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Our Faculty
Trained by Terry Real at his Relational Life Institute, The RRS Faculty is comprised of senior professionals, all of whom apply the thinking around Relational Life™ and Terry Real’s body of work in their own private therapy or coaching practices. The RRS Faculty includes:
Terrence Real
Founder, The Relational Life Institute
 Terrence Real is the bestselling author of I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression, How Can I Get Through to You?: Reconnecting Men and Women, and most recently The New Rules of Marriage: a Breakthrough Program for 21st Century Relationships. He has been a practicing family therapist for more than twenty years and has lectured and given workshops across the country. In March 2002, Real founded the Relational Recovery Institute. His work has been featured on NBC Nightly News, Today, Good Morning America, and Oprah, as well as in The NewYork Times, Psychology Today, Esquire, and numerous academic publications.
Lisa Merlo-Booth
Director of Faculty, The Relational Life Institute
 Lisa Merlo-Booth is a therapist and a life and relationship coach, working with RRS on a contract basis as Director of Faculty. Ms. Merlo Booth earned her Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Pepperdine University in 1991 and has received her coaching training from Coach University. Ms. Merlo Booth has over fifteen years of experience in the field of therapy and coaching and has worked with individuals, families, and couples on a variety of life issues. During that time she has developed noted expertise in the area of relationships. She has studied and worked with Terry Real for nine years.
John Badalament, Ed.M.
 John Badalament, Ed.M., is the author of the newly released Modern Dads Handbook and Director of the acclaimed documentary for PBS, All Men Are Sons: Exploring the Legacy of Fatherhood. John’s work has been featured on NPR and in Men’s Health, and the Los Angeles Times. John is a graduate of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. As a human development specialist, John has worked in clinical settings and private practice with individuals, couples and groups. Currently, John consults with schools, parent groups, and organizations about fatherhood, healthy relationships, and gender issues. He is also finishing his film entitled Gender Traps: How Marriage Problems start in Kindergarten. John has been studying under Terry Real for several years.
Jan Bergstrom, LMHC
 Jan Bergstrom, LMHC has been in private practice for 12 years working with individuals and couples, holds a licensed Master’s degree in counseling psychology from Cambridge College, Cambridge, MA, and is a licensed Mental Health Counselor through the state of Massachusetts. Jan has trained and worked with Terry Real for the last 7 years, and has served in a variety of capacities with the Institute (including having a major role in launching the organization on Terry’s behalf.) Ms. Bergstrom runs her private practice in Arlington, Massachusetts where she works with couples exclusively using the Relational Life Therapy™ Model created by Terry Real.
Rachelle Dobbin, LICSW, LMFT, BCD
 Rachelle Dobbin is a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) and licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT). Ms. Dobbin earned her Master's degree in Social Work from Boston University in 1993. She has further studied marriage and family therapy at the Family Institute of Cambridge, the Kantor Family Institute, and since 2001, with Terry Real through the Relational Life Institute. Currently in private practice, Ms. Dobbin has more than 14 years of clinical experience with individuals, couples, and families helping them work on their relationships and personal happiness.
Robert Gratton, Ph.D., LCSW
 Robert Gratton earned his M.S.W. and Ph.D. from the Smith College School for Social Work and has been in practice for over twenty five years. Dr. Gratton provided psychotherapy, taught, supervised, and consulted in a variety of settings before entering private practice. He now focuses exclusively on the diverse relationships of individuals, couples, and families and is actively studying under Terry Real and the Institute.
