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💑Relationships & Couples

Becoming parents changes everything — including each other.

Therapists in Los Angeles, California

"We used to be close. Now we're just coparenting strangers."
See a specialist this weekPMH-C Certified TherapistsTelehealth · see anyone from homeIn-network in California
In network with
Anthem Blue CrossBlue Shield of CaliforniaUnitedHealthcareCVS HealthAetna+9 more

No commitment. We'll confirm your coverage before your first session.

Virtual therapy for Los Angeles families

You're nursing in traffic on the 405 with a screaming infant in the back, calculating whether you have time to cry in the Target parking lot before pickup. Postpartum in LA collides hard with the city's structural realities: long commutes, expensive and unreliable childcare, and a sprawl that means even the friends you do have are an hour away on a bad day. The Valley, West LA, Silver Lake, Pasadena, Long Beach, the Eastside: every part of LA has its own version of the same problem. Building a life here is exhausting before a baby arrives. Postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and birth trauma layered on top of that exhaustion are not unusual. They are common, treatable, and almost never something parents reach out for in time. Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification and see clients across LA entirely by secure video. You meet from the nursery during a nap, from your kitchen between feedings, from your car if that's the only quiet room you have. Our clinicians specialize in postpartum depression, perinatal anxiety, birth trauma, and the identity rupture that nobody warned you about. There is no commute. There is no waiting room. There is just a conversation, when you're ready to have it.

Los Angeles neighborhoods: the Valley · West LA · Silver Lake · Pasadena · Long Beach · the Eastside

You might benefit from therapy if…

  • You've gone from partners to coparents and you don't know how to get back to each other
  • You're fighting about the same things over and over: chores, sleep, time, attention
  • You feel invisible to your partner, or like they're invisible to you
  • You've lost intimacy and you're not sure how to talk about it
  • You're resentful in ways that scare you a little
  • One or both of you is depressed or anxious and it's spilling into the relationship
Dr. Emily Guarnotta

Dr. Emily Guarnotta

Psychologist & Founder

From our founder

Almost every couple I see in the postpartum phase tells me some version of the same story: we used to be close, and now we feel like roommates. That's not a verdict on your relationship. It's a description of what this phase does. The couples who do the work usually come out closer than they were before, and that's why I love this part of the practice.

What therapy looks like

Couples therapy in the perinatal phase usually uses one of a few evidence-based approaches. Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is particularly well-suited because it focuses on the underlying emotional dynamics rather than the surface fight. The Gottman Method is also widely used for new parents, with practical structures for communication, repair, and intimacy. Some therapists draw on both. Many Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification and specifically work with couples in this phase. Early sessions typically map what's actually happening between you, including the patterns each partner brings, the specific stresses of the postpartum chapter, and the moments where things tend to come apart. From there the work involves rebuilding the way you communicate under pressure, addressing the division of labor in a way that actually sticks, and finding small, repeated moments of connection that make a meaningful difference over time. Most couples see real change in 12 to 20 sessions. If one or both partners is also dealing with depression, anxiety, or trauma, individual therapy alongside couples work often speeds up progress.

Our Relationships & Couples specialists in Los Angeles, California

Most Phoenix Health therapists hold PMH-C certification — the gold standard in perinatal mental health.

Real clients. Real relief.

What our clients say about their experience.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"After our daughter arrived, neither of us knew how to talk about what had changed between us without it becoming a fight. Our therapist helped us understand that connection after a baby looks completely different, and that waiting for things to go back to how they were wasn't going to work. We had to build something new."

new mom

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Nobody told me the baby would bring up every unresolved thing in our relationship at once. Old fights I thought we were past. Patterns from our own families. Who I thought my partner would be as a parent versus who he actually was. Our couples therapist helped us figure out what we were actually arguing about instead of just circling the same argument."

mom of 2

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"We went from a team to two separate people managing a crisis in the same house. I was keeping score without realizing it. She was exhausted in ways I couldn't see. Working with a therapist together helped us stop talking past each other and start talking to each other again. We're not the same couple we were before. We're better."

dad of 1

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We were having the same fight every Sunday night for six months. Once we started couples work I realized we were both saying the same thing in different words. We needed someone to translate. It changed everything.

