FAQ

Street parking on any meter is $1.25 per hour.

Old Pasadena Marriott Parking down the street from the office is $1 for the first 2 hour of parking and 171 N Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103.

Yes, absolutely! There are some restrooms on the first and second floor.

I am in the Pasadena office on Thursday afternoons and Fridays during the day. These are the times when I can offer in-person therapy slots. Monday through Friday, I can provide Zoom sessions.

Text me or call me at (626) 817-6181 to ask for an available time. You also can contact me via the following website: https://meetmonarch.com/therapist/laura-ramirez-marriage-and-family-therapist-pasadena-ca
or email me at lauraramirezlmft@gmail.com.

Please cancel your appointment 24 hours in advance so that I do not have to charge you for services not rendered.

If I have another opening to reschedule your session within the week of your cancellation, I will give you that new slot without a rescheduling charge. The same 24-hour window applies for rescheduling.

Yes, it is. There is elevator access to go to the second floor and my office.

Sessions are typically 50 minutes in length. Some couples sessions are 75 minutes or 90 minutes in length, and charges are on a prorated basis.

The investment page on this website explains this.

You can call or text me at (626) 817-6181.

You can email me at lauraramirezlmft@gmail.com.

To set up an appointment, please choose a date and time at this link.

I ask new clients to please create an account here.

Existing clients can log in here.

For a confidential way in which your privacy is secure, please click on the “envelope send message” button on the following website.

We can message about confidential matters through this system; however, I advise that anything discussed in session should stay in session for your confidentiality.

To cancel or reschedule an appointment, you may text me at (626) 817-6181. This number connects to my Google Voice for scheduling purposes only.

You can also email me at lauraramirezlmft@gmail.com.

This consultation is a 10- to 15-minute phone conversation. During this talk, I will ask you several questions.

How did you hear about me? What do you want to work on or need therapy to resolve? These questions help me gauge if I can help you.

How long have you been feeling this way? What would the ideal outcome for therapy be? How committed are you to make that happen? Why do you want to experience this change?

I will explain how I work in the therapy room. If you feel good about working with me, I will ask you about your schedule, so we can find a mutual time to schedule the first session. I can tell you if I have an ongoing available spot for you.

I work with adolescents ages 12 to 19, young adults and adults ages 20+, and couples.

Each session is typically 50 minutes. I start the session with the following question: “What would you like to talk about today?” Then, we begin a conversation about what is bothering you that day or the past week or weekend. Or, if you are having a hard time relationally with your significant other, family member, or friend, we can talk about that.

By processing your thoughts and feelings, we will discover what makes you feel frustrated/angry/sad/anxious. We will begin to understand how you view the world, what your relational patterns are, how your upbringing and relationship with your caregivers affect your life today, how your past trauma gets in the way of you being able to shine today.

We will start naming your boundaries, non-negotiables, and what you feel is ok and not ok. We will pinpoint your emotions and talk about how these emotions feel in your body. We will help you put into words what you want to communicate to your loved ones or your work colleagues.

The main goal is for you to increase your self-awareness, find your voice, and improve your quality of life. In the session, we will talk about your past, present, and future to further understand how your life experiences have shaped and impacted you.

It depends on what the client needs and what the client is trying to address between sessions.

I work with my clients from a psychodynamic approach. In couples work, I integrate an emotionally focused therapy approach. I use cognitive-behavioral interventions when needed.

When I say psychodynamic approach, I think of the mind divided between consciousness and unconsciousness. Imagine an iceberg in the ocean; the tip of the iceberg above the water is what we are conscious of, and under the water, the big part of the iceberg represents what we are not aware of seeing.

My work with clients brings some aspects of the underwater part of the iceberg to consciousness, allowing them to understand behavioral patterns, thoughts, and feelings and how each client makes sense of the world. This approach asks the client to be self-aware to understand how past experiences affect their current behavior.

Emotionally focused therapy allows me, the therapist, and the couple to have conversations to understand the attachment style of the couple and their love cycle and how to improve their communication. The couple also learns to see one another and validate one another.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy helps clients understand how thoughts, behaviors, and feelings are interconnected and how these impact them. During our treatment, I might take this approach to help you understand your situation, needs, and/or wants.

I received a Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California and worked in the entertainment industry for a few years. Yes, I am an actress. I was in a couple of commercials, and I still audition here and there.

Then, I received a Master’s degree in Counseling at Mount St. Mary’s University. I also have an Enlaces Certificate in counseling in Spanish. Now, I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I have been seeing clients for five years and am currently working on my Emotionally Focused Therapy Certification.

When we work together on your journey to discover your authentic self, that work will be like an emotional rollercoaster – jaw-dropping, emotionally painful, scary, and eye-opening. The journey may be fun at times and confusing at other times.

Together, we will clean and disinfect your emotional wounds to close and heal properly. Having this in mind, you might feel worse before you feel better. Our goal is for you to feel better as you improve your quality of life and find your voice to begin to become your best self.

You are cool! The bom.com! You are the woman! You are the man! You are awesomely courageous!

UM – Yes – But extremely worth it!

I think cats are beautiful, but I am allergic to them. So, I do prefer dogs. I think they are angels on earth. They are the best!

Meet my son Buddy.

Horseback riding makes me happy because galloping on a horse is phenomenal. The experience is a dopamine fix.