Friendship therapy

Friendship therapy is a series of sessions where two friends meet with a therapist to work through what has gone wrong between them, or to deepen what is already good. Your therapist helps you slow down, say what each of you feels and needs, notice the patterns that keep repeating, and practice new ways to talk and listen. It is a space to be honest with someone who matters to you, with a neutral person guiding the conversation.

Yes. Friends often come to therapy to work on their platonic relationship, and the pain of a struggling friendship can be as real as the pain in family and romantic relationships. Friendship therapy gives you the same kind of structured, supportive space that couples and families use, and it is a good fit when a friend is important enough that you want to repair or strengthen the relationship.

Friends often come when the same argument keeps repeating, resentment is building, they are drifting apart, trust has been hurt, one friend is going through a crisis, or a life change has made the friendship feel unfamiliar. You can also come when things are fine and you want to deepen the connection. If you are unsure, a free consultation is a good place to ask.

Friendships change through different seasons of life, including changing careers, marriage, parenting, divorce, grief, and chronic illness. A friend who used to be available may now have little time, or one friend’s life may move faster or slower than the other’s, and both people can feel hurt or left behind. Therapy helps you talk about what has changed, name what you each need, and find ways to support the friendship through transitions.

Your therapist helps each of you share your side without interruption, slows down moments that heat up, and helps you hear each other. You may talk about a recent conflict, patterns you both fall into, how your histories affect the friendship, and what you each hope for next. You practice new ways to respond so you can use them between sessions.

Friendship therapy works best when both friends are willing to take part. If your friend is not ready, you are welcome to come on your own through therapy and counseling for adults in Pasadena & Los Angeles to work on your side of the friendship, your boundaries, and your feelings about it. Sometimes a friend decides to join later, once they see you are working on it.

Choose a calm moment and start with what the friendship means to you, not with blame. You might say that you want to keep the friendship and think a neutral person could help you both feel heard. Give your friend time to decide and the chance to ask questions. You can also start with a free consultation to learn how it works before you invite them.

Couples therapy in Pasadena & Los Angeles is for romantic partners, family therapy is for family members, and individual therapy is one-on-one work for you. Friendship therapy brings two friends together to work on a platonic relationship. If your relationship is a business partnership, you may want to read about co-founder therapy and business partner counseling. Your therapist can help you decide which fits.

Yes. After a betrayal, a broken promise, or a big fight, friends often do not know how to start the conversation again. Therapy gives you a steady place to say what happened, take responsibility for your part, listen to the impact on each other, and decide how to rebuild trust. We do not promise that a friendship will return to what it was, but we help both of you understand what is possible and move forward honestly.

Yes. Many people come because a friendship feels one-sided, draining, or full of unspoken expectations. Therapy helps you name what you need, set boundaries without losing the relationship, and notice patterns like over-giving, avoiding conflict, or keeping score. You can work on this together with your friend or on your own.

Yes. Losing a friend, whether through a fight, a slow drift, or a life change, can bring grief, anger, and self-doubt. In therapy you can talk through what happened, honor what the friendship meant, and decide whether to repair it, redefine it, or let it go. You can come on your own through individual therapy or with your friend.

Often, yes. Many Asian American friendships are shaped by family expectations, high-achieving environments, and communities where people avoid conflict to keep the peace, so hurt can go unspoken for years. Friends may also carry different immigrant stories, cultures, or levels of openness about feelings. Therapy gives you a space to say what has gone unsaid, with a team that understands these dynamics. You can read more about therapy for Asian American friendships and transitions and learn about our team on Who We Are.

Your therapist will explain at the start how confidentiality works when more than one person is in the room, including how information is shared and how paperwork and fees are handled for each friend. In general, what is shared in therapy is protected by professional ethics and privacy laws such as HIPAA, with limited exceptions required by California law, such as a serious risk of harm to someone, suspected abuse of a child, an older adult, or a dependent adult, or a court order.

The number of sessions depends on what you want to work on and how the friendship is doing. Some friends come for a few sessions to repair a specific conflict, and others meet longer to build new patterns. Your therapist will recommend a plan after getting to know you both, and you can check in and adjust it at any time.

Our team includes licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) and associate marriage and family therapists (AMFTs). Associates are employed by Oak and Stone Therapy and supervised by a licensed marriage and family therapist. Friends located in Washington work with our Washington-licensed therapist, Hanna Byeon, LMFT (CA #126398, WA #LF61325898). You can read each therapist’s background, license number, and specialties on Our Therapists.

Our Pasadena office offers friendship therapy for friends in Pasadena, South Pasadena, San Marino, La Cañada Flintridge, Altadena, and Sierra Madre. Your therapist helps you talk honestly, work through conflict, and rebuild closeness at a pace that works for both of you. You can learn more about our Pasadena office.

Yes. Our Highland Park office offers friendship therapy for friends in Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Mount Washington, Glendale, and La Crescenta. Friends can come to repair a conflict, set boundaries, or support the friendship through a life change, and your therapist works with both of you. You can learn more about our Highland Park office.

Yes. Our Los Angeles office in Koreatown offers friendship therapy for friends in Koreatown, Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Larchmont Village, Mid-Wilshire, Mid-City, Silver Lake, and Downtown Los Angeles. Sessions focus on helping each friend feel heard and finding practical ways to change the patterns that keep repeating. You can learn more about our Los Angeles office in Koreatown.

Yes. Friends located in California can meet with our therapists online through a HIPAA-compliant platform, including friends in San Francisco, the Peninsula, the East Bay, and Silicon Valley cities such as Sunnyvale, Fremont, Cupertino, Saratoga, and Milpitas. Because our therapists are licensed in California, both friends need to be located in California during an online session, so ask us about options if one of you lives in another state or country. You can read more about online therapy across California and therapy in San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Yes. Friends located in Washington can meet online with our Washington-licensed therapist, Hanna Byeon, LMFT (CA #126398, WA #LF61325898), including friends in Seattle, Lynnwood, Bothell, Edmonds, Mukilteo, and Shoreline. Only therapists licensed in Washington can see clients located in Washington, and both friends need to be located in Washington during a session. You can learn more about online therapy in Washington and our Seattle therapy office.

Request a free consultation through our contact page. Tell us a little about your friendship and what you would like to change, and we will help match you with a therapist. You can find session fees on our Fees page.