Black couples therapy in Los Angeles
If your relationship feels like it’s stuck in cycles of silence, tension, or disconnection, you’re not alone. I’m Chelsey Reese, a therapist supporting Black couples in Los Angeles who are ready to break free from survival mode and build something deeper—something rooted in safety, honesty, and emotional presence. I also offer somatic therapy for people of color. When your body carries generational trauma and your relationship is your only soft place to land, healing together becomes essential.
If you’re looking for a space where your love, culture, and individual histories are honored, you’re in the right place. Let’s explore how Black couples therapy can help you reconnect and rebuild—with compassion and intention.
What is black couples therapy?
Black couples therapy is a healing space designed to support romantic partnerships within the context of shared cultural experiences, generational patterns, and systemic stressors. It’s not just about communication tools or conflict resolution.It’s also about unlearning survival patterns and co-creating safety in your relationship.
In my approach, we focus on what’s happening both between you and within you. That means looking at how your nervous systems are interacting, how unspoken stress from work, family, or past relationships is showing up in your dynamic, and how both of you can learn to regulate, listen, and respond from a place of presence instead of protection.
For Black couples navigating love while carrying generational expectations, unhealed wounds, or chronic stress, therapy becomes a space to finally exhale together.
Most common reasons people benefit from black couples therapy
- Repeating the same arguments without resolution
- Emotional shutdown, withdrawal, or stonewalling
- Difficulty expressing needs or setting boundaries
- Carrying past trauma into current relationship dynamics
- Feeling unseen, unheard, or emotionally disconnected
- Struggles with balancing roles (provider, nurturer, leader)
- Cultural pressure to “stay strong” instead of showing vulnerability
- Conflict around parenting, intimacy, or financial stress
How do I know if couples therapy will help us?
Ask yourselves:
- Do we avoid hard conversations because they always lead to conflict?
- Do I feel like I can’t fully express myself in our relationship?
- Do we love each other but still feel emotionally distant or resentful?
- Are we repeating unhealthy patterns we saw growing up?
- Do I feel like I’m carrying the weight of being the strong one all the time?
- Do we struggle to support each other without shutting down or lashing out?
If any of these questions hit home, couples therapy can help you both pause, process, and create a more grounded way forward together.
Where to find local couples therapists in LA
At my Los Angeles-based practice, I offer Black couples therapy that’s nervous system-informed, culturally sensitive, and trauma-aware. I understand how generational conditioning, systemic stress, and emotional suppression can shape the way you show up in relationships—and I aim to hold space for all of it.
Together, we’ll use tools like:
- Somatic awareness – Helping each partner tune into what their body is communicating
- Communication rewiring – Co-creating respectful dialogue and practicing non-defensive listening and speaking from a place of needs not fears
- Boundary work – Because it's not about creating a wall, but building a bridge for connection -
- Inner child healing – Unpacking the unspoken fears and patterns carried from early relationships
- Emotional regulation – Building nervous system tools so you don’t just react, you respond
This work is slow, sacred, and grounded in safety. You don’t need to perform strength here. You get to pause, be honest, and feel seen.
What topics can we talk about in therapy for Black couples?
- Healing from generational patterns- Unpacking the roles you learned in your families (who had to be strong, who had to stay silent, etc.) and how those patterns show up in your relationship today.
- Navigating communication breakdowns- Learning to speak with honesty and compassion, and to listen without defensiveness. Therapy offers tools to help you feel heard, not just “right.”
- Rebuilding trust and emotional intimacy- Whether it’s after a rupture or years of disconnection, therapy can help you reconnect, rebuild safety, and feel close again.
- Setting boundaries with extended family or outside influences- Exploring how to protect your relationship while still honoring your roots, especially when cultural or family expectations feel heavy.
- Managing the impact of racial stress and external pressures- Addressing how systemic racism, financial stress, or workplace microaggressions can seep into your relationship—and how to support one another through it.
