Tired of Juggling 5 Different Models

Most therapists I meet tell me the same thing:

“Couples work feels unpredictable… overwhelming… like there’s always too much happening in the room.”

And they’re right — couples work can feel that way when you’re trying to juggle five different models, each with its own map and language. Many counsellors quietly avoid it, thinking, “I’ll stay with individual work — at least I know where I am there.”

But I see couples therapy differently.

To me, it’s the trailblazing edge of our field — the place where everything we know about attachment, trauma, and connection comes alive in real time. It’s where healing is witnessed, not just talked about. It’s demanding, yes — but it’s also profoundly beautiful.

I’ve spent more than twenty years walking this trail — studying directly with Harville Hendrix, the Gottmans, Stan Tatkin and others — and mapping what truly helps couples find their way back to each other. The result is the PORT® Framework — a practical, integrated approach that makes couples work not only clear, but deeply human.

One of PORT’s key innovations is that it teaches therapists to use the best of these five models authentically — in their own voice. You don’t have to sound like a Gottman, or an EFT practitioner, or an Imago therapist. You learn to weave the wisdom of each into your natural style, so your work feels both structured and genuine.

My mission now is simple: to walk beside other therapists who want to do this work — who want to help couples not just communicate better, but fall in love again.

If that’s something you’d love to witness in your own therapy room, I’d be honoured to show you how.

Let’s explore what’s possible when we bring more love — and more authenticity — into the heart of our work.

A New Way to Learn and Practice Couples Therapy

For the first time, the complete PORT training experience is being offered as a fully integrated journey — combining foundational learning with live practice and supervision in one cohesive path.

This is more than a course. It’s an immersion that reshapes how you understand relationships, regulate emotion, and work with couples in real time.

Presence-Oriented Relationship Therapy (PORT) was created to solve one of the biggest frustrations in the field — the sense that no single model gives you everything you need.

Therapists often find themselves juggling techniques from different schools of thought, unsure how to bring them together in a session that feels authentic and effective. PORT changes that.

Developed over eight years by the Relate NZ clinical team, PORT integrates the world’s most respected approaches — Gottman, EFT, Imago, PACT, and the Developmental Model — and weaves them into one practical, embodied framework. It’s not another set of techniques. It’s a way of being with couples that combines neuroscience, attachment, and relational depth into a clear, teachable process.

Ready to experience couples therapy training that actually integrates everything — from theory to live practice?

What Makes PORT Different

While other trainings focus on either theory or technique, PORT brings them together through an emphasis on presence — your ability to stay grounded, attuned, and effective even in the most charged moments.

You’ll learn how to orient couples toward connection instead of conflict, guide them through structured emotional repair, and transform reactivity into understanding. The models are evidence-based, but the practice is human and alive.

Therapists who train in PORT often describe it as the “missing piece” — the framework that finally connects the dots between all they’ve learned.

It gives structure without rigidity, depth without overwhelm, and a pathway for growth that makes sense from the very first session.

“PORT challenged and transformed my practice. It brought everything I’d studied into one living, breathing approach.”

— Rhonda Jurd, Couples Therapist

Experience what it feels like to be fully present and finally integrate everything you’ve learned into one embodied practice.

A Complete Growth Path for Therapists

Whether you’re new to couples work or an experienced clinician seeking integration, PORT offers a clear developmental journey.

You’ll begin by building the foundation — understanding the architecture of relationships and the role of regulation, empathy, and structure — and progress into real-time application with live feedback and supervision.

Each step builds your capacity to bring presence, clarity, and confidence into your sessions.

And unlike many short-form workshops, PORT provides a framework that continues to evolve with you — preparing you for advanced certification, clinical mastery, and long-term transformation in how you work.

Ready to evolve beyond short workshops and build lasting clinical mastery?

The PORT Promise

By the end of this training, you’ll see couples work differently. You’ll understand what’s happening in the moment — emotionally, neurologically, and relationally — and know exactly how to respond.

You’ll have a process that’s grounded in science but guided by empathy. You’ll feel confident, composed, and capable in even the most complex dynamics.

Most importantly, you’ll rediscover why you chose this work in the first place — to help people reconnect, heal, and grow.

“Transformative. PORT gave me a complete toolkit — and the confidence to use it.”

— Cath Baker, Counselor, Australia

You can experience this transformation too and bring it to your clients.

The Opportunity

Because this is the first time the full integrated PORT training has been offered, this cohort represents a rare opportunity to experience the complete model as it was designed — theory, embodiment, and live practice combined.

Enrollment is intentionally limited to preserve the integrity and intimacy of the live training experience.

Join a growing international community of therapists who are redefining what’s possible in couples therapy.

Learn the models that unify the field — and experience the presence that transforms relationships from the inside out. 

Be part of the first group to experience PORT as it was meant to be — integrated, embodied, and alive.