We help couples and individuals strengthen relationships in Encinitas and virtually throughout California.
Integrative Couples Therapy
Cristina Trette, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
I am Cristina Trette, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the Founder of Integrative Couples Therapy.
If you are here, it is likely because your relationships matter deeply to you. You may be preparing for marriage and want to protect the love you share. Or, you may be having the same fight over and over again, feel more like roommates than lovers, facing the aftermath of betrayal, noticing the loss of sexual intimacy, or feeling uncertain about the future of your family. Whatever has brought you here, this is a place to slow down, take a breath, and be supported.
At Integrative Couples Therapy, we help couples and individuals strengthen relationships. Our work focuses on helping people feel more understood, connected, and secure with the people that matter the most. Our team is trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy, an evidence based, attachment oriented model that helps relationships grow stronger. We believe that loving relationships are at the heart of a meaningful life, and with the right support, meaningful change is possible. Welcome.
Our Specialties
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We help couples and individuals improve communication by helping you slow down conversations and making space for what is really being said underneath the words. Together, we work to shift patterns that lead to misunderstandings, defensiveness, or shutdown, and build ways of speaking and listening that feel clearer and more respectful. Over time, communication becomes less reactive and more connected, making it easier to feel understood and close again.
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Our work is rooted in attachment and the understanding that emotional connection is a basic human need. Whether you are in couples therapy or working individually, we focus on strengthening your sense of emotional safety, responsiveness, and trust in connection. By supporting secure attachment, relationships become more stable, resilient, and able to grow through both closeness and challenge.
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Sexual intimacy is often closely tied to emotional connection and trust, and it can be affected by stress, life transitions, relationship challenges, or past experiences. We work with couples and individuals to create a supportive space to talk openly about intimacy, desire, and eroticism, at a pace that feels comfortable and respectful.
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Infidelity and betrayal can shake the foundation of a relationship and deeply affect all involved. We offer both couples therapy and individual therapy to support you through this process, meeting you where you are and honoring the complexity of what you are facing. Whether you are working together to rebuild trust or healing individually, we provide a steady, non-judgmental space to process the pain, understand what happened, and move forward with greater clarity and care.
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We support parents at every stage of family life, working with couples, individuals, and coparents as relationships grow and change. Our approach is rooted in attachment and focuses on strengthening the emotional bonds that help families feel connected. Whether you are navigating early parenthood, raising children or teens, managing mental health challenges, or coparenting through separation or divorce, we help you slow down, understand patterns, and build secure parent-child and parent-parent relationships.
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We support couples and individuals navigating relationship transitions, including separation, divorce, breakups, or uncertainty and ambivalence. We offer a confidential and thoughtful space to help you slow down, find clarity, and move forward. Whether you are working toward repair or reshaping your relationship, our focus is on helping you communicate with respect, protect what matters most, and cultivate intention and care.
Therapy Services
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Couples Therapy
Couples therapy is designed for couples wanting to work as a team to improve communication, resolve conflict, and enhance intimacy.
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Premarital Counseling
Premarital counseling helps couples that are dating, or preparing for marriage to create a solid foundation while developing relationship skills.
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Individual Therapy
Individual therapy assists those wanting support with understanding attachment and creating safe and secure relationship dynamics on their own.
Workshops & Courses
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Couples Workshop ~ In Person
February 28 to March 1
10:00am to 5:00pm, Saturday and Sunday
$695 per couple
Open to couples only
In Person ~ Encinitas, CA
Facilitated by Cristina Trette, LMFT
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Relationship Course ~ Online
February 11 to March 18, 2026
6:00pm to 7:00pm, Six Wednesdays
$195 per person, $295 per couple
$35 per person drop in, $50 per couple drop in
Zoom ~ Live Virtual
Facilitated by Marissa Massimini, LMFT
Our Team
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Cristina Trette
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
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Cara McDowell
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
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Marissa Massimini
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Our Mission and Values
At Integrative Couples Therapy, our mission is to support individuals, couples, and families in strengthening connection and creating lives that feel meaningful, steady, and fulfilling. We believe secure and loving relationships are central to wellbeing, and that with the right support, people and relationships can heal, grow, and change.
We envision a world where relationship care is approached with openness and respect, where seeking support is free of stigma, and where the importance of love, partnership, and family relationships is recognized and valued.
Our work and our culture are guided by the following values.
Relationships Are Central
Connection is at the heart of our work and our culture. We value warmth, kindness, and emotional presence, and we communicate with clarity and respect to build trust and relational safety.
Clinical and Professional Maturity
We practice with care, consistency, and ethical responsibility. Our clinicians bring emotional maturity, dependability, and steadiness to their work, creating safety and trust for clients and for the team.
Commitment to Ongoing Growth
We value curiosity, learning, and continued development. We refine our skills, seek consultation, and stay current in our work so we can offer thoughtful, effective, and responsive care.
Belief in Transformation
We believe meaningful change is possible for people and relationships. Even in times of distress, we hold hope for healing, repair, and growth, and support lasting shifts that strengthen connection and wellbeing.
Holistic
We understand that relationships, family life, parenting, work, health, and personal wellbeing are deeply interconnected. Our work considers the whole person and the systems they live within, offering integrated care that supports balance and long term wellbeing.
