Cross Cultural Couples Therapy in Los Angeles
Relational therapy in the south bay for navigating cultural differences, identity, values, and family expectations without losing connection or yourself
Cross-cultural couples therapy for partners navigating differences in culture, identity, family values, and communication styles. Based in Hermosa Beach, I work with couples across Los Angeles, the South Bay, and online throughout California who want support understanding each other more deeply without asking either partner to give up who they are.
Through couples therapy, we slow things down so cultural differences don’t turn into chronic conflict, disconnection or resentment, but they become a foundation for mutual respect, emotional safety, and lasting connection.
Cross-cultural couples often live in two worlds at once: the bond between two people, and the unseen histories, traditions, and emotional patterns each partner brings. Family expectations, cultural values, language, and identity all shape how you love, argue, and repair.
In cross cultural couples therapy, we’ll make space for both of those realities: the connection between you and the stories that live beneath it. Together we’ll slow down and notice the ways your differences show up, not to erase them but to understand their impact. Maybe one of you grew up believing that love means sacrifice, while the other learned that love means open self-expression. Perhaps one of you was raised to “talk it out,” while the other learned to “keep it in the family.” These differences aren’t about right or wrong; they reflect the rhythms your nervous systems grew up with, the ways you each learned closeness, safety, and repair. So much conflict in cross-cultural relationships comes from feeling like you need to defend who you are rather than being fully embraced. In therapy, we’ll explore what’s underneath the surface irritations, often tender questions like “Do I still matter to you?” or “Can I be fully myself here?”
This is also where understanding your own inner world matters. Exploring identity, attachment, and emotional patterns through individual therapy can help you stay present in the relationship rather than feeling reactive or shut down.
Relational Therapy for Cross-Cultural Couples in Hermosa Beach and the South Bay
Bridging Cultures, Deepening Connections...
Supporting Multicultural Relationships with Therapy in Los Angeles and Online in California
We might be a good fit If...
You love your partner, but sometimes it feels like you're navigating two entirely different worlds. The misunderstandings aren’t just about who does the dishes or how you spend money; they’re layered with cultural expectations, unspoken rules, and emotional habits shaped long before you met.
We might be a good fit If...
You want to understand what exactly you fight about when you fight about who does the dishes or how you spend money. You also want to learn how to repair and reconnect afterward.
We might be a good fit If...
You’re noticing different values or expectations around things like parenting, money, gender roles, boundaries, or emotional expression, and you want to approach these conversations with more care and less blame.
We might be a good fit If...
You feel caught between loyalty to your family or community and your relationship, and you’re not sure how to honor both.
We might be a good fit If...
You’ve realized that love isn’t enough when there are unresolved wounds, unspoken assumption or power dynamics shaped by race, gender, class or culture, and you’re ready to face those layers together with support.
We might be a good fit If...
You're ready to shift the focus from who's right or wrong to: "What are we both protecting here? What do we both need?"
We might be a good fit If...
You want to find a way to move forward that doesn’t require one of you to shrink, erase your background, or carry the emotional labor of “explaining” all the time.
We might be a good fit If...
You’re carrying complex grief, shame or confusion about your past, and you are looking for a safe place to unpack what’s been too overwhelming to hold alone.
Cross-cultural love carries both tenderness and tension: the tenderness of expanding each other’s worlds, and the tension of not always knowing how to bridge the gap. What feels safe and familiar to one of you may feel foreign or even unsettling to the other. Without understanding the deeper layers at play, these moments can quietly turn into distance rather than connection.
Many cross-cultural couples are also navigating differences in communication styles: how emotions are expressed, how needs are voiced, and how repair happens after conflict. When those styles clash, one partner may lean anxious, reaching for reassurance, clarity, or closeness, while the other may lean avoidant, pulling back to create space or regain a sense of safety. Cultural messages around independence, emotional expression, or loyalty can make these patterns feel even more confusing or charged.
In therapy, we slow down enough to notice these dynamics without blame. We explore how culture, attachment, and early relational experiences shape the way each of you shows up, especially during moments of stress or disconnection. Over time, this awareness allows you to respond to each other with more intention and care, rather than reacting from old survival strategies.
As this understanding deepens, what once felt like a wall between you can become a doorway. A place where difference no longer means threat, but curiosity. Where both of you can feel seen, respected, and emotionally safe, and not despite your cultural backgrounds but with them fully included. Together, we work toward building a relationship that feels less like a negotiation of differences and more like a shared home where you both belong.
