Evaluator designated by the Training Coordinator, together with the fee of $195. (Prices may vary outside USA, the Training Coordinator will provide our current policy)

-The Assessor will either provide clear, detailed written feedback to you, or may contact you for a telephone consultation of your DVD. This consultation will focus on reviewing and providing feedback of your self-assessment. Provided that the evaluator agrees that you pass at 70% or above, he/she will notify the Professional Training Coordinator to issue a Certificate, as long as all other training requirements have been met.

-If the DVD is not passed, we recommend that you review the feedback from the evaluating CI with your consultant/supervisor. Once integrating the feedback, your Clinical Instructor or consultant will support you to submit a second tape. If desired, you may request a different evaluator for the second tape.

-Please do not be disheartened if your first submitted tape does not pass. We have a culture of learning whereby it is fine to be asked for another DVD. We want you to receive the best training possible from us, and requiring a certain degree of proficiency in the model takes considerable time to achieve.

Review Process:

In the event that the tape is not considered by the Assessor to be a passing tape, the Assessor will contact the trainee’s Clinical Instructor.

The CI will watch the tape. If they agree that it is not a passing tape, the Assessor will let the trainee know, and will proceed to give feedback to them. They will email the CI to let them know when this is done.

If the Clinical Instructor thinks it is a passing tape, then the trainee will have the option to send it to another faculty member. This will be done anonymously. The Central office will send the DVD to another faculty member. That view will be binding

What you can do once certified and Member of IRI

Graduates of this track are eligible to represent themselves as Certified Imago Therapists®.

Advertise may practice Imago Relationship therapy.
Present at conferences and various meetings up to four hours in length and may demonstrate the Intentional Dialogue and the Flooding of Admiration in public.