For therapists and counselors
An experiential weekend that complements the work you do with clients
Therapists and counselors are the most common way people find The R·E·A·L Courses. This page explains what the REAL Foundation Course is, how it fits alongside therapy, and how to refer a client.
What it is
A 25-hour experiential weekend, not a substitute for treatment
The REAL Foundation Course is an experientially based personal development program. Over a 25-hour weekend, students identify, gain experiential awareness of, and work to heal events, many from childhood, that affect their adult lives.
It is not psychotherapy and is not a replacement for clinical treatment, although it can serve as a complement to therapy. Our instructors are therapists, and therapists assist throughout the weekend to support students.
What is shared in the room stays in the room. Confidentiality is a foundational part of how we work, and all participants agree to honor it.
How it fits with therapy
Therapy helps a client understand. The weekend lets them practice.
Therapy can help someone understand and heal the parts of them that are hurting. Experiential development can help them expand the parts that are ready to discover, grow, and practice who they want to be.
Insight → Experience
Therapy helps a client recognize a pattern. An experiential program gives them a structured opportunity to see themselves in action and practice something new.
Experience → Insight
An intensive interpersonal experience can make a pattern visible in real time. That experience can then be brought back into therapy to be processed.
Processing → Practice
Therapy provides a place to process difficult emotions and experiences. Personal development work provides a place to try new behaviors and ways of relating.
Private reflection → Relational learning
Therapy is often a one-on-one relationship. The weekend involves group interaction, exercises, feedback and real-time interpersonal work, which can reveal dynamics that are hard to see in a purely reflective setting.
Who leads it
Clinicians who took the course themselves
Every course is led by R·E·A·L Certified Instructors. Some are licensed clinicians who first experienced this work as students.
- Mark LevinskyPsychotherapist since 1986, trained in EMDR and as a clinical anxiety treatment professional, with experience in mental health and addiction recovery.
- Stephanie SavoLicensed mental health counselor working with teens and adults. Took this course as a student in 2014.
- Jon WallerLicensed therapist and owner of New River Counseling. Signed up for this course on the advice of his own therapist.
Who it suits
Is it a fit for your client?
The course is designed for individuals, couples, and families who are ready to do the real work, whether they're navigating personal challenges, relationship struggles, or a sense that something is holding them back from living fully. No prior experience with personal development is required.
We encourage students who are working with a therapist or counselor to let them know they're attending. If you're unsure whether the weekend is right for a particular client, talk to us first.
Referring a client
How to refer a client
- Share the course page with your client. It has upcoming dates and the inquiry form.
- Your client fills out the inquiry form and chooses “Therapist or Counselor” under “Where did you hear about us?”
- A member of our team contacts them to answer questions and walk them through registration. The location is shared once they're registered.
therealcourses.com/schedule/
See course dates