POLYAMORY & CONSENSUAL NON-MONOGAMY THERAPY · CALIFORNIA
Build a consent, trust, and honesty grounded relationsip structure.
For individuals and partners practicing polyamory or other forms of consensual non-monogamy (CNM), therapy offers a supportive space to explore boundaries, communication, and emotional balance. My approach is affirming, informed, and rooted in respect for autonomy, consent, and transparency.
POLYAMORY & CONSENSUAL NON-MONOGAMY THERAPY · CALIFORNIA
Build a consent, trust, and honesty grounded relationsip structure.
For individuals and partners practicing polyamory or other forms of consensual non-monogamy (CNM), therapy offers a supportive space to explore boundaries, communication, and emotional balance. My approach is affirming, informed, and rooted in respect for autonomy, consent, and transparency.
GOTTMAN LEVEL III
LMFT #51009
20+ YEARS PRIVATE PRACTICE
FORTUNE 500 BACKGROUND
HIPAA TELEHEALTH · CA-WIDE
What polyamorous & consensual non-monogamy counseling & therapy is about
Create agreements that support every relationship involved.
- Maintaining privacy and trust in a relationship lived under public attention
- Navigating media exposure, rumors, or scrutiny as a couple
- Managing power imbalances when one partner is more publicly visible than the other
- Frequent travel, scheduling pressures, and time apart
- Preserving authenticity and emotional intimacy outside of public roles
” My wife and I were struggling with communication issues and felt stuck in a cycle of misunderstandings. From our very first session, Marina created a warm and welcoming environment that made it easy for us to open up.”
“Marina is great! Very comfortable to talk to and has help me a lot since I’ve started seeing her. Highly recommend”
SPECIALTIES
What I Do Best
Personalized therapy to help you heal, strengthen relationships, and improve your emotional well-being.
01
Couples & Marriage Therapy
- Evidence-based work for couples at any stage — from chronic conflict to disconnection to the brink of separation.
Learn more →
02
Affair Recovery & Infidelity Therapy
- Structured recovery from betrayal. Whether you’re deciding to stay or leave, the process is supported and clear.
Learn more →
03
Emotional and Physical Intimacy
- Rebuilding closeness and connection when distance has settled in — emotionally, mentally, physically, or both.
Learn more →
FOR POLYAMOROUS AND CONSENSUALLY NON-MONOGAMOUS RELATIONSHIPS
Built for relationships that do not follow a single definition of commitment.
Polyamory and consensual non-monogamy can create meaningful opportunities for connection, honesty, and personal growth. They can also raise complex questions about jealousy, boundaries, time, emotional security, sexual health, and the needs of multiple partners.
Marina provides a nonjudgmental space to explore these concerns without treating non-monogamy as the problem—or assuming it is right for every relationship.
Therapy focuses on consent, transparency, emotional safety, and agreements that genuinely reflect the needs of the people involved.
What sets this work apart
Affirming care that does not automatically treat monogamy as the only healthy relationship structure
Clear attention to consent, boundaries, transparency, and emotional safety
Space for each partner’s needs without pressuring anyone to accept a structure they do not want
Clear attention to loyalty conflicts, grief, changing roles, and belonging
Support for jealousy, attachment concerns, time management, intimacy, and changing agreements
Confidential telehealth throughout California—no waiting rooms
SERVICES
How I Do It
The steps I take to make sure that you are getting the support you need.
01
Honest, Judgment-Free Conversations
- I create a respectful space where each person can speak openly about their needs, fears, boundaries, and expectations without having to defend their relationship structure.
- No one is pressured toward monogamy or non-monogamy. The goal is to help everyone make informed choices grounded in genuine consent.
02
Clear and Workable Agreements
- Together, we clarify expectations around time, intimacy, communication, privacy, sexual health, boundaries, trust, consent, attachment concerns and relationships with other partners.
- We develop agreements that are specific, realistic, and mutually understood-not based on assumptions, pressure, or rules that cannot be sustained.
03
Tools for Trust and Security
- I create space for children and adults to express concerns about loss, loyalty, fairness, change, and belonging without being blamed or dismissed.
- Together, we develop practical routines, boundaries, and opportunities for connection that allow trust to grow through consistency rather than pressure.
ABOUT ME
Marina Edelman, LMFT
Couples Therapist in California
Marina Edelman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the founder of TrueMe® Counseling, a couples and relationship therapy practice serving clients in Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, and throughout California.
Marina specializes in couples therapy, affair recovery, and relationship repair, drawing on a carefully integrated set of evidence-based approaches:
- Gottman Method — Research-based tools for reducing conflict and building friendship and intimacy
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) — Healing attachment injuries and rebuilding emotional safety
- Attachment-Based Therapy — Understanding how early relational patterns shape adult love
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — Identifying and shifting the thought patterns that fuel disconnection
- AEDP — Processing deep emotional wounds with compassion and precision
Her counseling is best suited for couples and individuals seeking structured, research-backed support for relationship repair, affair recovery, anxiety, communication challenges, and premarital or marriage counseling — in person or via telehealth across California.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
About Polyamory & Consensual Non- Monogamy Therapy
Here are some of the most frequent questions we receive about this page.
What is polyamory & consensual non-monogamy?
Consensual non-monogamy, often shortened to CNM, describes relationship structures in which everyone involved knowingly agrees that romantic or sexual connections with more than one person may occur.
It can include polyamory, open relationships, swinging, and other arrangements. The defining elements are informed consent, honesty, and mutually understood agreements.
Is polyamory the same as cheating?
No. Polyamory and other forms of consensual non-monogamy involve the knowledge and consent of everyone affected. Cheating involves secrecy, deception, or behavior outside the relationship’s established
agreements.
People in non-monogamous relationships can still experience betrayal when agreements are concealed, ignored, or broken.
Do you help couples who are considering opening their relationship?
Yes. Therapy can help partners discuss expectations, boundaries, jealousy, sexual health, time commitments, privacy, and what opening the relationship would mean to each person.
The purpose is not to persuade you to open the relationship. It is to help both partners make an informed decision without pressure or coercion.
What if one partner wants non-monogamy and the other does not?
This difference needs to be explored honestly and carefully. Consent given primarily to prevent abandonment is not the same as freely chosen agreement.
Therapy can help both partners understand what they want, identify what is negotiable, and determine whether a relationship structure exists that respects both people’s boundaries.
Do all partners need to attend therapy?
Not necessarily. Therapy may involve a couple, multiple partners, or an individual seeking support with relationship concerns. The appropriate format depends on the issue, the people affected, and the clinical needs
involved.
It is important to consider whose voice may be missing when decisions made in therapy affect other partners.
Take the first step toward healing and connection
Not sure where to start? Let’s talk.