Couples Therapy
Imago Clinical Training
AUSTIN, TX 2026
Sponsored by the YMCA Austin
> The Cutting Edge Neurobiology of Relational Work
> Why Relational Competency is the New Currency
> How and why your presence matters
> Transform Our Civilization through Couples' Connections
> Relational Intelligence as a Healing Force
YES! SKIP TO REGISTRATION OPTIONS
A PROFESSIONAL PATH
Anchored in an International Community
CLINICAL TRAINING
- February 19-22, 2026, Module One
- June 11-14, 2026, Module Two
- September 17-21, 2026, Module Two
Thursday - Sunday 9:00 am - 5:30 pm (ending by 2:30 pm Sunday)
REQUISITE: IMAGO RELATIONSHIP WORKSHOP
Choose the workshop for individuals, Finding a Love to Keep: Keeping the Love You Find or a couple's workshop with your partner, Getting the Love You Want.
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David de Bardelaben-Phillips
ACCEP, CIRF, MEd
Working with Michelle is nothing short of life-changing. She has an extraordinary gift for creating spaces where deep transformation can unfold—both personally and professionally. Her presence is grounded, compassionate, and clear, and she brings a level of wisdom and emotional attunement that is truly rare.
Michelle doesn’t just teach; she embodies what she shares. Her authenticity, warmth, and relational intelligence invite you to drop your guard and connect—first with yourself, and then with others—in ways that are powerful and lasting. I have made life-long friends in the training and our cohort continues to support each other as we all continue to grow.
What makes the experience even more unique is the quiet but powerful presence of her husband, Stephen. While Michelle leads with grace and confidence, Stephen is often supporting behind the scenes. Watching them together, you don’t just learn the principles of conscious connection—you see Imago in action.
One of the unique things about Michelle is that her training happens all over the world. Each one is not just a training—it’s often an adventure. While my clinical training has occurred in Texas, I have also had the opportunity to learn and grow with Michelle in Costa Rica and England.
If you have the opportunity to train with Michelle, take it. She is a gifted teacher, a world-class facilitator, and someone who truly transforms lives through Imago.
Jirzia Blackman
LCSW-S
Attending my first Imago training with Michelle Bohls was truly life-transforming—both professionally and personally. As a therapist with over 20 years of experience, certified in EMDR and trained through Level 3 in the Gottman Method, I’ve studied and practiced many modalities. Yet, none have impacted my work or my inner world the way Imago has.
Each Imago dialogue peeled back another layer, taking me deeper into connection, vulnerability, and presence. Michelle created a warm, welcoming, and grounded environment where learning felt safe and alive. She doesn’t just teach the model—she embodies it, guiding you with care and intention through every part of the process.
Perhaps most profoundly, shifting from an individual to a relational lens allowed me—as a proud introvert—to discover a sense of community that I didn’t know I was missing. I walked away not only with clinical tools, but with deep friendships, a powerful cohort, and a renewed sense of purpose. This training didn’t just teach me—it healed me. I am forever grateful.
Jirzia is local to San Antonio.
Austin Weber
LMFT-A, MFT-IT, LCDC
My clinical training in Imago Relationship Therapy under the guidance of Michelle Bohls has been a transformative journey--both personally and professionally. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate, Marriage and Family Therapist In Training, and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, I came into this training seeking deeper tools to support the couples I serve at Mental Health Counseling of Austin. What I found was not only an enhanced clinical toolkit but also a powerful framework that has reshaped how I see myself, my relationships, and my purpose as a therapist.
Imago Relationship Therapy taught me how to listen with intention, speak with compassion, and build connection from a space of curiosity and understanding. Working alongside a community of dedicated clinicians, I experienced firsthand the power of relational healing--not just for clients, but within ourselves as practitioners. This training pushed me to grow in emotional vulnerability, deepen my sense of presence, and anchor my work in love and safety.
Michelle Bohls created a training environment rooted in community, growth, and respect. Through her mentorship, I learned how to facilitate conscious dialogue, explore unmet childhood needs within relationship dynamics, and help couples repair emotional ruptures with empathy and structure. These skills now shape every couples session I lead, and they've fundamentally changed the way I connect with people in my personal life.
Imago Relationship Therapy is more than a modality--it's a way of being. It has reignited my passion for relational work and given me a renewed sense of confidence and clarity as a clinician, business owner, and human being.
Why Train in Imago's Relational Paradigm and Modality?
THE IMAGO CLINICAL TRAINING METHOD
Embodied, Applied Learning
- Apply relationship concepts of Imago to your own life experiences and current relationship challenges.
- Evaluate the Imago relationship concepts and tools for yourself.
- Find ways to make the model fit for your personality strengths, style, and clinical voice.
- Experience the process that you will take your clients through, essentially “walking the walk.”
- Practice using the skills and relationship concepts with colleagues in a consistent cohort (who are also in the learning process) before you try to implement these concepts and use these new skills with clients.
WELCOME TO THE IMAGO COMMUNITY
The Power Of Connection
- Learn how to help couples can find a sense of connection.
- Build real, heart-warming professional connections in a group of like-minded colleagues while you support each other’s success.
