Therapy for Teens and Adults in San Marino

I work with teenagers and young adults who are navigating the complexity of growing up in multicultural communities: the expectations that live at home, the identity that is forming outside of it, and everything that exists in the tension between. My practice brings together cultural attunement and clinical depth, and I approach every client as a whole person with a whole context, not just a set of symptoms.
Glendale is one of the most culturally rich cities in Los Angeles County, home to the largest Armenian-American population in the United States and a significant Korean-American community alongside many others. Brand Boulevard and the Americana anchor the commercial center, while the residential neighborhoods stretch from the Verdugo Hills down toward the flatlands. Glendale High School, Hoover High, and Herbert Hoover High serve a student body that reflects the city's genuine diversity. Forest Lawn Memorial Park sits on the western edge, and the central downtown has undergone significant transformation while the community's character remains distinctly its own.
Growing up in Glendale can mean growing up between worlds: holding the cultural values and expectations of one community at home while forming a different identity in school and among peers. For many teenagers, that navigation is quietly exhausting and rarely acknowledged. Therapy for teens near Glendale, CA at my practice is a space to work through what that navigation actually costs and to figure out who you are inside of it, on your own terms.

How it works

My approach starts with your whole story

My work is culturally grounded, which means family, heritage, and community context are not separate from the therapy: they are part of it. I bring a decolonial lens to the work, which includes questioning assumptions about what mental health looks like, what healing requires, and whose framework we are using. I am here to work with the full person, not the version of them that fits most easily into a particular clinical model.

Book a discovery call

We begin with a free 20-minute consultation. No intake forms before that call, no commitment required. Just a conversation where you share what is happening and I share how I work. We go from there based on whether it feels like a good fit for both of us.

What ongoing work actually looks like

The work I do with clients is not about arriving at a finished product. It is about building an ongoing, honest relationship with yourself: one that has room for complexity, for change, and for the ongoing navigation of a life that is genuinely your own. The clients who do this work consistently describe a kind of groundedness that did not exist when they started.

Explore my therapy services and specializations

The teenage years in a multicultural household can involve a kind of cultural code-switching that most adolescents do not have a framework for. They know how to behave at home, how to behave at school, and how to present to each version of their social life: what they have not had is space to figure out which version is actually them. In sessions, we build that space. We slow down the code-switching and get curious about what exists underneath it. We take seriously the complexity of navigating multiple sets of expectations and we do not treat any of those sets as automatically more valid than another. What builds over time is a stable internal identity that can coexist with external complexity: still adapting when necessary, but from a center that knows where it stands.
In families with significant collective trauma history, the nervous system of the current generation often carries what was not resolved in previous ones. This can look like an anxiety that does not quite connect to the present circumstances, a vigilance that predates any specific event, or a responsiveness to threat that seems out of proportion to what is actually happening now. EMDR is one of the few approaches with the capacity to reach this kind of material. It works with the nervous system directly, helping to process experiences whether they are clearly remembered, vaguely felt, or carried in a way that has no explicit narrative at all. I am a Certified EMDR Therapist, and I have seen this approach produce meaningful shifts in clients who had not been able to move something through other means. The change it creates tends to be embodied rather than intellectual, and for many clients that is exactly what was needed.
For young people in tight-knit cultural communities, anxiety often has a strong relational and communal component: the worry about bringing shame, the hyperawareness of family reputation, the vigilance around being seen as someone who cannot manage. These specific forms of anxiety are rarely addressed by approaches that treat anxiety as primarily an individual condition. In my practice, we work with anxiety in its actual context. We look at the beliefs about what is dangerous, what is acceptable, and what is allowed, and we start to examine which of those beliefs still hold up under scrutiny and which are running on autopilot. Over time, clients develop a more conscious relationship with their own anxiety: understanding where it comes from, what it is protecting, and what it would mean to let some of it go.
In communities where collective endurance and stoicism are valued, depression can feel like a failure of character: something to push through, not something to seek help for. Teenagers in these environments often internalize that framework before they even realize they are doing it, which means they are not only depressed but also ashamed of being depressed. In sessions, we work against that shame directly. We establish that what is happening is real, that it is worth taking seriously, and that reaching out for help is an act of integrity rather than weakness. That reframe alone can shift something significant. What develops over time is not just improvement in mood but a different relationship with the experience of needing support: a teenager who has learned that reaching out works and that they deserve to have people in their corner.
Communities that have experienced collective historical trauma often pass that experience forward without intending to. The Armenian Genocide, displacement, political persecution across generations: these are real events with real effects on the descendants who live with their legacy. For many teenagers in Glendale, the PTSD is not only personal; it is inherited. In sessions, we work with what this particular person is carrying, whether the origin is clear or not. We do not require the trauma to be neatly categorized or explained. We work with the experience as it is actually present in this person's body and life. The healing tends to produce a more spacious sense of self: one that holds the family history with reverence and is not controlled by it.
When academic achievement carries the weight of displacement and sacrifice, burnout becomes about more than overwork. The teenager who burned out is not just tired: they are failing to deliver on a story that their family has been living for a very long time. The weight of that is immense, and the shame can be paralyzing. In sessions, we work with compassion for the full complexity of that weight. We make room for both the love that lives inside the expectation and the genuine needs of this individual teenager. We do not require anyone to betray either the family or themselves. The path through burnout in this context is usually about building a more sustainable relationship with ambition: one that honors where the family has been without requiring this particular person to carry it alone.
Young adults from immigrant and refugee families often carry a version of post-grad depression that includes survivor's guilt: why is this so hard when so much was given up for this to be possible? The depression is real, and the inability to name it clearly or ask for help can keep it going much longer than necessary. In sessions, we make room for both the gratitude and the struggle without requiring them to cancel each other out. Both are true. Both deserve attention. And the work of figuring out what kind of adult life this person wants to build is some of the most important work they can do. Clients who do this work tend to emerge with a more honest sense of direction: not the one they inherited, but the one that is actually theirs.
Trauma in collectivist families can have a particular silence around it: the things that happened that the family does not discuss, the events that shaped the household in ways that everyone can feel and nobody can name. Teenagers who grew up in this kind of silence often develop a relationship with their own experience that is confused by that silence. I work carefully and slowly with this material, always following the client's readiness rather than a protocol. We build safety and trust first. We develop language for what is present. And we let the work unfold at a pace that actually allows integration rather than just exposure. What clients find over time is that they can hold their family's history and their own experience at the same time, with care for both, and without being defined by either.

Who I serve

My practice serves clients in Glendale and surrounding communities including Burbank, La Crescenta, Montrose, Eagle Rock, and greater Pasadena. I offer in-person sessions at my office at 16 S Oakland Ave Suite 211 in Pasadena and virtual sessions for clients throughout California. An embedded map below shows the surrounding service area.
Smiling woman with curly dark hair in a light floral blouse, outdoors with greenery in the background

Hi, I'm Cristina Lugo — teenager therapist serving Glendale, CA

I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified EMDR Therapist with over fourteen years of experience working with teenagers and young adults navigating identity, culture, and healing at the same time. As a Puerto Rican-American therapist, I bring firsthand understanding of what it means to hold multiple cultural identities and navigate systems that were not designed for you. My practice is trauma-informed, identity-affirming, and built for the complexity of real people's lives. I work from my Pasadena office and offer virtual sessions for clients throughout California. Therapy isn't about fixing you. It's about helping you remember who you were before the world got loud.

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.