Couples Therapy in Laguna Hills, CA | Marriage & Relationship Counseling
I provide emotionally focused, culturally rooted therapy in Laguna Hills, CA for first-generation Latinas and multicultural couples who feel emotionally distant but still deeply invested in love. My work supports individuals and partners navigating repetitive conflict cycles, cultural guilt, attachment wounds, and the quiet fear of losing themselves in relationship. In Laguna Hills, where life can feel settled and stable on the surface, I create a space where you can speak the truth underneath the silence.
For years, I've worked with clients across South Orange County, including those living near Alicia Parkway, Moulton Parkway, and the neighborhoods surrounding Nellie Gail Ranch. Laguna Hills carries a particular kind of quiet. It's residential, established, and often professionally driven, with many commuting toward Irvine or Laguna Niguel. That steadiness can make it harder to name emotional disconnection. When everything looks fine from the outside, it can feel confusing to admit that inside, you feel alone next to the person you love.
Individuals and couples in Laguna Hills often reach out when communication feels fragile and resentment has begun to harden. They are not looking for someone to tell them who is right. They are looking for emotional safety. They want to stop shrinking to keep the peace or escalating to be heard. They choose this work because it helps soften what has been guarded and rebuild connection in a way that feels mutual, grounded, and real.
How it works

Step 1
A thorough intake session where we explore your relationship history, cultural backgrounds, and current struggles so we can understand the deeper patterns behind the disconnection.

Step 2
Emotionally focused sessions to help you with clarity, begin repairing trust, and rebuild emotional safety.

Step 3
Ongoing, guided sessions with personalized homework, where we break unhelpful cycles, strengthen connection, and practice healthier ways of relating so your relationship feels more like a true partnership.
Explore my therapy services and specializations
If the relationship feels quiet in a way that hurts, even while life keeps moving through work, family plans, and familiar routines around Laguna Hills Mall or nearby medical centers, you may be craving more than just fewer arguments. You may want to feel close again.
Clients often notice that the first shift is relief. Not because everything is solved immediately, but because both partners begin to feel less trapped in the same reactions. There is more clarity around what has been missing and what each person needs to feel emotionally safe.
Sessions tend to explore the conversations you avoid, the conflicts that repeat, trust, affection, intimacy, and how stress outside the relationship affects what happens inside it. Couple therapy near you can support a more grounded way forward.
Individual Therapy
If you spend your days moving between work, family plans, medical appointments, errands, and familiar routines, it can be easy to ignore the part of you that feels emotionally tired. You may be functioning, but still feel unseen, disconnected, or unsure how to stop abandoning your own needs.
Many clients begin to feel more grounded when they have space to understand why certain patterns feel so hard to break. With individual therapy near you, there can be more clarity, less guilt, and a stronger sense of emotional safety within yourself.
Sessions often explore past relationships, family expectations, conflict avoidance, grief, boundaries, and the beliefs that keep you questioning your worth. The work helps you reconnect with the version of you that feels honest, steady, and whole.
Anxiety Therapy
If your days move between work, family plans, errands, medical appointments, and trying to stay available for everyone, anxiety may show up as tension you cannot fully put down. You may be tired of overthinking, anticipating problems, or feeling like rest has to be earned.
Many clients begin to feel more grounded when they have a safe space to slow the noise and understand what their anxiety is connected to. With anxiety therapy near you, there can be more clarity, less shame, and a calmer way to respond to stress.
Sessions often explore worry cycles, body tension, fear, relationship stress, grief, family pressure, and the emotional patterns that make it hard to feel settled. The work supports relief that can hold up inside everyday life.
Premarital Counseling
If you are planning a wedding while balancing work, family gatherings, medical schedules, errands, and familiar routines, it can feel like there is little time to talk about the marriage underneath the plans. You may want to enter this next chapter with more clarity, not just momentum.
Many clients notice relief when important topics become easier to approach. With premarital counseling near you, couples often feel more connected, more prepared, and more able to name expectations before they become conflict later.
Sessions often explore communication, family expectations, conflict repair, finances, intimacy, faith or values, life goals, and the patterns each person brings into partnership. The work helps create a foundation that feels safe, honest, and sustainable.
Grief Counseling
If your days include medical visits, caregiving memories, family errands, or passing places tied to someone you miss, grief may feel woven into the ordinary. You may be carrying not only sadness, but also the weight of decisions, regrets, unfinished conversations, or the role you played before the loss.
Clients often feel less alone when there is space to speak honestly about the complicated parts, not just the tender ones. With grief counseling near you, support can help soften the pressure to grieve perfectly or explain why certain moments still hurt.
Sessions may explore caregiving, guilt, relief, anger, family dynamics, spiritual questions, and the way loss can change your relationship with time, home, and yourself.
Immigration evaluations
Immigration Evaluations serve individuals in Laguna Hills, CA who require psychological documentation for immigration cases. These evaluations are often part of asylum, VAWA, hardship, or cancellation applications. If you are searching for immigration evaluations near you, this process centers both clinical rigor and cultural awareness.
Evaluations are conducted in person in Irvine or virtually across California, with detailed written reports prepared for legal use.
I serve first-generation women of color in Laguna Hills, CA
I provide therapy services to individuals and couples in Laguna Hills and surrounding South Orange County communities, supporting first-generation Latinas, professionals of color, and multicultural families navigating attachment wounds, anxiety, grief, relational conflict, and generational expectations. My office, located at 4 Venture Suite 355, Irvine, CA 92618, is approximately a 13-minute drive from central Laguna Hills, and I also offer virtual sessions throughout California for added flexibility. I have served Orange County for several years, working with high-functioning professionals and family-oriented households who often appear stable while quietly managing emotional overwhelm.
My approach is emotionally-focused, culturally-responsive, and grounded in attachment-based therapy. In a community known for established residential neighborhoods, proximity to Laguna Hills Community Center, and strong family-oriented values, many residents prioritize long-term stability and personal responsibility. I remain committed to offering care that prioritizes emotional safety and sustainable healing rather than surface-level coping. I serve clients throughout Laguna Hills as well as nearby areas including Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, and Irvine, providing a steady and culturally-aware space for local residents seeking deeper emotional clarity and relational wellbeing.
Testimonials
Dama's approach to therapy is marked by empathy, insight, and a profound commitment to fostering positive change. I can confidently attest to her exceptional skills and unwavering dedication to the well-being of her clients.
Depression/Anxiety ~ Hyland & Associates
Dama is a colleague & a professional that truly cares about her clients & their therapeutic journey. She is highly skilled in Emotionally Focused Therapy helping individuals & couples navigate & strengthen their emotional connections within relationships.
Jan Covyeau
As a former US military officer, I can see Dama being a great therapist for active-duty members, families, and veterans. I confidently recommend clients to Dama because she cares and has clients' best interests in mind.
Angela Chwe

