UK psychologists learn Imago Relationship Therapy courses. Master empathy, Zero Negativity, and dialogue for better relationships.
Building on the Imago framework, this course shows UK practitioners how empathy, Zero Negativity, affirmation and intentional dialogue can change relational dynamics between partners. It explores how childhood wounds resurface in adult relationships, why negativity grows from a survival-based bias towards threat, and how Zero Negativity moves couples into a state of safety. The stretching principle, the expression of needs and the difference between appreciation and affirmation are all covered as routes to healing, differentiation and closeness. The course can be logged as a learning activity in an HCPC CPD record.
This talk explores the Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT) framework for transforming relational dynamics through empathy, Zero Negativity, affirmation, and intentional dialogue. Drawing on developmental psychology and neurobiology, we examine how childhood wounds are activated in adult relationships and how empathic presence can create corrective emotional experiences that rewire neural pathways. The session explains why negativity arises from a survival-driven bias toward threat, and how the Zero Negativity practice shifts partners into a state of safety that allows genuine connection to emerge. Participants will learn how frustrations mask deeper wishes and unmet childhood needs, and how dialogue, the stretching principle and effective expression of needs create opportunities for healing, differentiation, and true relational closeness. Finally, we clarify the distinction between appreciation and affirmation: how partners can learn to affirm each other’s intrinsic worth, an essential step toward equality, empathy, and sustaining real love.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this talk, participants will be able to: