"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."
— James Baldwin
If things were simple, you wouldn't be here.
Maybe you're trying to make sense of why the life you worked so hard to build doesn't feel the way you thought it would. Maybe a relationship that matters deeply is fracturing, or a betrayal has left you questioning things you thought were solid. Maybe you're carrying grief or disappointment that never got the attention it deserved, or you're beginning to see how much of the past is quietly running the present.
Whatever brought you here, it matters. And it deserves more than a surface-level response.
This practice is designed to meet the full complexity of your life, with the insight, experience, and honesty to help you heal, grow, and actually change.
Depth, Discretion, and Real Change
My approach is built on a single premise: Insight without action is just observation.
Good therapy requires more than a good listener. It requires clinical expertise, hard-won wisdom, and the courage to challenge what isn't working, even when that's uncomfortable.
I don't sit back and observe. I roll up my sleeves. Every session is an active collaboration, and you'll leave with something tangible, a shift in understanding, a specific tool, a clearer frame for what's been driving the pattern. Most clients find that this work moves faster than anything they've tried before, not because we rush, but because we work on the right things from the beginning.
Your time and your privacy are treated with the same care as the work itself. Discretion is not a feature of this practice. It is the foundation of it.
Services
What to Expect in Our Work
If you have tried therapy before and found it to be a passive or frustrating experience where you did most of the talking while the therapist simply nodded, you will find our work to be quite different. I don't believe that silence is a catalyst for change and I don't believe that my role is to simply witness your life from a distance. Instead, you can expect an active and direct partnership where I share my observations, challenge the patterns that are keeping you stuck, and offer a perspective that is grounded in both clinical training and a genuine understanding of the world you inhabit. Our sessions move with intention and direction because I respect your time and I know that you are looking for more than just a place to vent; you are looking for the insight and the tools to actually change the outcome of your life.
We start by identifying the specific mechanics of what isn't working—whether that is a communication breakdown in your marriage or an internal sense of burnout that you can't seem to outwork—and we look at these issues not as flaws, but as signals that need to be decoded. You will find that I am a vocal participant in the room and I will often point out things in real-time as they arise between us because how you relate to me is often a blueprint for how you relate to everyone else. We don't spend our time ruminating on the past for the sake of history but we do look back to understand how you were shaped so that you can begin to make conscious choices in the present.
You can expect to leave each session with a clearer frame for what is driving your experience and, frequently, a specific focus or a practical skill to apply before we meet again. We are working to build your internal capacity to handle pressure, to restore your ability to connect deeply with the people who matter, and to ensure that you are leading your life from a place of agency rather than reaction. This is a collaborative process that requires your honesty and my directness and it is designed for those who are ready to do the deep work required to align their internal reality with their external success.
About Me
My Practice
I came to this work the long way.
Two decades in high-stakes professional life. Goldman Sachs. Royal Bank of Scotland. General Counsel and Head of Product at several companies that reached unicorn status. Co-founder of FinDox with a successful exit. And running alongside all of that, the quieter and far more important inner work. The kind that doesn't happen overnight. That slowly changes how you see yourself, how you show up in your relationships, and what you understand about why you do what you do.
I know what it's like to have a resume that looks like evidence of a life going well while something quieter and more important goes unattended. I know the defenses that carry you through the hardest parts of life are often the same ones standing between you and genuine connection. Between you and stillness. Between you and trusting what you actually know.
That's not an observation I made from a textbook. It's something I lived, and it's what allows me to sit with someone in the full complexity of who they are, see what's actually happening underneath the surface, and help them find their way toward something more honest and authentic.
I'm a deep believer in what becomes possible when we finally get out of our own way. The clarity that arrives. The connections that deepen. The ability to finally hear yourself think. I love helping people find their way there. More joy. Less noise. The kind of confidence that comes from actually knowing yourself.
Most clients leave their first session feeling something they didn't expect. Hopeful. Understood. Curious about what comes next.
That's where the work begins.
Outside the office, I'm a mom to two teenagers who keep me genuinely humble, mostly by reminding me that my jokes are nowhere near as funny as I think they are. Navigating life in a blended family has taught me as much about complexity, repair, and connection as anything I've studied. I bring all of it with me into this work.
Serving couples and professionals in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and the greater South Bay.
Located in the heart of Hermosa Beach, this practice serves clients in person and virtually across California. Whether you're in the South Bay, Los Angeles, or anywhere in between, working together is straightforward and accessible.
My office is located in the heart of Hermosa Beach about a 10-minute walk from Pier Ave. and a 15-minute walk from the beach.
Evening and weekend availability, because your schedule shouldn't be what stands between you and this work.
Serving Nearby Cities: Manhattan Beach, Marina Del Rey, Redondo Beach, Torrance, El Segundo, Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Playa Vista, Greater Los Angeles
Contact Info:
Hermosa Beach Office
2309 Pacific Coast Hwy Suite #202
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254-2751
Phone Number & Email
(323) 646-6263
info@reginaabayev.com