Specialized care for couples carrying old trauma into their present-day relationship, without years of rehashing the past.
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Prefer to talk first? Call us at 626-657-0061.
Los Angeles asks a lot of a relationship. Long commutes, demanding careers, high costs, and schedules that barely overlap. By the time you and your partner are finally in the same room, there isn’t much left for each other, and the small things start landing hard.
Maybe it’s the same argument, almost word for word, and it never gets settled.
Maybe one of you gets louder while the other goes quiet, and you both walk away feeling alone.
Maybe you’ve already tried couples counseling, and it helped for a while, but the old pattern came back.
Maybe you love each other and still can’t work out why a missed text or a tone of voice can take over a whole evening.
If any of this sounds familiar, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with your relationship, and it doesn’t mean you picked the wrong person.
What’s Really Driving the Fight
At The Center for Healthy Relationships, we call it Body History™: the pockets of unresolved feelings and old beliefs each of us carries in the body, formed long before this relationship began. When things are calm, Body History stays quiet. When stress or conflict shows up, it wakes up and starts running the show with old, self-protective beliefs that have nothing to do with what’s happening between you right now.
That’s why the reaction feels bigger than the moment. The old response is faster than either of you can think.
Relationship therapy with us is about what’s happening now, in present time. We won’t ask you to dig through your shared history for old wounds. We help you both see what surfaces between you, where it comes from, and what to do about it as a team.
How Relationship Therapy Works Here
Most couples therapy has each partner facing the therapist and taking turns explaining their side. That keeps the therapist in the middle of the conversation.
We work differently. We teach a process called Empathetic Conversation™, a structured way of talking directly to each other. It brings up the patterns that cause disconnection and builds emotional safety as you talk. I stay present as a guide. I step in when it opens the way to deeper connection, not to referee.
Over time, you’ll learn to:
- Recognize when Body History is running the moment instead of what’s true between you now
- Slow the pattern down before it turns into the same fight
- Say what you need without it landing as criticism
- Stay in the room together, even when it’s uncomfortable, and come out closer
The goal isn’t just getting through today’s conflict. You’ll leave with skills you both own, not something you need a therapist to keep up.
Who This Is For
Relationship therapy is a strong fit if you are:
- A couple stuck in a repeating conflict cycle
- Partners where one or both of you carry childhood trauma, loss, or betrayal into the relationship
- A couple rebuilding trust after a rupture
- Partners who feel more like roommates than a couple
- Someone whose partner isn’t ready for couples work yet. Individual therapy can help you understand the relationship patterns you bring with you. Learn about Individual Therapy →
Couples therapy isn’t the right fit when there’s ongoing violence, coercion, or danger in the relationship. If that’s your situation, we’ll talk about safer next steps together. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Online Relationship Therapy Across Los Angeles
Sessions are held by secure video, so you don’t have to cross the 405 at rush hour to get to therapy. Couples join from home or wherever feels private, from Pasadena, the San Gabriel Valley, the Westside, the Valley, downtown, the South Bay, and everywhere in between.
Because therapy licensing works state by state, you need to be physically located in California (or Utah or Wyoming) at the time of each session. If one of you travels for work, let’s talk about it during your consultation.
Want Faster Movement? Consider a Couples Intensive
If your schedules make weekly sessions hard to sustain, or you’re ready to break the pattern rather than manage it one hour a week, a Couples Therapy Intensive compresses the same Body History™ and Empathetic Conversation™ work into one extended, focused session.
Explore the Couples Therapy Intensive →
Meet Tamara Ridge, LMFT
For most of my career, I’ve watched the same pattern play out in the therapy room. A couple comes in because of a fight, a shutdown, a distance that’s grown between them, and underneath it, almost always, is something older. It’s rarely about the dishes.
I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 30 years of experience, licensed in California (MFC37840), Utah (5772650-3902), and Wyoming (LMFT-319). Before focusing on private practice, I spent years in community mental health as a therapist, clinical supervisor, and program manager overseeing trauma-informed care at organizations including Hillsides, ChildHelp, and Shelter from the Storm. I’ve also done my own extensive work healing childhood trauma, so I’m not asking you to do anything I haven’t done myself.
Wondering About Cost or Insurance?
We work as an out-of-network provider so you get therapy built around your goals, not your insurance company’s session limits. Most clients use out-of-network benefits to offset the cost, and during your free consultation, I check your out-of-network benefits for you directly.
Current session rates, payment options, and the cancellation policy can be found here: Fees & Insurance →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have an office in Los Angeles?
All sessions are online by secure video, I do not work from a Los Angeles physical office. That means you can do this work from home, anywhere in Los Angeles County or elsewhere in California, without adding a drive to an already full week.
Does online couples therapy work as well as in-person?
For many couples, yes. Being at home can make it easier to practice new patterns in the same place where the old ones show up. We’ll talk during your consultation about whether telehealth is a good fit for your situation.
Do we both need to be in the same place for sessions?
It usually works best if you’re together, but it’s not required. Each partner does need to be physically located in California, Utah, or Wyoming during the session.
Do we have to talk about our childhoods?
No. We focus on what’s intruding into your relationship right now. When something from the past matters, we’ll look at it only as much as it helps you in the present.
What if my partner won’t come?
You can start on your own. Individual therapy can help you understand your part of the pattern and change how you respond, and that often shifts the whole relationship.
What happens in the free consultation?
It’s a free 15-minute phone call. We’ll talk about what’s bringing you in, check your out-of-network benefits, and see if we’re a good fit. No commitment required.
Ready to start doing this work together?
If what you read here resonated with you, whether you’re navigating relationship patterns, healing from trauma, or wanting a deeper sense of safety and connection in your life, that’s exactly what I help with. I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), licensed in California, Utah, and Wyoming, and I work with clients across California, Utah, and Wyoming, fully online. I offer individual therapy, couples therapy, and focused EMDR and Couples Therapy Intensives for people ready to do meaningful, lasting work.
The best way to begin is a free 15-minute phone consultation, where we talk through what’s bringing you in and see if we’re a good fit. No commitment required.
Prefer to talk first? Call us at 626-657-0061.
This practice is not a crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For urgent emotional support, call or text 988.
