Couples Therapy for South Asian Couples in California, Oregon and Connecticut
You should not have to explain your family before you can get help with your relationship.
If you are a South Asian couple, your relationship was never just the two of you. Parents, in-laws, extended family, community expectations and the way you were each raised all have a seat at the table, whether anyone invited them or not.
I offer online couples therapy to South Asian couples throughout California, Oregon and Connecticut. My approach is culturally responsive, which means your background is never something to work around. It is part of the picture, and it matters.
The Pressure Most Couples Never Have to Think About
Some of the conflict in your relationship is between the two of you. Some of it is much bigger than that.
For many South Asian couples, there is also the weight of generational patterns. You may have grown up with very different ideas about what a marriage should look like, how conflict should be handled, or how much to involve family. Trying to find a shared path can be complicated, especially when there is a fear of disappointing the people you love.
It can also bring up a lot of shame. Shame about disagreeing with family, about feeling unhappy, about considering therapy in the first place. It is a heavy load to carry, and it can make it feel like you are alone in this.
“You are not the only ones.”
A Space Where You Do Not Have to Translate
In our work together, you do not have to explain the basics of your culture, your family dynamics or why certain expectations feel so hard to navigate. I understand the complexity that can come with South Asian relationships, and I create a space where all of it is welcome.
“I do not ask you to leave your culture at the door.”
Emotionally Focused Therapy With a Cultural Lens
I use Emotionally Focused Therapy to help South Asian couples get to the heart of what is driving their conflict, not just on the surface, but at the emotional level underneath.
EFT helps couples identify the negative cycle they are caught in, understand the deeper longing underneath the conflict, and develop new ways of reaching for each other that create real safety and connection.
High Conflict Couples Therapy
For couples where conflict has become the dominant language of the relationship.
Some couples are not stuck. They are in a constant state of tension. Arguments escalate fast. Repair feels impossible. Trust has eroded. And the space between you feels less like distance and more like a wall.
If this is where you are, I want you to know something: this pattern makes complete sense given what is happening underneath it. And it can change.
I specialize in high-conflict relationships and I have seen couples in this exact place find their way back to each other. Not by learning to fight less, but by understanding what the fighting is really about and developing new ways to respond to each other when things get hard.
Using Emotionally Focused Therapy and trauma-informed approaches, I help high-conflict couples slow the reactive cycle down, understand the emotional needs driving it, and start building the kind of safety that makes connection possible again.
Virtual sessions available throughout California, Oregon and Connecticut.
Online Couples Therapy
The same quality of care, from wherever you are.
My practice is fully virtual. Sessions take place on a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform, so you can join from home or anywhere private.
That means no commute and no trying to get two busy people to the same office at the same time. In my experience, many couples open up more easily in a place where they already feel at home.
I am licensed to provide online couples therapy in California, Oregon and Connecticut.
Your Online Couples Therapist
I am Dr. Zena Vevaina, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 16 years of clinical experience. I have dedicated my career to helping couples understand the patterns keeping them stuck and find their way back to each other.
I specialize in high-conflict relationships and trauma recovery and I work from an attachment-based, trauma-informed framework. I provide fully LGBTQ+ affirming and culturally responsive care.
I am licensed to provide online couples therapy in California, Oregon and Connecticut.
The first step is a free consultation. It is just a conversation, a chance for you to ask questions, share a little about what is going on, and see if working together feels like the right fit. No pressure. No commitment. If you are a couple in California, Oregon or Connecticut ready to try something different, I would love to hear from you.