I accept a limited number of new clients to ensure the highest level of responsiveness and personalized care for my existing practice. I currently work with clients in-person at my Hermosa Beach office and virtually throughout California.

My availability changes weekly.

The best way to secure an appointment is to view my live calendar via the "Work with Me" button at the top of this page.

• If you see a slot: I recommend booking it, as openings tend to fill quickly.

• If you do not see a time that works: Please email me directly. I often have cancellations or shifting availability that doesn't always make it to the public calendar, and I can add you to my priority waitlist.

I offer both. For local clients, I provide in-person therapy at my office in Hermosa Beach (convenient to Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Palos Verdes). For busy professionals throughout California, I offer secure, HIPAA-compliant virtual therapy. This allows you to access high-level care from the privacy of your home or office, regardless of your location in the state.

I also offer evening and weekend hours for clients who cannot easily step away during the workday.

• Individual Therapy: $300 per 50-minute session.

• Couples & Family Therapy: $350 per 55-minute session.

• Intensive Sessions: $450 per 75-minute session (recommended for intake appointments when there is a lot of ground to cover).

• Please reach out for half and full-day intensive session pricing and availability.

I do not accept insurance. This is a private pay practice. I do not bill insurance directly.

That said, if you have a PPO plan with out-of-network mental health benefits, you may be eligible for partial reimbursement. I provide monthly superbills you can submit to your insurance company. Before your first session, it is worth calling your provider to ask specifically about your out-of-network mental health coverage and reimbursement rates.

Warm, direct, and focused. I am genuinely invested in the people I work with and I take this work seriously. You will feel that from the first session.

I am an active presence. I share observations, ask hard questions, and will name what I am seeing even when it is uncomfortable. At the same time, people consistently tell me they feel understood here in a way they have not before, and that they can say things in this room they have never said out loud to anyone.

We work with intention. Sessions move somewhere. You will leave with a clearer sense of what is happening and something real to take with you.

This comes up a lot, and it's a fair concern. Therapy that just recycles the same conversations without going anywhere is frustrating, and it doesn't have to be that way.

Here, sessions move with intention. We are not just processing what happened this week. We are looking at why it keeps happening and what is actually driving it. I am active in that process. I will share what I am seeing, point out the patterns that are hard to spot from the inside, and hold you accountable to the changes you say you want to make.

If you are looking for a place to vent without being challenged, this is probably not the right fit. If you are ready to actually understand what is going on and do something about it, this is exactly the right place.

I work best with driven, high-functioning people who are good at doing hard things and are ready to bring that same commitment to their personal lives. I often work with executives, business owners, and those in leadership roles. My practice is designed for professionals in high-stakes environments, including law, finance, and tech. I help clients navigate burnout, career transitions, difficult work relationships, and the anxiety that comes with high-performance expectations.

While I bring executive experience to the room, our work goes deeper than strategy. Coaching often focuses on future performance and tactical goals. Therapy with me addresses the root causes of your behaviors, your relational patterns, and the emotional blocks that keep you stuck. We don't just solve the work problem; we solve the underlying dynamic so it doesn't keep happening.

Dr. Mike Collins and I co-facilitate an in-person co-ed adult process group at our offices in Hermosa Beach. The group is limited to 10 members and meets at 6:15 every Wednesday for 90 minutes. There is currently one opening in the Wednesday group and we are forming a waitlist for a Monday night group. Reach out to info@reginaabayev.com for details.

Most couples come in stuck in the same cycle, having the same fight with different details. My job is to help you see what is actually happening beneath the surface, not just what you are arguing about, but why you keep ending up in the same place.

I draw on Relational Life Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and depth-oriented approaches depending on what the couple needs. I am active and direct in the room. I will point out the dynamic as it is happening, not after the fact. Couples often tell me they get more clarity in the first session than they have in months of trying to work it out on their own.

We look at what each person brings into the relationship, the patterns, the defenses, the unmet needs, and we work on building something more honest and connected from there. This is not communication scripts. It is real change.

I have completed Gottman Level 1 & 2 training and respect the method, but my primary approach is Relational Life Therapy (RLT). While the Gottman method is excellent for conflict management, I find that RLT goes deeper into the individual issues that plague the relationship. We won't just talk about how to fight fair; we will look at why you are fighting in the first place. This approach empowers each partner to take responsibility for their own reactivity, which is where the real transformation happens.

Yes. A co-founder relationship is a "professional marriage," and it suffers from the same communication breakdowns as a romantic one. Whether you are navigating a stalemate in strategy or a loss of trust, I use my background in mediation and RLT to help you de-escalate conflict and rebuild a functional, profitable partnership.

Yes. I specialize in helping clients navigate the disorientation of betrayal trauma, whether from infidelity, a high-conflict divorce, or a professional breach of trust. Trauma in high-functioning individuals often doesn't look like "falling apart"—it looks like hyper-vigilance, controlling behaviors, or emotional shutting down. I use evidence-based approaches to help you process the shock, stabilize your nervous system, and rebuild your ability to trust—not just others, but your own judgment.

Absolutely. Many couples I work with function perfectly as "business partners" running a household, but have lost the thread of intimacy. This isn't usually a communication problem; it's a safety and vulnerability problem. I help couples move past the "roommate phase" by identifying the emotional blocks that kill desire. We will work on restoring not just the friendship, but the erotic and emotional aliveness in the relationship, moving you from functional to connected.

Yes. Whether you are dealing with a high-conflict co-founder, a narcissistic parent, or a complex blended family dynamic, the stress can be paralyzing. We cannot change them, but we can fundamentally change the way you engage with them. I help clients master the art of differentiation—the ability to stay connected to your own values and reality even when those around you are chaotic. We will build specific strategies for boundaries that allow you to stop absorbing their anxiety and start protecting your peace.

I believe in being transparent about where I can offer the most value—and where I cannot. To ensure ethical and effective care, I do not work with:

• Children and Adolescents: My practice is focused on adults (18+), families, and couples. I may work with adolescents 16+ on a case-by-case basis.

• Active Physical Violence in Relationships: I do not provide couples therapy when active physical violence or severe coercive control is present. In these situations, joint therapy is clinically contraindicated because it can compromise safety.

• Acute Crisis or Higher Level of Care: As a private practitioner, I do not have the infrastructure to safely treat active, untreated substance dependency, severe eating disorders, or acute suicidality requiring 24-hour monitoring.

• Custody or Legal Evaluations: Although I hold a JD, I do not provide legal counsel, child custody evaluations, or court testimony for my therapy clients. My role is strictly limited to your clinical care.