Text or call: (949) 402-5110
Offering in person therapy in Irvine, CA and
tele-therapy throughout the state of California.
Text or call: (949) 402-5110
Offering in person therapy in Irvine, CA and
tele-therapy throughout the state of California.
Shahrzad (Sheri) Sepanlou, LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California specializing in couples therapy and relationship issues. She is passionate about helping couples move beyond recurring conflict, improve communication, rebuild trust, strengthen emotional intimacy, and create relationships that are secure, connected, and deeply fulfilling.
Sheri believes that healthy relationships are the foundation of healthy families and thriving communities. Because the quality of our closest relationships profoundly shapes our emotional well-being, she is dedicated to helping couples understand the deeper patterns that keep them stuck and develop new ways of connecting with safety, empathy and respect (SET).
Her work integrates Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), attachment theory, psychodynamic therapy and other evidence-based approaches to create treatment that is tailored to each couple's unique needs. Whether partners are struggling with communication, emotional distance, trust, infidelity, parenting, life transitions, or years of unresolved conflict, Sheri provides a warm, non-judgmental and collaborative environment where lasting change can take place.
In addition to working with couples, Sheri helps individuals who want to build healthier relationships, heal from past experiences, navigate anxiety or life transitions, or better understand themselves and the patterns that influence the way they connect with others.
Sheri provides psychotherapy for California residents through secure telehealth and in-person sessions, along with relationship coaching for clients seeking practical guidance and relationship skills. Her approach is compassionate, collaborative, and insight-oriented, helping clients gain greater self-awareness while creating meaningful and lasting change.
Relationships can be one of the greatest sources of joy and one of life's greatest challenges. When couples become caught in recurring cycles of conflict, criticism, defensiveness, or emotional distance, it can feel lonely and overwhelming. The good news is that these patterns can change.
Sheri specializes in helping couples strengthen communication, rebuild trust, deepen emotional intimacy, and develop healthier ways of connecting. Using evidence-based approaches such as Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and attachment theory, she helps partners understand the deeper emotions and unmet needs that often fuel conflict.
Whether you are preparing for marriage, navigating a major life transition, rebuilding after infidelity, struggling with parenting differences, or simply feeling disconnected from one another, therapy can help you reconnect and create a relationship where both partners feel heard, understood, and emotionally safe.
Individual Therapy
Our earliest relationships shape the way we see ourselves, connect with others, and respond to life's challenges. Individual therapy offers an opportunity to better understand these patterns, heal from past experiences, and create lasting emotional change.
Sheri works with adults experiencing anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, life transitions, grief, and stress. As a trauma-informed therapist, she helps clients explore how childhood experiences, attachment patterns, and significant life events continue to influence their emotional well-being and relationships today.
Her goal is not simply to reduce symptoms, but to help clients develop greater self-awareness, emotional resilience, self-compassion, and healthier relationships—with themselves and with the people who matter most.
EFT is Sheri's primary approach to couples therapy. Grounded in attachment science, EFT helps couples identify the negative cycles that keep them feeling stuck, uncover the deeper emotions and unmet attachment needs beneath conflict, and create new patterns of emotional connection. By strengthening trust, communication, and emotional safety, couples are able to build more secure, resilient, and fulfilling relationships.
Psychodynamic therapy helps clients understand how early life experiences, family dynamics, and unconscious patterns continue to influence present-day thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. Developing insight into these patterns often leads to greater freedom, healthier relationships, and lasting emotional growth.
CBT helps clients recognize unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior that contribute to anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties. Together, Sheri works with clients to develop healthier perspectives, practical coping strategies, and more effective ways of responding to life's challenges.
EMDR is an evidence-based therapy designed to help individuals process and heal from traumatic or distressing experiences. By reducing the emotional intensity of painful memories, EMDR can help clients move beyond the impact of past events, experience greater emotional freedom, and engage more fully in their present lives and relationships.
No single therapeutic approach is right for everyone. Sheri thoughtfully combines these modalities—along with mindfulness, attachment theory, and compassion-focused interventions—to create a personalized treatment experience that supports meaningful, lasting change.