Offering individuals and couples a deeper awareness in understanding their stories, healing past wounds, and living with more freedom and intention.
I provide relational therapy in Hermosa Beach and to clients across the South Bay, including Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach. I also offer online therapy throughout California, so you can receive compassionate, insight-oriented support no matter where you are.
Insightful and Relational Therapy in Los Angeles
We all have stories that tell us who and what we are. Some of the stories you carry were shaped by your early experiences - they were written by how you learned to survive and be in the world, especially when the people you depended on weren’t always able to meet your needs. To stay connected, you may have adapted by shrinking ourselves, staying quiet, being “the good one,” or learning not to need too much. These survival strategies helped you then, but they often follow people into adulthood in ways that no longer serve them.
In therapy, we begin by recognizing these patterns and understanding that they are not fixed and that you are not doomed. Your way of being can change, and you hold agency to choose new ways of being that feel more authentic and freeing.
Therapy is also about turning toward the feelings you had to push away, including anger, sadness, shame or even excitement. Unprocessed emotions don’t vanish; they live in the body and can show up as anxiety, perfectionism or overwhelm. Therapy offers a safe space to feel these emotions fully, in real time, which is where real healing begins.
Finally, healing grows through action. Insight alone isn’t enough to cultivate change. As you understand yourself more deeply and make space for your feelings, you’ll start trying out new ways of relating: setting boundaries, asking for support or simply resting without guilt. These moments, big or small, reinforce that you’re no longer living in the patterns of your past.
Therapy becomes an expansive space to experiment and learn to trust that change is always possible.
Therapy Begins With Learning Your Story
Relational Therapy for Couples and Individuals in Hermosa Beach & the South Bay
What we can work together on:
Therapy for Individuals and Couples in Hermosa Beach and throughout the South Bay
Couples
New Parents
neurodivergence
high-achievers
click on each therapy offering to learn more
click on each therapy offering to learn more
Learn a little bit about a couple of the many areas we frequently work through in therapy.
Couples Therapy
Many couples come to me feeling like they’ve lost each other. Conversations escalate into arguments, passion keeps waning or trust feels fragile. In therapy, I help partners notice what keeps pulling them apart and create space for something new to happen. When both people feel understood, it becomes possible to rebuild safety and connection in a way that lasts. Explore more→
cross-cultural couples
neurodiverse couples
New Parents
Life with a new baby can be beautiful, and it can also be disorienting. You may find yourself missing the version of your relationship that felt easier, or wondering who you are now that everything has changed. I help new parents navigate the shifts in identity, partnership, and daily life so they can meet this chapter with more steadiness and closeness. Explore more→
therapy for moms
premarital therapy
Neurodivergence
When neurodivergence is part of a relationship, small misunderstandings can sometimes grow into painful distance. One partner may feel unseen while the other feels criticized or not enough. In our work, we bring curiosity and compassion to these moments so that difference doesn’t have to mean disconnection. Together, we’ll explore how to build understanding and closeness in ways that fit who you are. Explore more→
COuples therapy
individual therapy
High-Achieving Professionals
Holding everything together can come at a cost. On the outside, it may look like you’re thriving. But inside, you might feel stretched thin, unable to rest, or unsure what would happen if you stopped pushing. Therapy offers a place to step out of that pressure and listen to what you actually need. Over time, it becomes easier to live with more ease and authenticity. Explore more→
attachment wounds
couples therapy
Relational Trauma
The ways we learned to cope as children don’t disappear just because we’re grown. You may notice old patterns like people-pleasing or silencing yourself showing up in your adult relationships. In therapy, we approach these wounds with care and patience. Together, we’ll create new experiences of safety and connection that can reshape how you relate to yourself and others. Explore more→
HIGH CONFLICT COUPLES
HIGH ACHIEVERS
Premarital Counseling
Entering marriage brings both excitement and questions about how life will feel together. Premarital counseling provides a space to explore communication styles, expectations, and shared values. It helps partners understand each other more fully and build a foundation of trust and connection before marriage. Explore more→
new parents
online therapy
Weekend Intensives
Weekend intensives offer an immersive experience to focus on your relationship away from everyday distractions. My intensives teach couples how to work through persistent challenges, practice new ways of connecting, and gain insights that support lasting growth and deeper intimacy. Explore more→
couples therapy
individual therapy
I’m a Croatian-born, licensed marriage and family therapist based in Hermosa Beach, California, offering both in-person and virtual therapy to couples and adults across the South Bay and greater LA area.
My passion lies in relationships. I remain deeply curious in learning about how we connect with ourselves, our partners, and the world around us. I hold onto the stories people tell themselves about those connections. As a therapist, I help couples and individuals rewrite those stories so they can live more meaningfully and authentically.
Early in my career, I worked as a marriage mediator, but I realized my passion was rooted more in helping couples rebuild and thrive. Today, with specialized training in conflict resolution and mediation, I value bringing a relational, attachment-informed approach to therapy.
Couples come to me facing complex challenges like infidelity, trust-building, communication struggles, relational trauma, intimacy, jealousy, conflict, and parenting. I also offer premarital counseling and weekend intensive sessions designed to help couples strengthen their bond and navigate life transitions with greater ease.
Individual clients often seek support for healing trauma and shame, navigating grief and loss, exploring identity and self-worth, setting boundaries, and learning to be comfortable with who they are.
I weave together different approaches, including narrative therapy, psychodynamic insight, family systems, Imago, somatic awareness, and attachment theory, all through a trauma-informed lens. Drawing from my mediation background, I also use Nonviolent Communication techniques to help couples and individuals foster clearer, more compassionate connections.
Who I am
How to get started
contact me
Reach out using the contact form. Share a bit about what’s bringing you to therapy- no need to overthink it. I’ll get back to you with next steps.
01.
initial
consultation
We’ll start with a free call. This is a chance for both of you to ask questions, get a feel for my approach, and see if we’re a good fit. No pressure, just conversation.
02.
first
appointment
If we decide to work together, in our first full session, we’ll dive into what’s been feeling stuck or painful in your relationship. I’ll help you both slow things down, name what’s not working, and begin mapping a path forward.
03.
ongoing
sessions
We’ll work together weekly (or biweekly, depending on your needs) to build stronger communication, heal past wounds, and create more connections. Every step is tailored to your relationship, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
04.
sign up
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