Therapist Los Angeles, CA
About Ligia Orellana, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #122659
Therapist in Los Angeles for Adults Who Want to Feel More Like Themselves
Ligia Orellana, LMFT, a Latinx Therapist in Los Angeles, offering therapy based in Los Angeles and throughout California for First Gen and Queer adults ready to regulate their nervous system, calm their racing thoughts, and build emotional resilience.
What sets me apart as a Therapist in Los Angeles?
Hi, my name is Ligia (She, Her, Ella)!
I’m a first-generation Guatemalan-American, cisgendered Latinx Therapist (she/her/ella) based in Los Angeles and providing therapy throughout California, who believes that all parts of your identity deserve to be honored in the healing process. I support clients in exploring their emotions, healing guilt and shame, and reconnecting with their authentic selves. Therapy with me is not about fixing you, it’s about reconnecting you with your voice, values, and emotional truth.
There are many therapists out there, but not all of them understand the intersection of anxiety, culture, identity, and attachment the way I do. Your cultural background, values, and lived experiences deeply matter in therapy. I believe therapy should be an inclusive and empowering experience for everyone, especially those from marginalized communities. I help you understand your emotions, heal attachment wounds, struggle less with people pleasing, toxic relationships, and explore your gender/sexual identity.
Therapy Rooted in Safety, Curiosity, and Your Lived Experience
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The unspoken emotional weight of being a first-generation individual
The tension between self-preservation and self-expression
The grief and guilt that can come with outgrowing old roles or identities
The fear that arises when you want to make changes in your life and relationships to others
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My Practice is Deeply Shaped by:
My commitment to LGBTQIA+ affirming care
My training in both Western and culturally informed healing frameworks
I hold a strong belief that therapy should be collaborative, compassionate, harmonious, and client-centered.
I strive to make therapy with me a place where you do not need to hide parts of yourself you have needed to survive. You are safe to show up fully, and we’ll navigate the healing process together.
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I specialize in helping First Gen Adults throughout California heal anxiety, people pleasing, toxic relationships, and identity through Awareness and Nervous System Regulation. Through understanding your anxiety and incorporating embodiment into your daily life, learning to regulate your nervous system, calm your racing thoughts, and build emotional resilience.
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B.A. in Psychology with a Minor in Gender and Women’s Studies
M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy with Certification in LGBTQ+ Human Services and Mental Health
Somatic Attachment Therapy Certification — In Progress
My training has centered in cultural and relational frameworks that have affirmed my beliefs that individuals are shaped by their relationships to others; family, culture, partnerships, friendships, and with external systems. It has led me on a meaningful journey working with BIPOC and Queer clients, allowing me to be part of their emotional growth, discovery, and evolution.
Why I Became a Marriage and Family Therapist in Los Angeles
My experiences as a first Gen Latinx eldest child shaped my path of becoming a therapist due to a deep desire of wanting to get to know the real me. I often felt I had to be strong, self-sufficient, and emotionally “together” to prove my worth, even at the cost of my own needs.
I carried a constant feeling of not being “enough,” for others, and most importantly myself. I navigated my emotions on my own and held the belief that only I can handle things. If I accepted help, it meant I was giving up control and the world would fall apart. But the stubbornness of holding onto control and independence led to an emotional disconnection, from others and from myself. I didn’t know what I truly wanted, because I didn’t feel safe enough to ask.
Over time, I began to understand my emotions instead of avoiding them. I worked through unlearning patterns of shame, guilt, and fear that kept me emotionally disconnected to myself, and I learned to live with more peace and confidence. My own personal journey inspires the same work I now support my clients in doing, especially first Generation BIPOC and Queer Folx who feel scared about their emotions and do not know how to navigate their feelings of guilt and shame.
Meet Ligia Orellana, LMFT – A Marriage and Family Therapist in Los Angeles Supporting First-Gen, BIPOC & Queer Adults Across California
You don’t have to have the perfect words.
You don’t have to be “ready” in a polished way.
You just have to be willing to explore what healing might look like for you.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to sit across from your therapist and just be, no pressure and no judgment, this video is for you. I share a bit about how anxiety shows up for my clients, who I work with, and what to expect from a Free - No Commitment - 15 minute consultation with myself. I’d love to connect, if you are looking for a space to feel safe being fully yourself!
Ready to lean into Emotional Safety with a Therapist in Los Angeles?
I help you learn tools to self-soothe, develop resilience, and rebuild trust (within yourself and with others). You don’t have to do it alone. Whether you’re ready to dive into a full therapy session or just need some initial guidance, I’d love to connect with you!