01 · Identity
Identity & transition
For trans, nonbinary, and questioning teens and adults navigating dysphoria, disclosure, and the path to themselves.
Gender-affirming therapy · Los Angeles
A practice that doesn't ask you to translate yourself.
For trans, nonbinary, and questioning teens and adults across Los Angeles. Plain-spoken, affirming, and built around the parts of life you usually have to explain twice.
Same-Day Appointments
When openings allow — call us; first sessions are often available within 48 hours.
Most Insurance Accepted
All major Southern California carriers. Sliding scale available case-by-case.
LGBTQ+ Affirmative Care
Across every service. You don't need to come out to your therapist on day one — or ever.
Evening & Weekend Sessions
Life doesn't pause at 5pm. Telehealth seven days a week, 8am–8pm.
What to expect
Three steps. No homework before you arrive.
If you've been putting this off, the most useful thing to know is that the first conversation is mostly logistics — not the deepest thing you've ever been asked.
01
Reach out
Call (626) 354-6440 or send a short message through the contact form. A real person — our healthcare coordinator — will get back to you, usually the same day.
02
Your first session
About sixty minutes. You don't have to share everything. We figure out together what's been going on and whether we feel like a good fit. No pressure to commit on day one.
03
Ongoing care
Weekly or every other week, in-person in Pasadena or by telehealth anywhere in California. Group, individual, family, or couples — whatever fits the work.
Do I really need therapy?
You don't have to be in crisis to deserve a real conversation.
Most people who reach out aren't falling apart. They've just been carrying something for a long time — usually something they've already tried to talk themselves out of. The thing they say to friends is "I'm fine, just tired." The thing they say at 11pm in a Google search bar is different.
If you've been wondering whether you "qualify" — whether what you're feeling is bad enough to count — that wondering is itself a reasonable reason to come in. We've sat with hundreds of people who introduced themselves with "this is probably nothing, but…" It rarely turned out to be nothing. It also rarely turned out to be as terrible as they feared.
Starting is often the hardest part. You don't need to know what to call what's wrong. You don't need to have it organized. You just need to show up.
What we work on
Conditions and concerns we know well
You don't have to walk in with a diagnosis. These are some of the things people most often want to work through with us.
01 · Identity
02 · Mood
Mood & anxiety
The spirals, the heaviness, the chronic vigilance. Evidence-based work for the things that quietly wear you down.
03 · Relationships
Relationships & family
Couples, families, parents and kids — the rooms where the real work often happens, with people who already know the dynamics.
04 · How we work
How we work
Individual, group, family, IOP, telehealth across California. Most insurance accepted, sliding scale case-by-case.
In their words
What people have told us about starting
Illustrative composites drawn from common feedback. Marked as such per ethical guidelines — no real client names or details.
I'd been telling myself for two years that I didn't really need therapy, just better sleep. The first session, I cried in five minutes and felt better than I had all month. They didn't make a thing of it. I'm still going.
— Mateo R., 28
I came in expecting to have to explain what nonbinary meant. They already knew. We spent the hour on the actual stuff that's been wearing me out — my mom, work, the constant low-grade dread.
— Linh T., 24
I'd put off finding a therapist for years because I thought I'd have to come out before I'd even sat down. They asked what I wanted to be called, wrote it on a sticky note, and we got going.
— Aarav P., 33
Group therapy sounded like my worst nightmare and turned out to be the part I look forward to most. Hearing other people say the things I'd been carrying alone changed something I didn't know was changeable.
— Lucia M., 19, college student
Telehealth from my apartment in Long Beach. Sessions in Spanish. They got me an evening slot. I almost didn't believe how easy it was to start once I made the call.
— Sofía G., 41
My parents wanted me to "just get past it." My therapist didn't ask me to. He asked me what I actually wanted my next year to look like. That was the first time in a long time someone had.
— Nareh A., 17, high school junior
I'm a returning client. I came back for couples work after a few years away. They remembered me. The continuity of care here is rare and I don't take it for granted.
— Daniel C., 36, returning client
I sleep through the night again. That's the most boring thing I could say about therapy and also the most true.
— Yusuf K., 45
Common questions
Things people ask before starting
Do I have to be in crisis to start therapy?
No. Most people who reach out are not in crisis. They've just been carrying something for a long time and want a place to put it down. You don't need a label, a diagnosis, or a "good enough" reason to come in.
Is your practice affirming for trans and nonbinary clients?
Yes. Every clinician at Pasadena Clinical Group practices gender-affirming care. We don't ask you to justify your identity or use therapy to question it. We help with the things that actually wear you down — minority stress, family conflict, dysphoria, anxiety, depression, the hard parts of coming out or not coming out.
Do you accept insurance?
We accept all major insurance carriers in Southern California — Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Aetna, Cigna, Magellan, L.A. Care, Carelon, Elevance, MHN, Beacon Health, and TriWest/VA. If your plan isn't listed, call us. We may still be able to help, and a sliding scale is available on a case-by-case basis. More on insurance →
Do you offer telehealth?
Yes — telehealth is available seven days a week for clients located anywhere in California. Many people prefer it because it removes the friction of getting to an office, especially for sessions about identity, family, or anything that feels easier to talk about from home.
I'm a parent. Can my teen have private sessions?
Yes. Under California Family Code §6924, minors aged 12 and over can consent to outpatient mental health treatment under certain conditions. We work hard to keep what your teen shares with their clinician confidential while keeping you informed about safety, treatment direction, and the things you genuinely need to know to support them. We talk through that framework on the very first call. More on family work →
What if I'm not sure I'm "trans enough" for a gender-affirming therapist?
You don't have to know. You don't have to have a label. You don't have to have decided anything. We work with people who are sure, people who are questioning, people who are figuring out whether the word fits at all. The therapy doesn't require the answer up front.
Ready when you are
You don't have to figure this out alone.
If you've read this far, that probably counts as starting. Reach out — same-day callback when openings allow.