6 Highly Recommended Couples Therapists in Pasadena
Finding the right couples or marriage therapist can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re looking for someone who understands the deeper layers of your relationship — the cultural stories you carry, the family systems you grew up in, and the emotional patterns that show up between you and your partner. In Pasadena, many couples are searching for support that goes beyond communication skills and conflict management. They want a therapist who can hold complexity, honor identity, and help them build a relationship that feels grounded, connected, and aligned with who they are.
If you’re looking for couples therapy in Pasadena, or nearby neighborhoods such as Altadena, La Canada, La Crescenta, Eagle Rock, Sierra Madre, San Marino, and South Pasadena, here are several highly recommended clinicians at our practice who bring a trauma‑informed, culturally attuned, and depth‑oriented approach to their work with partners.
Our in-person Pasadena couples and marriage therapists:
Sarah Ling, AMFT 165464
Sarah is a Chinese/Taiwanese couples therapist who works under supervision in-person at the Pasadena office, offering a warm, steady, and deeply attuned presence to couples work. She supports partners who feel stuck in cycles of miscommunication, emotional distance, or conflict avoidance, especially when those patterns are shaped by cultural expectations or childhood roles. Sarah is particularly skilled at helping couples name what feels unsaid, reconnect emotionally, and build a relationship that feels safe and grounded.
Areas of focus:
communication breakdowns
conflict avoidance
cultural identity differences
emotional disconnection
shame and self‑criticism
navigating family expectations
couples in transitions, such as parenting or a big move
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Kate Han, AMFT #158365
Kate is a bilingual Korean-speaking couples therapist who works under supervision in-person at the Pasadena office, offering a strong family systems lens, including the Gottman Method and Restoration Therapy, to couples work, helping partners understand how their upbringing, cultural narratives, and relational wounds influence their current patterns. She is especially attuned to couples navigating in‑law conflict, 1st generation Asian immigrant couples, boundary challenges, and emotional disconnection.
Areas of focus:
family‑of‑origin dynamics
communication breakdowns
cultural expectations
boundary challenges
relational trauma
intercultural & interracial couples
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Elizabeth Yoshonis, AMFT #157277
Elizabeth is a skilled couples therapist who works under supervision in-person at the Pasadena office, offering a depth‑oriented, trauma‑informed evidence-based practice to couples therapy (e.g. Emotion-Focused Therapy and Restoration Therapy). She helps partners understand the emotional and relational wounds that shape their patterns — especially when those wounds come from childhood, cultural narratives, or past relationships. Her presence is steady, compassionate, and grounding for couples navigating complex emotional histories.
Areas of focus:
betrayal trauma
emotional disconnection
conflict cycles rooted in shame
cultural identity differences
high‑functioning but overwhelmed couples
intercultural & interracial couples
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Michelle Park, AMFT #165227
Michelle is an Asian American couples therapist who works under supervision in-person at the Pasadena office and has a passion for helping couples navigate cultural expectations, identity differences, and the emotional patterns that show up in long‑term relationships. Utilizing the Gottman Method and Restoration Therapy systems framework, she works especially well with partners who grew up in high‑pressure environments, parentified roles, or families where emotions weren’t openly expressed. Her approach is warm, steady, and deeply attuned.
Areas of focus:
communication breakdowns
conflict avoidance
shame and self‑criticism
cultural identity differences
emotional disconnection
navigating faith, spirituality, or religious trauma
intercultural & interracial couples
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Nancy Denq, LMFT #146636
Nancy is a Taiwanese American and bilingual Mandarin-speaking couples therapist in-person at the Pasadena office, who brings a grounded, relational presence to couples therapy, helping partners navigate the tension between cultural expectations, personal needs, and relational patterns. She is especially skilled at discernment counseling where one or both partners are ambivalent or unsure about doing couples therapy, and supporting couples who feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in repetitive cycles that feel hard to break.
Areas of focus:
attachment injuries
communication struggles
cultural pressure and guilt
extended family involvement
balancing caregiving with personal needs
emotional intimacy and reconnection
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Elizabeth Ku, AMFT #149827
Elizabeth is an Asian American couples therapist who works under supervision and works from a trauma‑informed, attachment‑focused lens that helps couples understand the emotional and intergenerational patterns shaping their relationship. She is especially attuned to partners who grew up parentified, high‑achieving, or carrying unspoken responsibilities. Her work is gentle, validating, and deeply supportive for couples who want to understand themselves and each other more fully.
Areas of focus:
intergenerational trauma
emotional withdrawal or shutdown
perfectionism and burnout
identity exploration
conflict cycles rooted in childhood experiences
interracial or intercultural relationship dynamics
intercultural & interracial couples
Learn more ⟶
Beyond the therapists listed above, our practice includes a team of clinicians who provide culturally attuned, trauma‑informed couples therapy across Pasadena, Highland Park, Koreatown Mid City Los Angeles, and virtually throughout the Bay Area San Francisco and California. Each therapist brings a grounded, relational approach that honors your lived experience and the complexity of your relationship.
Common areas of support:
communication breakdowns
conflict avoidance
emotional disconnection
work/life imbalance
parenting differences
ADHD‑related relational challenges
shame and self‑criticism
discernment counseling for ambivalent couples
trauma and intergenerational wounds
Finding the Right Couples Therapist in Pasadena
Couples therapy is not just about learning skills — it’s about understanding the emotional, cultural, and relational patterns that shape how you show up with your partner. When you work with a therapist who understands those layers, the work becomes deeper, more meaningful, and more transformative.
If you’re ready to begin couples therapy in Pasadena with a therapist who can hold your complexity with care, we’re here. Reach out for a free consultation today.
