Therapist in San Marino, CA | EMDR, Art & Somatic Therapy
Most of the young adults I work with have spent years being the reliable one, the easy one, the one nobody had to worry about. I'm a therapist who works with people in their twenties who are quietly running out of room to keep holding that role. My practice focuses on Gen Z and young millennial clients navigating anxiety, identity questions, relationship struggles, and the particular weight of career pressure at this stage of life. I also work with clients ready to look deeper, using EMDR to address the kind of childhood patterns that never got labeled as anything serious at the time. Whatever brought you here, I want you to leave sessions feeling more like yourself, not less.
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens sit at the center of a lot of what makes this area feel unmistakably itself, a place where beauty and order are practically the local language. Families here often send their kids through San Marino High School and spend weekend mornings at Lacy Park, and the streets in between are lined with old oaks and a kind of quiet that can feel both peaceful and heavy. This city borders Pasadena and Alhambra, so my clients often move between several distinct worlds within the same afternoon. San Marino's residential streets are polished in a way that can make struggling here feel especially isolating, since nothing on the outside gives it away.
There's a particular kind of loneliness that comes from living somewhere this composed, where lawns are trimmed and report cards are strong and nobody would guess what's actually happening underneath. A lot of my clients grew up learning that emotions were something to manage privately, not something to bring to the dinner table. That training doesn't just disappear once you move out, it shows up as anxiety you can't quite explain or relationships where you keep everyone at a careful distance. Clients choose to work with me because I don't ask you to perform wellness, I ask you to actually feel what's there, with a decolonial and culturally aware lens that takes your full context seriously. That's usually the first real exhale a lot of people get in years.

How it works

My approach starts with your whole story

I don't believe in running everyone through the same process regardless of what they actually need. My work draws from trauma informed care, EMDR, and an ongoing curiosity about the specific systems and family history that shaped you, not just the symptom that brought you in. A decolonial lens runs through everything I do, meaning I pay attention to power, culture, and inherited expectation as real clinical material, not background noise. Depending on what fits, sessions might move between talk therapy, EMDR, somatic awareness, or creative approaches.

Book a discovery call

Getting started looks like an actual conversation between two people, not a clinical form to get through. I want to know what's weighing on you, what you've already tried, and what you're hoping shifts. There's no pressure and no script, just an honest exchange to see if this feels like the right fit. From there, we shape a plan together, because you should have a say in your own care from the very first conversation.

What ongoing work actually looks like

Over time, my clients stop just coping and start actually changing how they move through their lives. They walk away with real tools for the moments that used to flatten them, more clarity about who they are outside of family scripts, and a steadier relationship with themselves that doesn't collapse under pressure. Many of the people I work with have tried therapy before and felt like it barely scratched the surface. This work goes further.

