Therapist in Burbank, CA | EMDR, Art & Somatic Therapy
I work with Gen Z and young millennial clients who look like they have it together and feel like they're barely holding on underneath. Many are early in demanding careers, managing anxiety, relationship strain, or family patterns that quietly shaped how they cope with pressure long before they had any say in it. My practice is built for people who want more than a place to vent, they want to actually understand their patterns and start building something different. I bring warmth, real clinical depth, and a culturally aware lens into every session. Whatever you're bringing in, I'm not here to judge it, I'm here to help you make sense of it.
Plenty of my clients work long, unpredictable hours in the Media District, home to Warner Bros. and Disney studios, or spend their weekends running errands through Burbank Town Center between shifts. Others fly in and out constantly through Hollywood Burbank Airport, chasing a career that looks glamorous from the outside and often feels relentless from the inside. Up against the Verdugo Mountains foothills, this city holds a strange mix of creative ambition and quiet residential calm, and a lot of young adults here are trying to figure out which version of that life is actually theirs. Burbank clients often come to me exhausted by an industry that runs on hustle, wanting to build a career without losing themselves in the process.
Working in entertainment or the industries that surround it comes with a specific kind of pressure, unstable schedules, constant comparison, and an unspoken rule that burnout is just the cost of being taken seriously. A lot of my clients have learned to perform confidence at work while quietly falling apart at home, and that gap gets exhausting to maintain. Add family expectations that don't always match a creative or nontraditional career path, and it's easy to feel like you're disappointing someone no matter what you choose. I offer a space where ambition and exhaustion can both be true at once, without you needing to justify either one. Clients tell me it's the first place they've stopped performing wellness and actually started building it.
How it works
My approach starts with your whole story
My approach isn't scripted, and it never will be. I draw on trauma informed care and EMDR, while staying genuinely curious about the industries and family dynamics that shaped how you learned to survive stress. A decolonial lens means looking at power and expectation honestly, not just treating symptoms as if they appeared out of nowhere. I'd rather ask good questions than assume I already know your story. Sessions might combine talk therapy, EMDR, somatic tools, or creative approaches, depending on what actually fits you.
Book a discovery call
Starting here means an honest conversation, not a clinical checklist. I want to hear what's actually going on, what's already been tried, and what you're hoping shifts. There's no performance needed, just an honest read on whether we're a good fit for each other. From there, we shape a plan together, because this only works if you're an active part of it.
What ongoing work actually looks like
Clients here build more than short term coping strategies. They walk away with tools that hold up under real pressure, a clearer sense of what they actually want versus what they've been told to want, and a steadier relationship with themselves. Many arrive doubting therapy will change much of anything. That doubt tends to fade quickly once the work actually starts.
Explore my therapy services and specializations
Building a career in a competitive industry while also trying to have a life outside of it is a lot to carry, and it's normal for that to show up as anxiety, burnout, or relationships that keep taking a back seat.
In our sessions, we slow all of that down. We look at what's actually fueling the overwhelm, and build tools that fit your real schedule and real pressures, not some generic self care checklist. You bring the specifics, I bring the structure.
Most clients eventually notice they're not white knuckling their way through every week anymore. There's more space to actually enjoy your life, not just survive it.
Some stress doesn't stay in the past just because you understand it intellectually. If certain situations still send your body into panic mode, racing heart, shutting down, spiraling thoughts, that's not weakness, that's your nervous system still on high alert.
EMDR meets that directly, without requiring you to narrate every painful detail out loud. It helps your brain finish processing what got stuck, so old moments stop hijacking your present.
We move at your pace, always, never faster than what feels manageable. Many clients describe feeling noticeably calmer afterward, like a switch that used to flip automatically finally stopped.
Some feelings are hard to explain even to yourself, let alone out loud in a session. Art therapy doesn't require you to have the words ready first.
Working through image or material lets what's underneath surface naturally, sometimes before you can even name it. What comes out on paper often says more than a carefully chosen sentence could.