Anna, mom of one

Expert care.
Covered in California.

  • Aetna (incl. CVS Health, First Health, & Meritain)
  • BCBS (incl. Anthem, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, & state plans)
  • Cigna / Evernorth
  • United Healthcare (UHC) / Optum (incl. UBH, UMR, Surest, Oscar, & Oxford)
  • Magellan Healthcare

Most clients pay less than $20 per session.

Accepted Insurance Networks

Aetna
Blue Cross Blue Shield
UnitedHealthcare
Cigna
Anthem
+9 more

Ready to start Relationships & Couples therapy? Here’s how it works.

The whole process takes about 5 minutes. We handle insurance — you just show up.

  1. 1

    Book your free call

    A quick 15-minute chat to hear what you're going through, answer your questions, and make sure we're a great fit for your needs. No cost, no commitment.

  2. 2

    Get matched

    We'll pair you with the right specialist for your specific situation. We'll also check your insurance, so you know your exact cost per session before moving forward.

  3. 3

    Start your first session

    Meet your therapist from the comfort of home. No commute, no waiting rooms, no judgment. Most clients notice a real difference within just 2 to 3 sessions.

No commitment · Most insurance accepted · Available this week

Common questions

  • It is extremely common, and that doesn't mean it's healthy to leave it alone. Most couples see a real dip in relationship satisfaction in the first year postpartum. Couples who get support tend to recover faster and more thoroughly than couples who try to wait it out.
  • Individual therapy can still make a meaningful difference. Often when one partner starts doing their own work, the dynamic shifts enough that the other becomes more open. And many things that feel like couple problems are actually individual stress that's spilling over.
  • Often both. For most couples in this phase, individual therapy for the partner who's struggling most (or both partners) alongside couples work is the most effective combination. Your therapist can help you decide what makes sense.
  • Intimacy after a baby is its own area of work, and it usually doesn't fix itself. Many couples find that the emotional repair has to happen first, and then physical intimacy follows. Talking about it explicitly with a therapist makes it much more likely to come back.
  • Yes. Phoenix Health provides telehealth therapy to residents of California. Sessions are conducted via secure video from your home, office, or anywhere private — no commute required. All Phoenix Health therapists are licensed and authorized to practice in California.
  • PMH-C (Perinatal Mental Health Certification) is awarded by Postpartum Support International (PSI) to clinicians who have completed advanced training in perinatal mental health — covering postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, birth trauma, and related conditions. It represents the gold standard of specialization in this field.
  • If you're struggling — with your mood, your thoughts, your relationship, or just how you're coping — that's enough of a reason to talk to someone. You don't need a diagnosis. A free consultation is a low-commitment first step.

From the Phoenix Health resource center

Articles and guides about relationships & couples

Postpartum Sex and Intimacy: Why It Changes and How to Navigate It

Read article →

The Uninvited Guest in Your Marriage: How PPD Impacts Your Relationship

You and your partner were a team. You navigated life's challenges together. But since the baby arrived, there’s an uninvited guest in your home, one that’s driving a wedge between you: postpartum depression. PPD doesn't just affect the person who is diagnosed; it profoundly impacts the entire family…

Read article →

Beyond the To-Do List: A Practical Guide to Dividing the Mental Load

You are the keeper of all the things. You know when the diapers are running low, when the next pediatrician appointment is, what size clothes the baby needs for the upcoming season, and what to make for dinner tonight. This is the "mental load"—the invisible, relentless, 24/7 job of managing a house…

Read article →

Trusted by leading voices in parenting and mental health

OBs, doulas, and pediatricians refer their patients to us because we specialize in maternal mental health.

  • Parents.com
  • Postpartum Support International
  • Healthline
  • HuffPost
  • Fatherly
  • Choosing Therapy

The sooner you start,
the sooner you'll
feel like yourself again.

You've been surviving. It's time to start healing.

No commitment · Covered by insurance · Available this week

Learning resources

💑Read our Relationships & Couples guides →

Often goes alongside

🌧Postpartum Depression🔥Parental Burnout🦋Matrescence👨‍👶Paternal Mental Health