You are here because
something in your relationship
needs to change.
Expert couples therapy for the relationship that matters most.
Regina Abayev, JD, LMFT · Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #148775 · Hermosa Beach, California
Couples therapy in Los Angeles, and online across California.
I work with couples who want to protect, repair, or strengthen their relationship. You may be facing recurring conflict, emotional distance, loss of intimacy, betrayal, financial strain, a major transition, or a decision about the future. Couples therapy offers a private, structured setting to address these concerns directly and develop a more workable way of being together.
Unlike individual therapy, the work involves three entities: each partner and the relationship itself. A clinician must understand both perspectives, identify the interactional patterns that maintain distress, and help partners address difficult subjects without allowing the session to reproduce the conflict at home.
My clinical work draws on Emotionally Focused Therapy, the Gottman Method, Relational Life Therapy, Accelerated Resolution Therapy, and doctoral training in clinical sexology. I am also a trained mediator with advanced mediation and dispute-resolution training. This preparation supports focused work with high-conflict dynamics, communication breakdowns, sex and intimacy, infidelity and betrayal, financial conflict, and consequential relationship decisions.
Before entering clinical practice, I spent 19 years as an investment banker, attorney, and technology executive. I bring that professional experience, along with a direct and attentive clinical approach, to couples whose lives involve demanding work, complex decisions, and limited room for unresolved strain.
"The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your relationships."
Esther PerelAreas couples often need help with
This practice works with couples at every stage, from those hoping to strengthen a good relationship to those facing serious questions about what comes next.
If you have tried couples therapy before and found it passive, you will find this practice different.
I am fully engaged, direct, and present in every session. I share observations, challenge what is not working, and offer perspective grounded in clinical training and real experience with the full range of what couples bring in.
The more clearly two people understand what is actually driving the distance between them, the more likely they are to change it. We work to understand the dynamics, the history, the fears, and the unspoken needs.
Sessions are focused and productive. You leave with a clearer sense of what is happening and what each person can do differently.
Whatever you are bringing in, your privacy matters. This is a space without judgment, where you can speak honestly about what is happening without worrying about being misunderstood or exposed. I care about protecting your confidentiality, and I take that responsibility seriously. One of the reasons I do not work with insurance is to keep your personal information out of external systems and maintain full control over what is shared and with whom. Here, you can set down the public persona and simply be.
What couples say
"She helped us through one of the hardest points in our relationship. She created a space where we could both be fully honest, then helped us understand what was keeping us stuck and how to do things differently. It is clear that this work is deeply meaningful to her, and she brings real care to each person in the room."
Couples ClientAfter 19 years in law, finance, and tech, I bring a deep understanding of complex people, high expectations, and the pressure that comes with demanding lives. Much of that work was about reading what was happening beneath the surface, understanding needs versus wants, and knowing how to move forward when the stakes were high. That same skill set now helps the couples I work with move past repetitive patterns, communicate more clearly, and make decisions that reflect what they truly need.
A private practice space designed for serious work, with a view of the Pacific.
Questions couples often ask
What is couples therapy?
Couples therapy is a structured clinical process for understanding the pattern that has developed between two people and changing the conditions that keep it in place. It is not mediation, and it is not simply an opportunity to take turns speaking. The work asks each partner to examine how they respond under stress, what they have learned to expect from close relationships, and how their histories, beliefs, and unspoken assumptions shape the relationship.
What does couples therapy help with?
Couples therapy can help with recurring conflict, communication breakdowns, emotional distance, loss of physical or sexual intimacy, betrayal and infidelity, financial conflict, high-conflict dynamics, major life transitions, and uncertainty about the future of the relationship.
It can also support couples preparing for marriage, negotiating agreements before marriage, navigating co-parenting after separation, or working through relational patterns shaped by individual history or trauma.
How is Regina Abayev’s approach different?
I work actively and directly. From the first session, I pay attention to the interaction between you: how conflict begins, where communication breaks down, what each person does when they feel hurt or threatened, and what has become difficult to say.
I do not treat either person as the problem. I hold both partners accountable for their part in the relationship while helping each of you understand the pattern you have built together. The work begins in session and continues in the conversations and choices you make at home.
Does Regina Abayev work with LGBTQ+ couples?
Yes. I work with LGBTQ+ couples and welcome people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, and relationship structures. Therapy begins with the relationship in front of us rather than assumptions about what a relationship should look like.
Does Regina Abayev offer telehealth couples therapy in California?
Yes. I offer couples therapy by telehealth throughout California, as well as in-person sessions from my office in Hermosa Beach.
How long does couples therapy take?
The timeline depends on what brings you in, the history of the relationship, the severity of the current distress, and each partner’s ability to participate openly in the work. Some couples notice a meaningful shift within the first several sessions; others need more time, particularly when they are rebuilding trust after betrayal, addressing longstanding conflict, or making consequential decisions about the relationship.
The initial sessions establish a clear understanding of the concerns, the relationship pattern, and the work ahead. From there, we develop a focused plan that fits the needs of your relationship.
Further reading
The specific signs a relationship has moved past what the two of you can sort out alone, and what to expect from the first few sessions.
What each major couples therapy model believes, what it does well, and where it falls short.
Months of sessions and the same fight.
Recruiting the therapist, selective compliance, using sessions as evidence, and waiting for your partner to change.
Ready when you are.
Sessions held in person in Hermosa Beach and via telehealth throughout California.
Let’s Begin Regina Abayev, JD, LMFT · Hermosa Beach, CA · info@reginaabayev.com