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Couples Therapy in Los Angeles

Our relationship is growing and evolving through predictable developmental stages. Each stage has its challenges to overcome and rewards to attain. Couples therapy can help us learn to move with grace through the stages of love, and create the harmoneous connection we desire.

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Premarital Counseling

Marriage is one of the most important decisions we make in our life. The key to a life filled with love, connection, growth and fulfillment is to step into the commitment of marriage well-prepared. Premarital counseling offers the tools for the marital happiness.

Every one of us has had days when just the thought of getting out of bed felt unbearable and the Los Angeles sunny blue skies peeking into our bedroom felt dull and grey. When these days become frequent, it is time to get help to restore the color and vitality in our life.

Coming out is a process of reclaiming our full power and stepping into the fullness of who we truly are. It can be overwhelming and anxiety provoking, however, guidance and support on this journey of self-discovery makes a big difference.

Anxiety and worry is a common experience in our world of data overload and an ever-increasing pace of life. Learning to process stress and change anxiety-inducing thoughts to ones that create a sense of centeredness and confidence is a skill that can be learned and mastered.

When the past has a hold on us and our joy is tainted by the old wounds, we can make a choice to heal. Trauma therapy is here to help you process and release the traumatic events. You can reclaim your power, your life and your joy.

about me

Dr. Harel Papikian

Psychologist, PsyD

With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Harel Papikian has dedicated his career to helping individuals create and nurture their ideal relationships. Based in Los Angeles, Dr. Harel has a private practice where he works with both singles and couples, guiding them through transformative journeys to find fulfilling love.

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Our Unique Approach to Couples Therapy

1 - Awareness

This step aims to answer the question – How did our current situation come about?

We will consider your shared history together as well as your personal pasts. The interplay of these elements is what creates your current experience. Once we identify the personal baggage each of you brought into the relationship and the baggage co-created together, we will know how to create a rapid and transformative change for you to have the relationship you want. We will discuss:

  • What brings you in?
  • What does the relationship look like right now?
  • What would you like instead? 
  • What is the important history for us to consider:
    • History of this relationship
    • Personal childhood history and past relationships

2 – Release

We will release the personal baggage of unresolved negative emotions and trauma, as well as the negative beliefs about ourselves, people, relationships, and the world. Here we will release  the old baggage to allow space for a new empowered you:

  • Release the  unresolved negative emotions & trauma (anger, sadness, fear, guilt, shame, hurt)
  • Change negative beliefs, for example, I am inadequate, relationships are burdensome, people are untrustworthy, to empowering ones

3 – Mastery

This step aims to answer the question – What skills do I need to be skillful  in my relationship?

We will learn and practice the necessary skills to create relational competence to  set you on a trajectory of relational fulfillment even after the completion of couples therapy and marriage counseling:

  • Communication and mutual understanding skills
  • Conflict resolution skills
  • De-escalation skills
  • Intimacy skills

Frequently Asked Questions

In West Hollywood Couples Therapy Clinic we blend strength-based innovative therapeutic approaches to achieve rapid, profound, and lasting change. Our approach combines cognitive therapy, hypnotherapy, and neurolinguistics (NLP), helping our clients reach their goals in just a few months. Our clients frequently share their satisfaction in our testimonials. Curious? Schedule a free phone consultation and see the difference for yourself.

Many couples come to therapy with the goal of healing and transforming their union. Many of these couples successfully overcome their relational challenges and build the relationship they want. The success of Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling depends on whether both partners want the relationship to work and are willing to make the necessary effort to heal the relationship and grow as individuals. If the answer is an affirmative “yes”, your relationship stands an excellent chance of healing and becoming the relationship you want it to be.

Dr. Harel developed a cutting-edge 3-step process (ARM) for couples therapy and marriage counseling to help you rapidly and effectively tran

NLP uses language and imagery to access deeper layers of our mind and help us release our unresolved negative emotions, process trauma, and change negative beliefs about ourselves, others, relationships etc.. NLP is a powerful approach to clear our old baggage and empower us to create the love relationship we desire.

Originally, our clinic focused on gay men, same-sex couples, and the LGBTQI+ community. Over time, our success drew a broader clientele and currently, we proudly serve individuals of all backgrounds and couples of all configurations. Our clients include heterosexual (straight) couples, same-sex couples, transgender couples, bi-racial and multicultural couples, and individuals of all genders, sexual orientations, and racial backgrounds. We celebrate diversity. Our commitment is to create a safe space for anyone ready to benefit from our transformative process of healing and growth.

West Hollywood Couples Therapy Clinic is a fee-for-service clinic. The payment is due at the time of service. We provide the necessary documentation for you to bill your insurance directly, in case your carrier accepts out-of-network providers.

The length of therapy depends on a multitude of personal factors, however, the average length of couples therapy using Dr. Harel’s ARM Method is 3-4 months of weekly work, while individual therapy on average takes 2 months.

Your privacy is paramount to us. Everything discussed in our sessions remains confidential, with a few legal exceptions related to safety concerns. More specifically, in case a patient discloses being a danger to self or others, or reports abuse or neglect of a child or an elderly person, confidentiality concerns become secondary, and our priority becomes the patient’s and other people’s safety.

In some cases, Couples Therapy or Marriage Counseling is unlikely to yield the desired results and individual psychotherapy may be a better choice:

  • When one of the partners decides to leave the relationship and is unwilling to do Couples Therapy or Marriage Counseling.
  • When one of the partners in therapy is unwilling to do the necessary work to foster change in the relationship.
  • When the relationship is unsafe due to physical or emotional abuse. Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling will bring up sensitive and challenging topics in sessions. Lack of basic safety in the relationship will disallow honesty and transparency and may increase the risk of domestic violence. . If one of the partners feels unsafe, establishing safety through removing oneself from an abusive situation is the main priority. Once personal safety is established, individual therapy would be most appropriate to heal the trauma of abuse and establish a sense of normalcy, self-worth, and well-being.