Therapists Who Practice Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT)

Imago relationship therapy, or IRT, is based on the idea that in youth we form specific images or ideas about what it is to be loved and to be in a loving relationship, and seek out those ideas in adulthood in our relationships. One of the core concepts of IRT is the idea that no matter what, we all have had some form of trauma around not getting the love we wanted as children (even if our parents were wonderful, it’s impossible to meet every possible need a child may have), and we try to replay that conflict as adults, seeking resolution. This approach has 5 basic tenets: 1) re-imagining your partner as their childhood self, 2) re-romanticizing your relationship, 3) forming complaints into requests, 4) resolving feelings, and 5) re-visioning the relationship as source of joy.