Relationships are at the heart of everything we do. When we experience ongoing disconnection, it impacts every area of life. It is my purpose in life to help people experience greater connection and more harmonious relationships.

I’m Cristina Trette, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the Owner of Integrative Couples Therapy. I specialize in helping partners deepen their bond, strengthen emotional and physical intimacy, and create lasting change. My approach integrates Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) with mind-body practices, attachment science, and relational neuroscience. Whether you are navigating conflict, healing after a breach of trust, or wanting to rekindle your sexual intinacy, I am here to help.

Through couples therapy and workshops, I support couples to shift patterns, heal emotional wounds, and foster secure bonds. Many of the couples I work with come to me during pivotal moments in their relationship—whether they are struggling with communication, feeling emotionally disconnected, working through a crisis or on the verge of divorce. My approach blends emotional processing with embodied practices, helping couples shift out of distress and into psychological safety and connection.

In addition to therapy, I am passionate about facilitating couples workshops and relationship-focused groups, which provide an immersive space to connect and develop new relational skills. My workshops and groups integrate experiential exercises, mindfulness, and somatic awareness, helping individuals and couples move beyond intellectual understanding.

I work with all couples and have a particular passion for working with entrepreneurs, business owners, and those in family businesses, helping them manage the unique pressures of business ownership while maintaining strong and connected relationships. I appreciate being able to conduct family therapy with those in family businesses.

My clients include those in traditional marriages, domestic partnerships, open/CNM relationships, second marriages, and blended families. I approach all relationships and families and their various structures with openness and acceptance. My style is warm, compassionate, while also being directive and growth-focused. I challenge my clients to take ownership of their relationships and to make the changes they want to make.

While my primary focus today is couples therapy, I also have extensive experience in family therapy and parenting support. I help parents and coparents maintain healthy relationships with each other and guide them to strengthen bonds with their children. I am trained in Emotionally Focused Family Therapy, certified in Perinatal Mental Health through Postpartum Support International, certified in Susie Walton’s Joy of Parenting, and completed The Co-Parenting Specialist™ Training Program” led by Christina McGhee. Lastly, I completed Robyn Gobbel’s Course Facilitator training of Being With: A Course for Parents of Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors.

I hold a Master of Arts in Marital and Family Therapy and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, both from the University of San Diego. My training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy includes the EFT Externship, EFT Core Skills, and advanced EFT courses in infidelity, betrayal, trauma, sex, and violence. I have served on the Board of the San Diego Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy for six years.

Before founding Integrative Couples Therapy, I worked as a therapist in various settings, including High Tech High Schools, a residential trauma and addiction recovery home, and a private therapy practice within The Soul of Yoga. Prior to becoming a therapist, I spent much of my career working with families as a preschool teacher, camp counselor, surf instructor, and massage therapist in a family-focused chiropractic clinic.

Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, yoga, surfing, and spending quality time with my life partner and our children. I believe that movement, nature, and presence are essential to wellbeing, and I incorporate these principles into my life and work.