7 Highly Recommended Los Angeles Consensual (Ethical) Non-Monogamy and Polyamorous Couples Therapists
Love doesn't have to follow a traditional script to be meaningful, secure, or deeply fulfilling. But navigating multiple relationships, different emotional needs, and societal expectations can sometimes leave you questioning how to honor both your independence and your connections.
At Therapy on Fig, our Los Angeles therapists offer affirming ENM and polyamorous couples therapy that helps you understand your emotional patterns, deepen intimacy, and create relationships that feel authentic to everyone involved.
Note that in this piece, we will refer to non-monogamous relationships multiple ways: consensual non-monogamy (CNM), ethical non-monogamy (ENM), and polyamory. Although we believe there is nothing unethical about consensual non-monogamy, some people still use the term “ethical,” which is why we include the term.
Who we work with
Therapy on Fig supports people exploring or practicing polyamory or non-monogamy who want to cultivate meaningful relationships without compromising their identities or values. Some of the people we work with are:
Polyamorous couples or partners navigating multiple romantic connections while maintaining emotional intimacy, trust, and a sense of security.
Monogamous couples exploring ethical non-monogamy who want to understand their motivations, address fears, and approach this transition intentionally.
People in open relationships working to balance independence, sexual exploration, emotional connection, and mutually agreed-upon boundaries.
LGBTQ+ and queer partners seeking affirming relationship support that honors their identities, chosen families, and nontraditional relationship structures.
Neurodivergent or highly sensitive partners whose differences in communication, sensory needs, or emotional processing influence their relationships.
Individuals and partners navigating attachment wounds who find that jealousy, fear of abandonment, or past relational trauma affects their ability to feel secure.
People in complex relationship networks who want to navigate changing agreements, new partners, or different expectations with greater compassion and clarity.
If this resonates, we'd be honored to support you.
Meet your Los Angeles non-monogamous couples therapists
bert wright, AMFT
As a queer, transgender, non-binary, and non-monogamous therapist who came out later in life, bert understands the experience of questioning traditional expectations around identity, relationships, and personal milestones. They recognize that living authentically can involve unlearning deeply ingrained beliefs about who you're supposed to be and how you're supposed to love.
bert draws from Internal Family Systems (IFS), relational-cultural therapy, liberation psychology, and the Gottman Method to support individuals and couples. Their approach is especially valuable for queer and trans partners navigating changing identities, relationship transitions, or the emotional impact of living outside conventional social expectations. With warmth, humor, and collaboration, bert helps you understand your protective patterns and build relationships rooted in choice rather than obligation.
Offers ENM & polyamorous couples therapy: ✓
Credentials: Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Clientele: Individuals & couples
Location: Los Angeles, CA 90042
Virtual therapy: Yes, in addition to in-person
Emily Gaston, AMFT, APCC
As someone rooted in queer community who values chosen family and expansive ways of relating, Emily understands the importance of creating relationships that reflect who you truly are. She welcomes people in polyamorous and ethically non-monogamous relationships who want to explore intimacy, identity, and connection beyond conventional expectations.
Emily takes a relational, depth-oriented, and Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed approach to therapy. She is particularly attuned to how early experiences, family dynamics, and relational trauma shape the ways we connect with others. Rather than telling you how your relationships should look, she helps you understand your emotional world and develop the self-trust to create relationships that feel meaningful and authentic.
Offers ENM & polyamorous couples therapy: ✓
Credentials: Associate Marriage and Family Therapist; Associate Professional Clinical Counselor
Clientele: Teens, adults, couples, & families
Location: Los Angeles, CA 90042
Virtual therapy: Yes, in addition to in-person
Gabriella Elise Giorgio, AMFT
As a late-discovered autistic person who spent years masking to feel safe and accepted, Gabriella understands what happens when you continually minimize your needs to maintain connection. She brings this awareness into her work with neurodiverse couples, particularly those who struggle to feel understood despite deeply caring for one another.
Trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the Gottman Method, Gabriella helps partners explore attachment wounds, emotional regulation, and patterns of conflict without assigning blame. Her direct, grounded, and non-pathologizing approach is especially meaningful for neurodivergent partners exploring ethical non-monogamy who want to honor their individual needs while creating a deeper sense of safety and intimacy.
Offers ENM & polyamorous couples therapy: ✓
Credentials: Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Clientele: Individuals & couples
Location: Los Angeles, CA 90042
Virtual therapy: Yes, in addition to in-person
Grace Chan, AMFT
As a Malaysian-Chinese, first-generation immigrant, third-culture adult, and partner in an intercultural marriage, Grace understands what it means to navigate different identities, family expectations, and cultural values. She knows how exhausting it can be to feel caught between what others expect of you and what you genuinely want for yourself.