I'm Dama Perez, founder of Casa Therapy offering therapy in Laguna Hills, CA
I support first-generation women of color untangling anxiety, grief, and relational pain while staying grounded in their cultural identity. From the Community Center to Moulton Ranch or Sandy Point, I provide online sessions for deep emotional and relational healing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use insurance for therapy?
I am currently an out-of-network provider. However, I can provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. Many PPO plans offer partial reimbursement checks with your provider to confirm your benefits.
Do you offer a sliding scale?
Yes! I offer two sliding scale spots for clients with financial need. If cost is a concern, please reach out. I'm happy to discuss options during your consultation.
What does the therapy process look like?
We start with an intake session to explore your relationship history, communication patterns, and goals. From there, we’ll meet regularly to uncover deeper emotional patterns, build new tools for connection, and work toward the relationship you want to create. Therapy is always tailored to your unique story and pace.
What if I need to cancel or reschedule a session?
Life happens! I ask for at least 48 hours’ notice for cancellations or reschedules. Sessions canceled with less than 48 hours’ notice may be subject to the full session fee. No-shows or missed appointments without prior notice will be charged the full session rate, as that time is reserved specifically for you.
How does virtual therapy work?
Sessions are held through a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform. You’ll receive a private link before each session. All you need is a quiet and confidential space, a reliable internet connection, and a device with a camera and microphone.
What if I don’t feel like we’re a good fit?
It’s completely normal to wonder if therapy is the right match for you. Building trust and feeling comfortable with your therapist is essential for meaningful growth. If at any point you feel unsure about our connection or approach, please let me know. We can talk openly about it and decide together whether to adjust our work or explore other options. Your comfort and progress are my top priorities, and I’m here to support you every step of the way whether that means continuing together or helping you find the best path forward.
Good Faith Estimate (No Surprises Act)
This Good Faith Estimate shows the costs of services that are reasonably expected for the expected services to address your mental health care needs. The estimate is based on the information known to us when we did the estimate.
The Good Faith Estimate does not include any unknown or unexpected costs that may arise during treatment. You could be charged more if complications or special circumstances occur. If this happens, federal law allows you to dispute (appeal) the bill.
If you are billed for more than this Good Faith Estimate, you have the right to dispute the bill.
You may contact the contact listed above if billed charges are higher than the Good Faith Estimate. You can request an update to the bill to match the Good Faith Estimate, ask to negotiate the bill, or ask if there is financial assistance available.
You may also start a dispute resolution process with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If you choose to use the dispute resolution process, you must start the dispute process within 120 calendar days (about 4 months) of the date on the original bill.
There is a $25 fee to use the dispute process. If the agency reviewing your dispute agrees with you, you will have to pay the price on this Good Faith Estimate. If the agency disagrees with you and agrees with the health care provider or facility, you will have to pay the higher amount.
To learn more and get a form to start the process, go to: www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call CMS at 1-800-985-3059.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate or the dispute process, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call CMS at 1-800-985-3059 .
This Good Faith Estimate is not a contract. It does not obligate you to accept the services listed above.