No artistic background is required, and nothing you create gets evaluated. It's simply another way into the work, useful on days when talking just isn't accessible.
You can know exactly why you're anxious and still feel it show up physically anyway, the tight shoulders before a big meeting, the shallow breath before a hard call with family.
Somatic work builds your awareness of that physical experience as it happens, so tension gets noticed before it fully takes over. That awareness becomes a genuine tool, not just something you register after the fact.
This pairs well with EMDR and talk therapy, giving you something concrete to use between sessions, whether we meet in person or virtually.
PTSD rarely shows up the way people picture it. It might look like constant low grade vigilance, avoiding certain people or places without a clear reason, or a memory surfacing at the worst possible time.
My approach prioritizes safety and pacing before anything else. We work in a way that helps you process what happened without needing to relive every detail, and we never move faster than what actually feels okay.
What I see over time is a real, gradual shift. The past loosens its grip on the present. It doesn't vanish, but it stops running the show, and that change tends to feel like getting your life back.
Childhood trauma doesn't need to be extreme to leave a mark. A lot of my clients grew up managing a parent's moods, being the calm one in chaos, or learning that their needs came second, quietly and often.
This work moves carefully, with safety built in from the very start rather than added later. We go at your pace, helping your nervous system finally release what it's been carrying without tipping you into overwhelm.
Over time, clients start to hold their story differently, owning what happened without letting it define the whole picture. That shift tends to feel like real relief.
For some teens, one on one sessions aren't quite enough, and sitting with peers who actually get it changes the whole dynamic.
Group therapy helps teens feel less isolated in whatever they're navigating, whether that's anxiety, family pressure, or the exhausting effort of holding it together for everyone else. These groups are built to feel safe, not like a performance for a room of adults.
Many teens find it easier to take in support from people their own age, and that peer connection often becomes just as valuable as anything discussed directly.
I also work with teenagers, many of whom are already managing more responsibility and pressure than their age really calls for, whether that's family stress or performance expectations at school.
Teens open up faster when they feel genuinely heard instead of managed. Sessions give them language for what they're feeling before it calcifies into a pattern they carry into adulthood.
This work meets teens exactly where they are, not where some generic standard says they should be, whether sessions happen in person or virtually.
Who I serve
My practice serves clients throughout Burbank and nearby communities including Glendale, North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, and the greater San Fernando Valley. I offer in-person sessions in Burbank and virtual sessions for clients anywhere in California who prefer to meet remotely. Check out the map below to see the full service area.
Hi, I'm Cristina Lugo — LCSW therapist specializing in young adults
I'm a licensed psychotherapist specializing in EMDR, working with Gen Z and young millennial clients across Burbank and the surrounding entertainment industry hub. As a Puerto Rican American therapist, I know what it's like to feel pressure to perform, whether that's professionally, culturally, or within your own family, and I bring that understanding into every session. My work in Burbank is built for people who are tired of just managing appearances. This isn't about handing you a fixed version of yourself to aim for. It's about helping you find your way back to who you are underneath the performance.
FAQ about my services
What is the best type of therapy for young adults and teenagers?
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. The most effective therapy depends on your stage of life, identity, and needs. EMDR, mindfulness, ACT, and creative approaches can all be helpful when tailored to you.
Do you offer therapy in person? What about virtual? Which one is better?
I prefer in-person therapy because it creates a stronger sense of connection at my Pasadena office. Virtual sessions are also available for convenience, and some clients even choose a mix of both.
Do you take insurance?
I am considered out-of-network. Many PPO plans reimburse part of the cost, and I provide monthly superbills so you can request reimbursement directly from your insurance company.
What is your cancellation policy?
I ask for at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel. If we can’t reschedule in the same week, the full session fee will apply.
Do you offer a sliding scale?
I believe that therapy should be within reach, regardless of what life throws your way. I offer a community-minded sliding scale for individuals affected by systemic stressors, financial strain, or unexpected crises. If this applies to you, please let me know. Together we’ll make a plan that supports your healing while honoring the sustainability of my practice.