Therapist in Highland Park, LA | EMDR, Art & Somatic Therapy
I work with Gen Z and young millennial clients who are trying to figure out who they are outside of family scripts and career pressure that never quite let up. A lot of what brings people in is less about one single crisis and more about a slow accumulation of expectations they never agreed to but have been carrying anyway. My work draws on EMDR, somatic awareness, and creative approaches, layered with straightforward talk therapy, adjusted to whatever actually helps the person in front of me. I bring a decolonial, culturally grounded lens to this work, because identity and family history are rarely separate from the emotional patterns someone is trying to change. Many of my clients are creative, curious people who've simply never had space to ask what they actually want.
York Boulevard and Figueroa Street form the commercial backbone of this stretch of northeast Los Angeles, lined with the kind of independent coffee shops, murals, and small businesses that draw people in from all over the city. Just off those corridors sits the historic Southwest Museum, perched above the Arroyo Seco, a reminder that this area has been a cultural crossroads for a lot longer than its recent reputation suggests. Places like Highland Park Bowl anchor a nightlife scene that blends old Los Angeles with newer arrivals, while neighboring pockets like Mount Washington and Cypress Park hold onto their hillside Craftsman homes and quieter, more residential character. This network of neighborhoods across Northeast LA is shifting fast, and that pace of change shows up in the emotional lives of the people who call it home.
Rapid change tends to bring its own kind of grief, even when the change looks like progress from the outside, and a lot of my clients here are quietly mourning a version of their neighborhood, or their family, that doesn't exist anymore. There's also a specific tension between wanting to stay rooted in a place with deep cultural history and watching that history get reshaped by people and money that arrived more recently. Many clients are the first in their family to leave certain patterns behind, whether that means moving away from strict expectations or simply asking questions that weren't allowed growing up. People choose to work with me because I understand that loving a place, or a family, doesn't require agreeing with everything about it. That nuance tends to be exactly what makes the work here feel honest instead of oversimplified.
How it works
My approach starts with your whole story
My approach is grounded in trauma informed care, which means I treat your reactions as information rather than a problem to correct. EMDR is a core part of how I work, since so much of what people carry doesn't fully resolve through conversation alone, and I hold a decolonial perspective that takes the weight of cultural and generational history seriously. There's no fixed method I apply across the board. Depending on the session, we might use talk therapy, EMDR, somatic tools, or creative work, following whatever actually serves you in that moment.
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The beginning looks like a real conversation, not paperwork disguised as connection. I want to hear what's bringing you in, what you've already tried, and what you're hoping shifts, without any of it needing to sound rehearsed or clinical. From that conversation, we build a plan shaped around your actual life. You're an active participant in this process from the very start.
What ongoing work actually looks like
As we keep working, clients find themselves reaching for real tools instead of old coping habits that never quite worked. There's a growing sense of stability, a version of yourself that doesn't fall apart the moment things get hard. Many people who land here have tried therapy before and felt like nothing actually shifted. This work is built to reach further than that.
Explore my therapy services and specializations
Some clients arrive here able to explain their anxiety in perfect detail and still feel completely stuck inside it. Understanding a pattern intellectually and actually shifting it are two very different processes, and that gap is where a lot of my work begins. Career pressure, family expectations, and the general exhaustion of adulthood all show up here in equal measure.
We slow down together and separate what's actually yours from what you absorbed along the way. I work with you the way that genuinely fits, since not everyone heals through the same door.
Over time, clients notice they stop performing okayness and start actually feeling it. That shift tends to ripple into every relationship in their life, not just the ones we talk about directly.
Your nervous system can keep reacting to something long after your mind has logically moved past it. A tight chest during an ordinary conversation, a flinch at something small, that's not overreacting. That's your body holding onto information it never got to fully process.
EMDR works with that stored material directly, rather than only through conversation. You don't need to narrate every detail for it to work, which is genuinely relieving for people who've spent years explaining themselves to no effect.
We move at your pace throughout, never rushed toward someone else's timeline. Many clients notice fewer intense reactions and a steadier baseline over time, whether we meet in person or virtually.
Some things are genuinely hard to say out loud, even after years of therapy or self reflection. Art therapy offers another way in, one that doesn't depend on having the right words ready.
Working through image, color, or material lets feelings surface before you can fully explain them, which takes real pressure off the part of you that always wants to understand something before you're allowed to feel it.
No artistic skill is required, and nothing you make gets evaluated. It's simply another path into the same honest work, especially useful on days when language isn't available.
You can understand exactly why you're anxious and still feel your shoulders tense every time a certain topic comes up. Insight doesn't always reach the body, and somatic work exists for the part of you that logic alone can't convince.
We build awareness of physical sensation as it's happening, so you start catching tension or bracing before it fully takes over. That becomes something usable in real time, not just something you understand afterward.
This pairs naturally with EMDR and talk therapy, whether we meet in person here in Highland Park or connect virtually. Over time, your body starts to feel more like an ally than an obstacle.
PTSD doesn't always look the way people expect. Sometimes it's staying unusually alert in situations that should feel safe, or noticing your body react before your mind understands why.
My approach puts safety and pacing first, which means you're never asked to relive every detail before you're ready. Everything moves according to what you can actually handle, not a predetermined script.
The shift over time is gradual but genuine. The past stops running your present so completely, and clients often tell me they didn't believe that kind of change was possible for them.
Childhood trauma doesn't need a dramatic story to be real. It can look like growing up with a parent who couldn't tolerate your feelings, or being handed emotional responsibilities no child should carry.
This work starts with safety as the foundation, always. We move at whatever pace you can actually handle, never rushing toward insight just to make progress look faster.
Over time, clients begin relating to their history differently, owning what happened without letting it define everything about them. Watching that reclaiming happen is some of the most meaningful work I do.
For some teens, individual sessions only tell part of the story, and sitting with peers facing something similar changes the whole experience. Group work helps teens feel less alone in whatever they're carrying, whether that's anxiety, family stress, or the pressure of a rapidly changing neighborhood.
These groups are built to feel genuinely safe, not like another space to perform for adults. Teens get room to be honest, and many find it easier to accept support from peers their own age.
Struggling doesn't make a teen the outsider here. Support means connection, not correction, and that distinction tends to matter more than people expect.
I also work with teenagers who are already carrying more than adolescence should require, whether that's family tension, anxiety, or the exhausting habit of managing everyone else's mood first.
Teens tend to open up when they feel taken seriously instead of handled, and sessions give them real language for what they're experiencing before it hardens into a lasting pattern. Parents often notice their teen starting to name a feeling instead of just reacting to it.
This work meets teens exactly where they are, not where a general guideline says they should be, whether we work together in person or virtually.
Who I serve
My practice serves clients throughout Highland Park, Mount Washington, Cypress Park, and the broader Northeast LA area, along with nearby neighborhoods like Eagle Rock and Glendale. I offer in-person sessions locally and virtual sessions for anyone in California who prefers meeting from home. Whether you're closer to York Boulevard or up near the Arroyo Seco, reaching my office is simple. An embedded map below shows the surrounding service area.
Hi, I'm Cristina Lugo — LCSW therapist specializing in young adults
I'm a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in EMDR, working with Gen Z and young millennial clients throughout Highland Park and the wider Northeast LA area. As a Puerto Rican American therapist, I bring a decolonial, culturally attuned lens to every session, understanding firsthand what it means to carry more than one identity at once. My practice is built to feel like steady ground in a neighborhood that's changing quickly around everyone in it. I'm not here to fix you, because there was never anything broken about you to begin with. I'm here to help you reconnect with the version of yourself that existed before everyone else's expectations got so 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.