Grace integrates Internal Family Systems (IFS), experiential therapy, and creative arts therapies to help couples examine the beliefs and relational patterns they've inherited. For multicultural partners exploring polyamory or ethical non-monogamy, her culturally responsive approach offers a thoughtful space to unpack traditional expectations around commitment, family, and intimacy while discovering which values they want to carry into their relationships.
Offers ENM & polyamorous couples therapy: ✓
Credentials: Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Clientele: Teens, adults, couples, & families
Location: Los Angeles, CA 90042
Virtual therapy: Yes, in addition to in-person
Michael Hung, AMFT
As someone who has experienced complex trauma firsthand, Michael understands how deeply past experiences can influence your capacity for vulnerability, connection, and trust. He also brings a multicultural perspective as a Taiwanese American and former professional musician, recognizing how identity, family history, and emotional sensitivity intersect within intimate relationships.
Michael combines Internal Family Systems (IFS), Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO), the Gottman Method, and somatic approaches to help partners understand the protective patterns beneath conflict. His depth-oriented, trauma-informed approach can be particularly helpful for ENM and polyamorous partners whose past attachment injuries, fears of abandonment, or unresolved emotional experiences make it difficult to feel safe in their relationships.
Offers ENM & polyamorous couples therapy: ✓
Credentials: Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Clientele: Individuals & couples
Location: Los Angeles, CA 90042
Virtual therapy: Yes, in addition to in-person
Bret Hansen, AMFT
As a gay man, lifelong artist, and former creative director, Bret knows what it's like to navigate a world that doesn't always make room for your authentic self. His experiences with identity, belonging, and reinvention inform his understanding of how people adapt to feel accepted, sometimes at the expense of their emotional needs.
Bret brings a relational, emotionally focused, and experiential approach to couples therapy, drawing from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and somatic psychotherapy. He is particularly well-suited for LGBTQ+ and highly sensitive partners exploring ENM couples therapy who struggle with people-pleasing, emotional withdrawal, or expressing their needs. Together, you'll explore how to remain connected to your partner without losing touch with yourself.
Offers ENM & polyamorous couples therapy: ✓
Credentials: Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Clientele: Adults & couples
Location: Los Angeles, CA 90042
Virtual therapy: Yes, in addition to in-person
Janelle Malak, AMFT
As a partner in a multiracial and neurodiverse relationship, Janelle understands how two people can experience the same relationship through very different emotional worlds. She recognizes that even deeply committed partners can become disconnected when their individual needs, communication styles, or past attachment experiences collide.
Janelle is trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the Gottman Method, and EMDR, and her work is informed by Internal Family Systems (IFS). She helps partners understand the vulnerable emotions beneath recurring disagreements and find new ways of responding to each other. As a polyamory couples therapist, her approach may be especially valuable for those exploring changes in their relationship structure or navigating differences in emotional needs, attachment styles, and expectations.
Offers ENM & polyamorous couples therapy: ✓
Credentials: Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Clientele: Adults & couples
Location: Los Angeles, CA 90042
Virtual therapy: Yes, in addition to in-person
How ENM & polyamorous couples therapy can help
Navigate jealousy without shame or self-judgment
You can support your partner's other relationships while still experiencing jealousy, insecurity, or fear. These feelings don't necessarily mean you're doing non-monogamy wrong. Often, they reflect protective parts of yourself that are trying to prevent rejection, abandonment, or emotional pain. ENM therapy in Los Angeles helps you understand what these feelings are communicating so you can respond with greater compassion rather than becoming overwhelmed by them.
Build emotional security without sacrificing independence
You may deeply value autonomy while also craving reassurance, stability, and emotional closeness. These desires aren't mutually exclusive, but they can sometimes create internal conflict. ENM and polyamorous couples therapy helps you explore what security means within your relationship, allowing you to develop deeper trust and intimacy without relying on traditional expectations of exclusivity.
Understand your attachment patterns across relationships
Different relationships can activate different parts of you. You might feel confident and secure with one partner but anxious or disconnected with another. Rather than viewing these experiences as contradictions, therapy offers an opportunity to understand how your personal history, attachment wounds, and protective strategies influence your relationships. This awareness can help you respond more intentionally instead of repeating familiar patterns.
Create relationships that reflect your authentic values
Perhaps you've spent years following conventional relationship expectations without questioning whether they align with your needs. Or maybe you're already practicing ethical non-monogamy but feel pressure to maintain agreements that no longer work for everyone involved. Los Angeles polyamorous couples therapy offers space to examine these expectations, clarify your values, and make relationship decisions from a place of self-trust rather than fear, guilt, or obligation.
