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You love your partner, but lately it feels like you’re just getting through the week. In a city as fast-paced as Los Angeles, connection can quietly fade.
Couples counseling in LA helps you slow down, communicate with more care, and rebuild the emotional closeness that makes everything else feel easier.
Whether you’re in Culver City, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, or anywhere in LA, couples therapy offers flexible scheduling with weekend appointments, practical tools, and expert support to break negative patterns.
One of the most eye-opening lessons I learned in graduate school at The University of Southern California was this: The biggest factor in a client’s success isn’t the type of therapy, the technique, or even the duration. It’s the strength of the therapeutic relationship.
After 15 years of marriage and two decades of counseling couples, I’ve seen what works. Successful couples learn how to be a TEAM against the defenses that keeping them apart. As a licensed Los Angeles couples counselor, I can guide you through evidence-based tools for better communication.
Book a 15-minute introductory call to see how couples therapy online can help you become better partners, no matter how upset either of you get.
The 1st session was more helpful than a year of other therapy.
We have shed all the old baggage and can be vulnerable now to own our part.
– COUPLE WITH TWO UNDER 2, LOS ANGELES
The fighting cycles ended.
We now feel safe to share anything with each other.
You might remember the rush of excitement you felt hiking Runyon Canyon together or spontaneous late-night tacos after a show in Echo Park, but now you feel more like roommates. When life in LA moves fast, your relationship can start to feel like just another task on your never-ending to-do list.
You don’t have to settle for feeling distant. With expert support and practical tools, you can break through tension, rebuild trust, and bring back the ease and closeness that once felt natural.
Reawaken your feelings of aliveness and have fun together again. Don’t let the pressure of the entertainment industry get in the way of the most important part of your world… your relationship. Hit the reset button and reinvest in your partnership today.
Improve your relationship no matter what it looks like.
DEBBIE CHERRY, LMFT
Yes. Online marriage counseling can be just as effective as in-person work. Research shows that virtual sessions, when led by a trained couples therapist using evidence-based approaches, can improve communication, reduce conflict, and prevent emotional disconnection leading to divorce. Many LA couples even prefer it: it’s convenient, consistent, reduces stress during traffic-heavy or emotionally charged days, and can feel more comfortable doing therapy from home than in a clinical office. Being in your own space lowers defenses, builds rapport faster, and helps you open up more easily, so you get results sooner.
I offer a free 15-minute consultation if you want to talk more about working together.
Every couple is different, but many start seeing progress within a few sessions. I use strategies from Internal Family Systems, Gottman research, and attachment science to help you shift patterns efficiently. My focus is on tools that help you express yourselves more clearly, so you don’t stay in therapy forever, just long enough to change your patterns for the long haul.
Most LA couples come twice a month for around 6 months. Some need a brief tune-up, others stay longer for deeper growth. You’ll leave each session with insights and tools you can use immediately.
You can see client success stories, reviews and results here.
Yes. Anxiety, burnout, and emotional overload are incredibly common for LA couples… especially when you’re balancing demanding careers, overstimulation, or constant pressure to “perform” at work and in life.
Whether one or both of you are feeling depleted, therapy can help you understand how stress is impacting your connection and build strategies to handle it together. Instead of stress becoming a wedge between you, we turn it into an opportunity to strengthen your bond.
In couples therapy, we’ll work on:
When you’re living in a city like LA where productivity, image, and ambition run high… burnout can sneak into your relationship without warning. Therapy helps you slow down, reconnect, and rebuild emotional safety, even when the world feels overwhelming.
Working with an experienced California couples therapist increases the chances of long-term change. 99% of the couples that I work with report that they have seen significant improvement in their relationship communication and connection. Couples counseling in general has a success rate of around 70%, according to data from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
In my California practice, success often depends on a few key factors:
Couples therapy has the potential to save a relationship by offering a structured space to address conflicts, develop new coping skills and improve communication. Success depends on the commitment to the clients work and the therapeutic relationship with the therapist. While therapy cannot guarantee a saved relationship, it often provides the tools and insights needed to navigate challenges, rebuild trust, and create the kind of future you want together.
To get the most out of relationship therapy, show up ready to talk about your experiences, even if you feel exhausted from work, family, raising children or navigating daily stress. Therapy helps with communication breakdowns, conflict, intimacy, parenting stress, and enjoying a more fulfilling life together.
In your first appointment, we’ll explore your relationship history, current dynamics, and what brought you in… whether it’s tension after long commutes on the 405, miscommunication after exhausting workdays, disconnection from parenting stress, or communication issues with blended families. You’ll both have space to share while I help identify the harmful patterns keeping you stuck.
