Couples Therapy in San Diego, CA | Relationship Counseling
A relationship can look sunlit from the outside and still feel foggy inside. I offer emotionally focused, culturally grounded couples therapy in San Diego, CA for first generation Latinas, binational partners, and professionals of color who love each other deeply yet keep circling the same disappointment. This practice exists for the couples nobody worries about, the ones who seem fine at every gathering and quietly struggle on the drive home.
My clients are scattered across the county, from North Park and Hillcrest to Barrio Logan, National City, and Chula Vista, with others near the biotech labs of La Jolla, the hospitals of Mission Valley, or the base communities around Miramar. Some cross at San Ysidro to see family on weekends, holding a life that stretches over two countries. Virtual sessions reach all of California, and my Irvine office is about ninety minutes north when meeting in person feels right.
The region's easygoing reputation can make struggling feel embarrassing, as if stress has no excuse near the ocean. Military separations, binational logistics, demanding careers, and family duty stack up quietly here. Couples choose this work because it treats culture as context rather than a footnote and helps home become the place where pretending finally stops.
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
Evenings here can be beautiful and still lonely. Dinner happens, the dishes get done, the sunset gets photographed, and underneath it all two people feel further apart than the pictures suggest. Distance rarely announces itself. It accumulates.
In couple therapy near you, that accumulation finally gets addressed. Partners often notice they can raise a sore subject without bracing for impact, or sit in a silence that feels comfortable instead of punishing.
Together we track what the recurring fight is really about, where each of you learned to protect yourself, and what rebuilding trust asks of you both. The aim is a partnership that feels like shelter again.
Living between worlds is a full time job that nobody pays you for. Translating for parents, succeeding for the family, softening yourself at work, crossing literal or cultural borders every single week. Somewhere in all that motion, your own needs went quiet.
Individual therapy near you gives those needs a voice again. Clients often say the biggest change is internal permission: to rest, to disagree, to want things that were never on the family's list.
The work often visits perfectionism, guilt, identity, faith, old wounds that still steer your choices, and the version of you that exists when no one needs anything. It is steady, warm, and honest.
Worry can thrive in a body that never stops moving between commitments, from early meetings in Sorrento Valley to family obligations in Chula Vista. The mind rehearses conversations, audits yesterday's mistakes, and treats rest like a risk.
Through anxiety therapy near you, that internal alarm gets examined instead of obeyed. Many clients feel their baseline shift: fewer spirals, easier breathing, a mind that can stay where their feet are.
Sessions explore the beliefs feeding the vigilance, the pressure of being the dependable one, and practical ways to help your nervous system stand down. Calm stops being a vacation and starts being a home base.
Planning a wedding across two families, and sometimes two countries, can turn a love story into a logistics operation. Between venue lists and visa questions, the deeper conversations wait patiently for attention.
Premarital counseling near you gives those conversations a protected place. Couples talk through money, children, faith, in laws, and what happens when one partner's culture expects what the other's never imagined.
Most couples finish feeling sturdier, not scared. Naming the hard things early builds a marriage where surprises are smaller and trust is bigger.
Grieving in a sunny city has its own strange weight. The farmers markets keep happening, the bay keeps sparkling, and your loss keeps being real whether or not the weather cooperates.
With grief counseling near you, mourning stops needing a schedule. Some losses live across a border, at a distance, or in a language your coworkers do not speak, and all of that belongs in the room.
We make space for the rituals that comfort you, the guilt or anger that confuses you, and the slow reshaping of a life that still includes the one you lost.
Immigration Evaluations are available for individuals and families in San Diego, CA navigating asylum, hardship waivers, VAWA, or cancellation of removal. In a border city, these cases are personal, urgent, and layered. If you are searching for immigration evaluations near you, this process offers careful documentation, cultural sensitivity, and a steady hand through a high stakes chapter.
I serve first-generation women of color in San Diego, CA
I provide therapy to individuals and couples throughout San Diego County, from Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, and City Heights to North Park, Mission Valley, and the coastal stretch near La Jolla and Pacific Beach. Many of my clients are first-generation professionals, military spouses, and binational families whose daily lives span two cultures and sometimes two countries. Sessions are virtual across California, and my office at 4 Venture Suite 355, Irvine, CA 92618 is available for those who want to meet face to face.
This county holds universities like UCSD and SDSU, one of the busiest border crossings in the world, and neighborhoods where three generations share Sunday dinner. My approach remains emotionally focused, culturally responsive, and rooted in attachment work wherever clients log in from, including Chula Vista, National City, El Cajon, Escondido, and Oceanside.
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 San Diego, CA
I companion first-generation women of color whose strength has become a heavy costume. From Barrio Logan to La Jolla, I offer online therapy where your culture, your family story, and your tired heart are all understood without translation.
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.