- Hone your skills to listen empathically while experiencing being truly heard and understood.
- Experience a sense of belonging while receiving referrals from our local and global community!
THE IMAGO SUPERVISION METHOD
Authentic, Attuned Feedback
- Receive support and positive feedback for your personal strengths, which are often invisible to us as people and therapists.
- Consider some practical ideas on what you can try to do differently, if you choose to accept the new idea.
- Your new community will offer you positive messages you can strive to grow into as you become the best version of you which will result in an authentic sense of your true clinical abilities.
Key Take-Aways:
> The Relational Intelligence of the Space-Between as a Healing Force
Discover how deep attunement, emotional safety, and conscious dialogue creates conditions for transformation—not only in couples but across all relationships.
> Why Connection is the New Currency
Learn why relational connection is becoming a central measure of emotional health and social wellbeing in an increasingly isolated world—and what that means for therapists, educators, and leaders.
> The Cutting Edge Neurobiology of Relational Work
Gain a cutting-edge understanding of how Imago’s relational processes align with brain science to rewire attachment patterns, soothe the nervous system, and promote long-term healing.
> Powerful Ways to Impact Our World through Strengthening Couples' Connections
Explore how relationship therapy extends beyond the therapy room, influencing families, communities, and even global systems—because when two people heal their connection, the ripple effect is real.
JOIN NOW
Imago Couples Therapy Training [Agenda]
SCHEDULE
The Imago Clinical Training February 19-22, 2026
A dynamic mix of lecture, small group work, demonstrations, practice, videos, guided meditations, and of course plenty of breaks! Leave this week ready to work as an Imago Therapist with your couples!
Day 1: Why Connection is the New Currency
🕘 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM Thursday February 19, 2026
Relational Intelligence: Communication Tools That Facilitate Powerful Changes
Get hands-on with the most powerful tools for conscious communication. This session will help you master practical, proven techniques to support couples in hearing each other, understanding one another deeply, and creating emotional safety.
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Introductions
10:30 AM – 10:50 AM Break
10:50 AM – 12:30 PM Introductions
12:30 PM – 2:15 PM Lunch Break
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM Lecture
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM Practice and Closing
Day 2: Deepening the Dialogue
🕘 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM Friday, February 20, 2026
Guiding the Dance: Facilitating the Relational Process
Dive into the heart of what makes relational work effective. Learn how to hold space, structure sessions, and guide couples through the ups and downs of their emotional journey—while staying grounded and attuned.
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Morning Transition & Dyads
10:00 AM – 10:20 AM Break
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM Lecture
12:30 AM – 2:15 PM Lunch Break
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM Lecture and demonstration
3:30 PM – 3:50 PM Break
3:50 PM – 6:00 PM Practice and Feedback
Day 3: Transforming Relationships, One Session at a Time
🕘 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM Saturday February 21, 2026
First Impressions, Lasting Change: Designing the First Couples Session
Discover how to create a safe, compelling, and effective experience right from the start. This session covers best practices for structuring first sessions that set the tone for deep relational healing and growth
The Art of the Imago Dialogue: Facilitating Intentional Connection
Learn to guide couples through the intentional dialogue process—a cornerstone of Imago work. We’ll explore how to create safety, mirror with empathy, and help partners see each other with fresh eyes. We will introduce all advanced skills.
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Morning transition and Dyads
10:00 AM – 10:20 AM Break
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM Lecture
12:30 AM – 2:15 PM Lunch Break
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM Practice & Feedback
4:00 PM – 4:20 PM Break
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Lecture & Close
Day 4: Building a Thriving Couples Therapy Practice
🕘 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM Sunday February 22, 2026
From Passion to Practice: Growing Your Work & Getting Certified
Turn your passion for relational healing into a thriving professional practice. This session covers certification requirements, practice-building strategies, and how to align your work with your purpose in this vital field.
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Lecture
10:00 AM – 10:40 AM Break
10:40 AM - 12:00 PM Group as Expert
12:00 PM - 2:30 PM Closing and Next Steps
Note: There is not a formal lunch break this day. Rather, there is a one long break and we will end early.
CERTIFICATION
POST CONFERENCE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
Three training modules are required for Imago Certification as well as a requirement to attend an Imago workshop with your partner or its companion workshop for individuals.
After all 12 days of training you will:
Chryssee M. Wright-Ohiri
LPC-Associate
Training in Imago Therapy with Michelle was nothing short of transformative. As an Associate Therapist, I walked into the training expecting to learn a new therapeutic approach. What I didn’t expect was the profound personal and professional growth that would come from working with Michelle.
Michelle has an extraordinary gift for making complex theory feel accessible, natural—even fun. Concepts that once felt abstract quickly became clear through her relatable teaching style. She doesn’t just explain Imago; she embodies it. Her ability to model the core principles—mirroring, empathy, attunement—creates a deeply supportive learning environment that’s both intellectually engaging and emotionally healing.