Explore my therapy services and specializations

You've probably gotten very good at looking like you have it together, especially if you grew up around a lot of quiet expectation. Underneath that, there can be a steady hum of anxiety about your career, your relationships, and who you're supposed to become now that you're technically an adult. A lot of that pressure has been building for years, and pretending it isn't there only works for so long. In our work together, we slow all of that down. We look at where the pressure actually comes from, untangle the parts that are yours from the parts you inherited, and build habits that hold up outside of session. I meet you where you are instead of pushing a one size fits all plan, because what helps one client can completely miss another. What tends to happen over time is that you stop bracing so much. Clients often describe feeling like they can finally set something down they didn't realize they were carrying, and that lightness tends to spread into work, relationships, and how they talk to themselves.
If certain situations keep sending your body into overdrive even though your mind knows you're safe, that's not something you're doing wrong. Your nervous system is holding onto old information, and no amount of logical explaining fully clears it out. EMDR works differently than talk therapy because it targets where that stuck material actually lives. You won't need to walk me through every detail of what happened for this to work, which is a relief for a lot of people who've spent years dreading having to explain themselves all over again. We move through this entirely at your pace, never faster than what feels manageable. Clients often notice fewer moments of feeling suddenly overwhelmed, along with a steadier, calmer baseline that sticks around between sessions, whether we meet in person or virtually.
There are things that are almost impossible to say out loud, even when you understand them intellectually. Art therapy gives you another way in, one that doesn't require the right words to show up on command. Working with color, image, or material lets feelings surface in their own shape before you have to name them. That takes the pressure off needing to have everything figured out before you're allowed to feel it, which is often where a lot of people get stuck. You don't need any artistic background for this to work, and nothing you create is evaluated. It's simply another way of reaching the same honest material, especially useful on days when talking feels like too much.
You can intellectually understand a pattern completely and still feel your shoulders climb toward your ears every time a certain topic comes up. Somatic therapy works with that physical experience directly instead of only talking around it. We build your ability to notice what's happening in your body in real time, catching the tightening or bracing before it fully takes over. Over time, that translates into feeling less controlled by automatic reactions and more able to stay grounded, even during difficult conversations. This pairs well with EMDR and talk therapy, and it gives you something tangible to practice with between sessions, whether you're meeting with me in person or online.
PTSD doesn't always look like what people expect. Sometimes it's feeling unsettled without an obvious reason, avoiding certain people or places without fully understanding why, or having old memories resurface uninvited. That's your nervous system trying to keep you safe based on outdated information. My approach centers on pacing and safety before anything else. We work in a way that helps you process what happened without needing to retell every detail out loud, which is often a huge relief. Sessions always move at a speed that feels sustainable to you. What I witness over time is a real, if gradual, shift. The past loosens its grip on the present, not erased, but no longer running things. Many clients arrive doubting that's even possible for them, and helping that change is some of the most meaningful work I do.
Childhood trauma doesn't need to be dramatic to be real. Plenty of my most accomplished clients are carrying something that never had space to land, an emotionally distant parent, a home where feelings were treated as an inconvenience, a role assigned before anyone asked if you wanted it. I work carefully and slowly with this kind of history, because safety has to come first. We move at your pace, without rushing toward some artificial timeline, and the focus stays on helping your nervous system release what it's been holding without overwhelming you. Over time, what I see is a genuine reclaiming. Clients begin to hold their story differently, one that includes what happened without letting it define everything else. Getting to witness that shift is one of the reasons I do this work.
For some teens, individual sessions only go so far, and being around peers dealing with something similar changes the whole experience. Group therapy helps teens feel less alone in what they're carrying, whether that's anxiety, family pressure, or the weight of growing up in a high expectation environment. Groups are built to feel safe rather than like a performance, giving teens room to be honest without a room full of adults deciding how they should respond. Many teens find it easier to take in support from people their own age than from anyone older. This is a space where struggling doesn't make you the outlier, and support looks like genuine connection rather than correction.
Some of what I help adults untangle traces back much earlier, which is part of why I also work with teenagers already carrying more than they should have to. That can look like anxiety, tension at home, or the quiet fatigue of managing everyone else's moods before their own. Teens tend to open up once they feel taken seriously instead of managed or fixed, and sessions give them the language to describe what they're going through before it hardens into a lifelong pattern. Parents often notice their teen becoming able to name a feeling instead of just reacting from it. This work meets teens exactly where they are, not where some general guideline says they should be, whether we meet in person or virtually.

Who I serve

I work with clients throughout San Marino and the surrounding communities, including Pasadena, Alhambra, South Pasadena, and San Gabriel. Sessions are available in person for local clients and virtually for anyone in California who prefers to meet from home. A map of the surrounding service area appears just below.
Smiling woman with curly dark hair in a light floral blouse, outdoors with greenery in the background

Hi, I'm Cristina Lugo — LCSW therapist specializing in young adults

I'm Cristina Lugo, a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in EMDR, and I work with clients throughout San Marino and the greater San Gabriel Valley. As a Puerto Rican American therapist, I bring a culturally responsive, decolonial lens into every session, paying attention to the systems and expectations that shaped you long before you ever sat across from me. My work blends creativity, groundedness, and genuine curiosity, because healing shouldn't feel clinical or cold. This isn't a space designed to fix you into something more convenient. It's a space to help you come back to who you were 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.