Together, we’ll clarify your goals and start introducing practical tools to reduce conflict, improve communication, and rebuild emotional connection. Every session is a mix of guided conversation, real-time coaching, and research-backed strategies to help you feel seen, heard, and supported.
As your couples counselor with specialized training in attachment for adults, I’ll help you talk through hard topics without blowing up or shutting down. You won’t just vent. Therapy work on relationship challenges is a collaborative process. Sometimes we follow your ideas and priorities, and other times I’ll offer guidance based on what I’ve seen work over 20+ years of helping couples. My role is to help you navigate complex conversations, stay on track, and prioritize what matters most for lasting change.
Between school logistics, work stress, and limited downtime, it’s easy to drift apart and desire to dwindle. In therapy, we’ll build rituals of connection and learn how to co-parent as a team, not just co-manage a household. Even small shifts can lead to big changes in closeness. The methods I share are simple, actionable changes in relationship dynamics that you can fold into your busy lives, and start looking looking forward to a shared future.
Yes! In every session, you’ll receive practical, research-backed tools to strengthen your connection and communication. These aren’t just “talk about your feelings” ideas… they’re proven strategies tailored to what actually works in real relationships. Here’s a quick peek at what you’ll get:
These tools are designed to help you move from stuck and stressed to seen, supported, and secure. If you would like to see some sample couples therapy exercises, grab the Connected Communication Toolkit here.
The investment for each couples counseling session ranges from $175 to $350 per 50-minute session, depending on the level of support you choose and your benefits… often far less than the cost of a single night out in LA or the Bay Area, and potentially life-changing for your relationship.
Most couples experience real momentum and clarity within just a few sessions. Many clients also use their HSA/FSA benefits or receive up to 50% reimbursement through their insurance provider.
If you want something more affordable or self-paced, platforms like BetterHelp, Talkspace, or Regain offer flexible options with messaging and video, but may not specialize in high-achieving couples or attachment-based approaches. Consider factors such as therapist expertise, client reviews, tools and years of experience. Finding the right therapist is a big predictor of positive therapy outcomes.
Couples counseling in CA can be covered by insurance in some cases, when it is considered a medical necessity. Relationship therapy for California couples focused on communication, creating new patterns and growing closer is often not considered a medical necessity and does not fit the traditional medical model where there is a diagnosis and specific treatment. Insurance acceptance varies by provider and insurance plan. It’s essential to verify benefits with both your insurance company and your therapist so you don’t run into surprises. Always confirm your benefits before beginning therapy to avoid unexpected costs and ensure a smooth therapy experience.
That’s a vulnerable and common place to be, especially in a fast-paced city like LA where individual growth, career changes, and evolving identities can pull couples in different directions.
In therapy, you don’t need to have it all figured out. We create a space to slow down and explore your hopes, fears, and what’s really underneath the disconnection… and make important decisions. You’ll get clarity on whether your values and visions still align, what’s driving the uncertainty, and how to have hard conversations without judgment or blame.
Not at all. Couples therapy is for any committed relationship, no matter your label or living situation. In a city like LA, where people often date longer before marrying, live apart due to work, or blend families in nontraditional ways, therapy can be a smart, proactive way to strengthen your connection.
Whether you’re dating seriously, newly engaged, long-distance, living together, or navigating a nontraditional path, therapy gives you a space to build emotional safety, improve communication, and align your goals before bigger challenges arise. You don’t have to be in crisis to benefit. Sometimes the most lasting growth comes when you seek support early, before patterns get too painful or entrenched.
Yes. I went to USC for graduate school and lived in Silverlake, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica. Many of my clients work in film, TV, music, marketing or content creation. I understand the long hours, public visibility, and burnout that come with those careers. Therapy is a space where both partners can feel seen, whether you’re in the spotlight or supporting someone who is.
It’s totally understandable to feel wary if therapy didn’t go well in the past. But not all therapy is the same. My approach is collaborative, actionable, and grounded in 20+ years of experience helping high-achieving couples in the greater Los Angeles area reconnect without blame or overwhelm. We’ll set clear goals together, use proven strategies, and create a space that actually feels safe and productive.
A new approach to helping clients might feel safer and more productive. If you are feeling anxious, and want to learn more about my approach, start with a free 15-minute consultation to get a feel for the process. Sometimes, a fresh approach makes all the difference.
Therapy sessions are confidential, and what you share won’t be disclosed without your written consent. There are a few legal exceptions to confidentiality, such as if there’s a risk of serious harm to you or others which will be addressed fully in the informed consent. If you’re using insurance, it’s important to know that most insurance companies require a mental health diagnosis for reimbursement. That diagnosis becomes part of your medical record, which some couples prefer to avoid. Because of this, many couples in the greater Los Angeles area choose to pay privately to maintain more privacy, keep their relationship issues out of their medical records, and avoid labeling their relationship or one partner with a clinical diagnosis.
