In LA, many couples appear to have it all together: the home, the career, the lifestyle. From the outside, everything looks enviable. But behind closed doors, many partners carry quiet disconnection: conversations that never go deeper than logistics, conflicts that recycle without resolution, intimacy that feels flat or absent.
Couples therapy isn’t about fixing what’s “broken.” It’s about uncovering the patterns that keep you from truly seeing and hearing one another. It’s about creating a relationship where both partners feel safe, alive, and deeply connected and not just maintaining appearances.
When we work together, we go beneath the surface. We explore how your histories : the families you grew up in, the wounds you’ve carried, the defenses you built shape how you love today. And we begin practicing new ways of relating that make space for honesty, vulnerability, and intimacy.
about me
I am Croatian born and raised licensed marriage and family therapist in Hermosa Beach, CA providing in person and virtual therapy to adults and couples. I work with my clients on rewriting their stories, so they can live their lives by design rather than by default. I’ll help you rewrite the way you think and feel about your relationships with yourself, the world, and those around you.
Couples come to see when they need help working through infidelity, building and rebuilding trust, communication difficulties, conflict issues, relational traumas, intimacy issues, difficulty connecting, avoidance and shutting down, jealousy, lack of physical and emotional connection, parenting... I also offer premarital counseling as well as two days weekend intensives for couples.
Individual clients often need help with overcoming trauma, shame, hopelessness, fear, divorce or parenting, existential wonder, difficulties setting boundaries, childhood neglect, learning how to trust themselves, self-worth, letting go, feeling and being comfortable with who they are, relational issues, childhood wounds, self sabotaging, loss and grief, religion/ spirituality, family and family of origin, and many more.
In my practice, I incorporate narrative, psychodynamic, family systems, Imago, somatic, and attachment theory through a trauma-informed lens.
Who I am.
We might be a good fit If...
Your relationship looks fine from the outside, but feels empty inside.
Couples therapy in Los Angeles and online in California
We might be a good fit If...
Conflicts feel endless or repetitive. No matter how many times you argue about the same issue, nothing seems to shift.
We might be a good fit If...
Intimacy can feel confusing or hard to navigate, and meeting each other’s needs feels challenging.
We might be a good fit If...
One of you withdraws while the other pursues. The more one shuts down, the more the other protests, leaving both of you frustrated and stuck.
We might be a good fit If...
Honest communication feels risky. It often seems easier to keep the peace than to share what you really feel.
We might be a good fit If...
Intimacy feels distant or disconnected. You miss the closeness, both emotional and physical that once brought you together.
We might be a good fit If...
Unspoken resentment lingers. On the surface, everything may function, but underneath there’s tension, disappointment or hurt that hasn’t been addressed.
We might be a good fit If...
You feel pressure to maintain an image. In your community, family or social circles, appearing “perfect” feels safer than showing your struggles.
We might be a good fit If...
You’re ready for more than surface-level fixes. You want to do the deeper work of reshaping how you connect and building a partnership that feels alive, authentic, and fulfilling.
What we’ll work on in therapy
Couples therapy in Los Angeles and online in California
Understanding your patterns
We’ll notice the cycles like conflict, withdrawal, or defensiveness that repeat in your relationship and keep you from feeling close. Naming these patterns is the first step to shifting them.
Exploring your histories
With care, we’ll look at how family dynamics, past relationships, and old wounds show up in show up in your relationship today. This helps each of you understand not only yourself, but also the deeper story behind your partner’s reactions.
Creating emotional safety
Together, we’ll practice ways of communicating that reduce defensiveness and increase trust, so both of you feel heard, respected, and secure enough to share openly.
Rebuilding intimacy
Beyond solving problems, we’ll focus on bringing back what makes your relationship feel alive -moments of affection, playfulness, curiosity, and genuine closeness.
Transforming conflict into growth
Rather than fighting the same battles over and over, you’ll learn how to repair faster and use disagreements as opportunities for growth and deeper connection.
Engaging the deeper questions of partnership
We’ll explore what kind of relationship you truly want to build together and how to keep your connection authentic, resilient, and fulfilling over time.