Common Reasons Why People Seek ENM & Polyamorous Couples Therapy
Feeling excited about opening an existing relationship while simultaneously experiencing anxiety, jealousy, or uncertainty about what comes next.
Struggling to communicate boundaries and emotional needs without conversations escalating into defensiveness, guilt, or withdrawal.
Experiencing unexpected insecurity when a partner develops a meaningful romantic or sexual connection with someone new.
Feeling torn between wanting independence and craving reassurance that your relationship remains important and secure.
Finding that new relationship energy (NRE) is shifting the emotional balance between existing and newer partnerships.
Navigating different levels of enthusiasm for non-monogamy, with one partner feeling ready to explore while another needs more time or clarity.
Recognizing that childhood attachment wounds, past betrayals, or relationship trauma are influencing how you respond to current partners.
Feeling pressure to hide your relationship structure from family, friends, or coworkers because of cultural expectations or fear of judgment.
Struggling to balance multiple relationships, personal responsibilities, and individual needs without experiencing emotional exhaustion.
Questioning whether your current relationship agreements still reflect your values as your identities, needs, and connections evolve.
What to expect from the therapy process
We begin by understanding your relationship dynamics
In our initial sessions, we'll explore the different perspectives, emotional needs, and protective patterns each partner brings into the relationship. This includes understanding your relationship structure, individual histories, and the ways you currently navigate intimacy and conflict. Rather than assuming someone is the problem, we approach your experiences with curiosity and recognize that every partner has their own internal world.
We explore the patterns beneath conflict and disconnection
Together, we'll identify the emotional dynamics that leave you feeling misunderstood, threatened, or disconnected. We may explore how attachment wounds, past experiences, or internalized expectations influence your reactions. Through an Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed lens, we'll help you understand the protective intentions behind these responses instead of judging or trying to suppress them.
We work toward greater self-trust and authentic connection
As you develop more awareness of your internal experiences, you can begin responding to yourself and your partners with greater clarity and compassion. Our work supports your ability to express your needs, make intentional decisions, and navigate emotional complexity without abandoning important parts of yourself. The goal isn't to create a particular type of relationship, but to help you build connections that feel authentic and mutually respectful.
We adapt the process as your relationships evolve
Relationships aren't static, and neither is therapy. Your priorities may shift as you navigate new connections, changing agreements, or different stages of intimacy. We'll continue adjusting our work to reflect your evolving needs, making space for deeper emotional exploration alongside practical conversations. Sessions are collaborative, and we'll discuss the frequency and structure that best support your therapeutic goals.
FAQs About ENM & Polyamorous Relationship Therapy
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Absolutely. Relationship health isn't determined by whether partners are monogamous or non-monogamous. Healthy consensual non-monogamy and polyamorous relationships can provide meaningful emotional intimacy, trust, security, and commitment. Like any relationship, they benefit from mutual respect, honest communication, clear expectations, and the freedom for each person to express their needs and boundaries.
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Both monogamous and non-monogamous relationships formats have their challenges, but non-monogamy isn’t societally accepted. Because of this, non-monogamy comes with internal and external challenges that aren’t often present in monogamous relationships. If monogamy isn’t quite feeling authentic for you, it may be worth exploring and navigating those challenges with a non-judgmental therapist to experience the opportunities and possibilities on the other side.
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Yes. It's not uncommon for partners to have different feelings about opening their relationship. Rather than pressuring anyone toward non-monogamy or monogamy, our Los Angeles ENM couples therapists provide a supportive space to understand each person's desires, concerns, and boundaries. The goal is to help partners make informed decisions that honor everyone's autonomy, including the possibility that their relationship needs may differ.
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The length of CNM couples/relationship therapy depends on your relationship dynamics, individual needs, and what you hope to gain from the process. Some partners attend therapy for a few months to navigate a specific transition, such as opening their relationship or renegotiating boundaries. Others benefit from longer-term support to explore attachment wounds, recurring conflicts, or deeper emotional patterns. At Therapy on Fig, our ENM and polyamorous couples therapists take a collaborative approach, regularly checking in on your progress and adjusting the process as your relationships evolve.
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Whether insurance covers ENM and polyamorous couples therapy depends on your specific insurance plan. However, at Therapy on Fig, we do not accept insurance for couples therapy, including ENM and polyamorous couples therapy. However, some of our therapists can bill Aetna and Cigna directly for eligible individual therapy services.
If you have PPO or out-of-network benefits, you can also use our insurance benefits checker to explore potential reimbursement options. Coverage varies by plan, so we recommend confirming your benefits directly with your insurance provider before beginning therapy.