If you’re stuck having the same fights on repeat, feeling emotionally distant, or just want to reconnect, relationship counseling can help. You don’t have to be in crisis to benefit. Whether you’re navigating big life transitions or simply want to strengthen your bond, expert guidance offers practical tools to improve communication, deepen connection, and shift unhelpful patterns quickly. Many couples just try one session and take it from there. You might be surprised how much clarity and hope you can gain right away. Book your free consultation here and let’s take the first step together.
If you’re feeling stuck in the same arguments, drifting apart, or craving better communication, relationship therapy can be a powerful investment. It’s ideal for busy couples who want efficient, research-backed strategies they can apply right away. Determining whether couples therapy is a worthwhile investment involves assessing your specific needs and commitment. Look at the therapist’s qualifications and the therapy model used. You don’t have to be in crisis to benefit. Many couples use therapy to reconnect, improve emotional safety, and become better teammates.
Every couple has a unique story. See reviews and results here.
Yes. I provide affirming support for LGBTQ+ couples navigating a wide range of experiences, including communication struggles, identity development, emotional safety, family planning, open relationship dynamics, and the impact of discrimination or trauma. Whether you’re dating, cohabiting, married, or exploring what your relationship means to you, therapy offers a safe, judgment-free space to be seen, understood, and supported.
Every couple deserves support that reflects their values, identities, and lived experiences, not a one-size-fits-all model. My approach is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and grounded relationship research.
Los Angeles is incredibly diverse, and therapy is a place to explore how different values, communication styles, or family expectations show up in your relationship. I use a culturally sensitive, affirming approach that honors each partner’s background and identity.
Absolutely. In a city like San Francisco… where innovation, intellect, and individuality thrive, many couples have different ways of thinking, feeling, or processing the world. Whether one or both of you are neurodivergent (ADHD, autism, sensory sensitivity, or other processing differences), therapy can offer tools and structure to help you understand and support each other more effectively.
Online couples therapy provides a flexible, accessible space to explore your differences and build shared understanding. Sessions may include visual tools, structured communication frameworks, and strategies tailored to how your minds work best, so you can reduce misunderstandings, regulate emotions, and connect in ways that feel safe and respectful for both of you.
The most important part is finding a therapist who understands neurodivergence and values your unique dynamic. With the right support, couples therapy becomes a powerful tool for deeper connection, communication, and mutual growth.
Whether ADHD, autism spectrum, sensory sensitivities, or other processing differences, a neurodiversity-affirming approach and therapist becomes a bridge to understanding each other better so you can co-regulate in a way that feels safe. I have been providing therapy with couples from diverse cultural backgrounds for two decades.
All relationship structures are welcome here. I provide affirming, judgment-free support for couples practicing ethical non-monogamy, polyamory, or open relationships.
Whether you’re navigating boundaries, managing jealousy, rebuilding trust, or simply wanting clearer communication in your dynamic, therapy offers a space to feel seen and supported. Los Angeles is home to many progressive relationship styles, and I work with couples to strengthen their connection, on their terms.
It’s incredibly common for one partner to feel ready before the other, especially if they feel shamed, have significant trauma or have previously had a negative experience in therapy. While couples therapy works best when both people are involved, change can still begin with just one of you with individual therapy sessions. If you start learning how to communicate more clearly, respond instead of react, and break old patterns, your partner will likely start responding differently too.
You’re welcome to start with a free 15-minute consultation, and I’ll help you figure out a path forward that feels supportive and doable for both of you.
Many of the couples I work with are not in crisis. They are proactive, high-achieving, and just feeling disconnected, stuck in the same relationship struggles, seeking premarital counseling or wanting to grow together more intentionally. Couples therapy isn’t only about fixing what’s broken; it’s also about leveraging your strengths and building habits that help you stay close, even during stressful times. Think of it as relationship coaching for your emotional bond. The earlier you start, the easier it is to shift patterns and create real connection.
Relationship counseling services may not be suitable for couples experiencing acute mental health emergencies, or domestic violence, where immediate and intensive in-person intervention is needed. Assess your situation carefully with a professional’s guidance before choosing the best support for your relationship.
Competent therapists can help you decide what is the best fit at this time. If you’re unsure, I’m happy to help you figure out the best next step in a consultation.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California, Texas & Florida.
Couples Therapy Online In California, including: San Francisco | Los Angeles | San Diego
Relationship Coaching available worldwide.
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