What stood out most was how seamlessly Michelle wove “teaching” and “being” together. She didn’t just teach the theory—she lived it, showing up for each of us with a compassion and presence that made us feel truly seen and heard. In that space, I found myself uncovering parts of my story I hadn’t fully acknowledged, and realizing just how much I needed that kind of attuned connection. It was, in many ways, unexpected “free therapy”—and it made me a better person and a more self-aware therapist.
Managing a room full of therapists-in-training (each with their own thoughts, insights, and inner dialogues) is no easy feat, but Michelle did it with grace, humor, and unwavering authenticity. Her warmth and humanity created a space that felt both safe and inspiring.
Katey Villalon
LMFT, IRT
I've admired Michelle Bohls for years, as she's a terrific therapist, an excellent trainer and mentor, as well as a dynamic and accomplished entrepreneur. In addition to being a leader in the IMAGO world, she's highly revered in the Austin therapy community. I began training with Michelle in 2021, becoming a Certified IMAGO Therapist and then a Workshop Presenter. I am so grateful for all that Michelle brings to her work, and I highly recommend any and all of the therapist workshops that she offers - especially the ones that she leads in Costa Rica!
By training with Michelle, you WILL become a more informed and skillful therapist, able to help couples to move their relationship from ordinary to extraordinary.
Rachael Maly
LPC, ATR-BC, CYT
Michelle’s Getting the Love You Want workshop was truly transformative. She was on fire—engaging, down to earth, and incredibly relatable. From the start, she made me feel seen and important, and she offered a vision of relationships that felt both hopeful and achievable, even in the midst of struggles.
I left that weekend with real tools and a renewed sense of possibility in my relationship.
I also attended Michelle's advanced trainings, and unlike other workshops that left me drained and overloaded, hers were spacious, experiential, and deeply integrative. Every moment was grounded in meaningful practice and connection.
Her energy, her example, and her encouragement made all the difference. She brings joy, depth, and real heart to everything she does.”
Rachael Maly
Do you learn best through video lectures?
PLAY THE VIDEO BELOW!
A SELF-PACED, PRIVATE DIGITAL COURSE
Getting The Love You Want Couples Seminar
- The Getting the Love You Want The Couples Seminar includes all of the exercises from the best selling book and the couples workshop, including ten demonstrations with real couples, and over 50 short, video lessons.
- Participate in an 8-week challenge of committing 3-4 hours a week and you can complete the Getting the Love Couples Seminar!
- This couples course is an amazing professional development tool to deeply learn the Imago method of working with couples.
Don't forget to send in your application and select your payment package!
Imago Clinical Training + Digital Seminar
$1,545
Module One + Digital Seminar
TRAINING + DIGITAL SEMINAR
RELATIONAL COMPENTENCY
Transforming Lives Through the Power of Relational Competency and Connection Through Authenticity, Presence and Emotional Safety
Welcome to this journey of connection and healing. I’m so glad you’re here and ready to deepen your clinical and professional growth through the lens of relational competency.
In our profession over the past two decades, we have seen an increase in our understanding of trauma. Understanding the dynamics of relationships is next! As we understand how relationships and trauma interact with each other, including the power of healing through relationships, we are best empowered to help!
As therapists, we hold a unique strength—relational intelligence—that is more vital now than ever. In a digital world that too often fuels disconnection and isolation, genuine human connection has become a rare and precious currency.
Connection isn’t just a therapeutic tool—it’s a healing force. And today, it’s transforming how we engage, share information, and build trust. Where past models centered on authority, power, and the "experts," we are now called to lead, teach and market with authenticity, emotional attunement, and presence.
Relational competency allows us to show up fully—without sacrificing who we are. It empowers us to meet new clients, collaborate with peers, and sustain meaningful professional relationships, all while staying grounded in the truth of who we are and what we value. This is more than professional development—it’s a reclaiming of connection as the heart of our work. This is why I am passionate about guiding clinicians from around the globe in mastering the art and practice of Imago Relationship Therapy.
From my professional base here in Texas to training rooms in Romania, Turkey, The Netherlands, South Korea and Costa Rica, I’ve witnessed the profound impact of this work across cultures. What becomes crystal clear—no matter the language or location—is this: Relationship Work is Peace Work. Whether you're guiding couples through conflict or helping them rediscover love, you're contributing to something larger. Each moment of connection creates ripples—touching families, classrooms, communities, and the world beyond.
I will share this information not as an "expert" with all of the answers, but as someone who applies these tools to my own challenges in my friendships, my marriage, and in my parenting. Relationships are not easy! Yet when I a shift my mindset to the relational paradigm, my heart opens, and new possibilities emerge that create meaningful connections! Together we will explore ideas and tools together to learn and grow together.
If you’re ready to bring new depth, clarity, and effectiveness to your practice—and if you're curious about becoming a Certified Imago Therapist or an Imago Educator—there are rich professional opportunities ahead, grounded in our international Imago community and in local, personal connections. Even more importantly, this journey offers you the chance to transform not only your clients' relationships, but your own as well!
Come learn what’s emerging in the world of creating conscious relationships—and step into the kind of therapist, healer, and human you are meant to be.
Bring your colleagues and you partners!
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Find Other Trainings From Michelle Bohls
Michelle offers trainings online and around the world. Reach out if you would like to request something specific.
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