- Rediscovering joy and connection- Therapy isn’t just about fixing problems. It’s also about creating space for play, softness, and remembering why you chose each other in the first place.
Ready to get started?
Awareness & Understanding
Identify how stress, self-silencing, and past conditioning affect your body and mind. Gain clarity on the patterns keeping you stuck and reconnect with your inner voice.
Nervous System Regulation
Learn somatic techniques to release tension, calm your nervous system, and create a sense of safety within, allowing you to navigate stress with greater ease.
Boundaries & Self-Trust
Develop the confidence to set boundaries without guilt, express your needs, and trust your intuition—so you can show up fully for yourself and others.
Black couples therapy in LA
I’m Chelsey Reese, a therapist offering Black couples therapy in Los Angeles. My work centers people of color and the relationships we’re building in the aftermath of survival. Whether you’re navigating unspoken tension, communication breakdowns, or deep emotional fatigue, I hold space for both of you to feel seen, heard, and supported.
Relationships can be a mirror, but they can also be medicine. Together, we can help your relationship become a source of healing and peace.
Tips and resources for successful couples therapy
- Come with openness, not perfectionStart a shared journal to process sessions together
- Prioritize consistency even when things feel “off”
- Avoid bringing arguments into sessions without reflection time first; try to work collaboratively to decide how you want to spend the session time
- Use somatic check-ins: “What’s my body feeling right now?” before reacting
- Listen to podcasts or read books by couples therapists or relationship educators
- Create a “soft landing” ritual post-session (walk, meal, shared playlist, etc.)
- Remember: You’re on the same team
Are you and your partner seeking Black couples therapy in LA? Reach out here to start your journey.
Hello, I’m Chelsey Reese
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Relational and Somatic Therapist, Certified Sound Healer, and 200HR Registered Yoga Teacher.
I help people cultivate self-awareness by reconnecting with their bodies, releasing trauma and stress, and fostering deeper connections. I believe true healing comes from processing lived experiences and letting go of what no longer serves us. Passionate about community and wellness, I create spaces for growth and restoration. When I’m not working with clients, you’ll find me tending to my plants, lost in a book, or hiking in nature.
Investment: $150 per 50-minute session
Includes:
- One 50-minute virtual therapy session
- Personalized session notes with key insights and reflections (provided as needed)
- Curated resources or recommendations tailored to your healing journey
Book your first session or inquire
FAQ
What makes couples therapy for Black couples different from regular couples counseling?
It centers the realities you navigate every day—code-switching, generational expectations, racialized stress, and unspoken emotional labor. You won’t have to explain why certain things hurt more or feel heavier. This is a space where your shared cultural experience is honored, not overlooked.
What is the success rate of couples therapy?
While success depends on both partners’ commitment and readiness, studies show that emotionally focused couples therapy can improve satisfaction in 70–75% of couples. The key is consistency, openness, and timing.
How do power dynamics and gender roles impact Black couples in therapy?
In many Black relationships, unspoken expectations around who leads, who supports, who sacrifices, and who stays silent can shape every interaction. These roles are often inherited from generations of survival—not conscious choice. In therapy, we explore how power shows up in your relationship and how you both can co-create a dynamic rooted in mutual respect, vulnerability, and emotional equity.
How often should couples do couples therapy?
Most couples benefit from weekly sessions at the start, shifting to bi-weekly as they build tools and feel more secure. I’ll work with you to find a rhythm that feels sustainable.
What if one of us is hesitant or skeptical about therapy?
It’s common to feel hesitant,especially when therapy hasn’t felt culturally relevant or emotionally safe in the past. We honor that. This isn’t about fixing or blaming either of you. It’s about creating space to pause, to check in with what’s beneath the resistance, and to move forward at a pace that works for both of you. Even naming the hesitation can be a powerful first step toward change. This process is a vulnerable one, it's not always easy, but with mutual trust and presence I believe I can support you in finding the embodied connection you’re looking for.
