“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives.”

-Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

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Welcome. I'm Cherry Aslarona (she/her), a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 13 years of experience supporting adults throughout California.

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I believe healing doesn't happen because someone gives you the right answers, it happens when you begin relating to yourself with greater awareness, flexibility, and compassion.  Many of the people I work with are thoughtful, high-achieving professionals who have spent years trying to think their way through anxiety, burnout, perfectionism, grief, trauma, or major life transitions. They're insightful, capable, and often successful in many areas of life, yet still find themselves feeling stuck. Together, we'll slow down enough to understand not only what is happening, but why your mind, body, and nervous system have learned to respond the way they do.

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My approach is collaborative rather than prescriptive. While I'll share observations, offer evidence-based guidance, and gently challenge patterns that may no longer serve you, I don't believe therapy is about handing you a formula or promising quick fixes. Instead, we'll cultivate curiosity, strengthen your relationship with yourself, and develop the psychological flexibility to move toward the life you want, even when difficult emotions are present. My goal isn't simply symptom reduction; it's helping you build a life that feels more authentic, meaningful, and aligned with your values.

My work is deeply trauma-informed and integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), mindfulness, somatic psychotherapy through the Hakomi method, and IFS-informed therapy. I believe the mind and body are inseparable, and that the different parts of ourselves often develop to protect us in meaningful ways. Lasting healing comes not from fighting those parts, but from understanding them with curiosity and compassion while creating greater safety within the nervous system.

If you're looking for a therapist who values collaboration over certainty, curiosity over judgment, and lasting transformation over quick fixes, I'd be honored to walk alongside you.

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