Lori Hall, LMFT
 Lori Hall, L.M.F.T., is a licensed marriage and family therapist and holds a Master’s degree in Social Work. Lori specializes in the treatment of trauma-based intimacy and addictive disorders, with a focus on the impact of mood and addictive disorders on marriage and family relationships. Trained in the treatment of trauma, loss, and grief, Lori effectively intervenes on resistant and chronic conditions. In addition, Lori is a certified Addictions Counselor with National Reciprocity and certified by IITAP (International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals) as a Sex Addiction Therapist and Consultant. Lori’s private practice, ReLife, is located in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dee Marcotte, MS, MA, LPC
 Dee Marcotte is a facilitator and on the faculty of the Relational Life Institute. She has been working in a private practice specializing in adult and couple therapy and coaching. Ms. Marcotte earned her Master's Degree in Counseling from the University of Colorado at Denver in 1995. Additionally she has a Master's Degree in Child Development from Iowa State University. Dee is known for giving people specific and practical tools to help change their lives. She has studied and worked with Terry Real and the Relational Life Institute for over 5 years.
Brenda Mirly, LCSW
 Brenda Mirly, LCSW, is a therapist in private practice in Morristown, NJ. Brenda has trained extensively in individual, marriage, and family therapy, and has expertise in working with couples on relationship issues. She earned her Master's of Social Work degree from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and she also holds an MBA from St. Louis University. Other areas of specialization include adoption and trauma work. Brenda has been studying under Terry Real and at the Relational Life Institute for nearly five years.
Ellen Pizer, MSW, LCSW
 Ellen Pizer is a psychotherapist with a private practice in Raleigh, North Carolina. She specializes in adolescent, adult, and family therapy. Ms. Pizer attained her Master's degree in Clinical Social Work from Smith College, and has been working with adolescents and parents for 10 years. Ms. Pizer supervises and facilitates a teen leadership program, and is actively studying under Terry Real.
Kimberle Ploussard, LMHC, CRC
 Kim Ploussard is a licensed, mental health counselor practicing in New York State. She has a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from SUNY/Albany and post-masters training in the field of relationship and marital therapy. Ms. Ploussard has over ten years experience counseling a diverse population, including individuals and couples in alternative life styles, trauma survivors, and addictions. Ms. Ploussard is the former clinical director of an Albany-based counseling center, where she continues to provide supervision and facilitates a relationship skills group. She has studied with Terry Real for over five years and is currently in private-practice counseling couples and families wanting to improve their relationships.
Dan F. Pollets, Ph.D.
 Dan F. Pollets, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and on the faculty of the Relational Life Institute. He is a member of the psychiatry staff of Winchester Hospital and Associate Clinical Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at Boston University Medical School. He is an ASSECT Certified Sex Therapist. Dr. Pollets earned his Doctorate degree at Boston University. He has over thirty years of clinical experience working in a variety of clinical settings, and is currently in private practice in Medford, Mass where he specializes in couples treatment and sex therapy. He works with individuals, couples and groups with a variety of issues including sexual dysfunction, relationship conflict, anxiety disorders, and depression. He has trained with Terry Real for the past four years at the Relational Life Institute.
Amy Warren, MS, LMHC
 Amy Warren is a Coach and faculty member for the Relational Life Institute. She has a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology and is licensed as a Mental Health Counselor. She has been in private practice in Sarasota, Florida since 1994 where she offers individual and couples counseling and relational coaching groups. Amy is also a contributing writer for WQ Mag, Women's Quarterly. She has been training with Terry Real and the Relational Life Institute since its inception.
Wendy Whelihan, PhD, LMFT
 Wendy Whelihan is a licensed marriage and family therapist, practicing in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the past 10 years. She completed her Masters degree in Community Counseling at the University of Wisconsin, and earned her Doctorate in Family Social Science (Marriage and Family Therapy program) at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Whelihan is a former Associate Clinical Professor of Counseling and Psychological Services at St. Mary's University where she taught marriage and family therapy courses for the graduate school. Currently in private practice, she works primarily with couples 'on the brink' and families in transition. She is also trained in hypnosis and EMDR, and facilitates group therapy for women with significant trauma histories. Wendy has been working with Terry Real for two years, and is in the process of obtaining her certification in Relational Life Therapy™.
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