The problem is rarely one person.
Couples therapy for partners ready to understand the pattern between them.
Couples Therapy
Dr. Nazanin Fathi, Ed.D., LMFT
The problem is rarely one person.
Couples therapy for partners who want to stop circling the same fight and understand what is going on between them. 50-minute sessions, by telehealth across California, in English or Farsi.
What Couples Bring
Familiar fights, quiet distance, a hard season.
Some couples come in after a specific rupture: an affair, a betrayal of trust, a decision one person made alone. Others come because nothing dramatic has happened and they still feel like roommates.
- Arguments that repeat no matter what they're about
- One partner who pursues and one who withdraws
- Different expectations about money, family, sex or time
- Rebuilding trust after it has been broken
- Deciding whether, and how, to stay together
- Parents who have stopped feeling like partners
Couples of every gender and orientation are welcome, including LGBTQ+ couples.
What Dr. Fathi Asks of Couples
Readiness to hear honest feedback.
In sessions, each person gets room to speak and to be understood. Dr. Fathi won't take sides, and she won't let one partner become the identified problem.
She will also be direct. If she sees each of you doing something that keeps the cycle going, she will say so. Couples get the most from this work when both people are willing to hear that about themselves.
A Typical Arc
What the sessions tend to focus on.
- 01
Each person's view
Early sessions give each partner space to describe what's happening and what they want, while the other listens.
- 02
The cycle between you
You map the sequence that repeats: the trigger, the reaction, the counter-reaction. It becomes something you both face.
- 03
New moves in hard moments
You practice slowing down, asking instead of assuming, and repairing after a misstep. There's no set number of sessions; you'll review progress together.
Beyond blame
When a couple is hurting, the conversation often turns into who is at fault. Couples therapy offers a balanced space where both partners are heard and respected, so you can move past blame and toward the emotions and unmet needs underneath the conflict.
That might mean talking about communication that keeps breaking down, infidelity or broken trust, changes in intimacy, disagreements about parenting, or uncertainty about the future of the relationship.
What the work asks for
This work rests on empathy, honesty and mutual respect from both partners. Therapy can help you understand each other more clearly and make more informed choices. It does not promise reconciliation or any particular outcome; what you decide together is yours.
Ready to talk about it together?
See how sessions, availability and fees work before you reach out.