Evie Shafner, LMFT

Evie Shafner, LMFT As a Marriage & Family Counselor specializing in Imago Therapy, I provide services ranging from couples to individual therapy for all seeking healing.

Imago therapy is an amazing relationship technology that very quickly gets us back to safe communication and experiencing our partner as a source of emotional safety, and passionate friendship. In my 35 years of working with couples as a specialty, Imago is the best system I have known to get us back to that feeling that we had in the beginning of our relationship. Its structured communication techniques distinguish it from all other types of couples therapy. the process itself feels very nonthreatening to both partners. I believe the only part of us that is real, our essence, cannot be harmed and no matter what has happened to us, with compassionate coaching and support, we can take the helm of our own lives and learn to move towards the peace and happiness we long for. Watch Evie discuss her practice and Imago Therapy here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf81SPNe-JY

Grown-up love isn’t about butterflies and perfect moments. It’s choosing each other on the hard days. It’s apologizing w...
02/20/2026

Grown-up love isn’t about butterflies and perfect moments. It’s choosing each other on the hard days. It’s apologizing when you’re wrong and forgiving when it hurts. It’s supporting dreams even when they’re inconvenient, and building a life that honors both of you. ⁣
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It’s less about passion and more about partnership - showing up, staying patient, and loving someone not despite their flaws, but as a whole person. Grown-up love is quiet, steady, and intentional. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.⁣
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If your relationship needs a tune-up, please visit my website at www.evieshafner.com (https://www.evieshafner.com/) for more information on therapy or to schedule a consultation. Now seeing clients virtually and in person!⁣
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02/18/2026

The right person isn’t the one who never frustrates you or challenges you. It’s the one who’s willing to figure it out with you. Again and again. That’s the choice that matters.

If your relationship needs a tune-up, please visit my website at www.evieshafner.com for more information on therapy or to schedule a consultation. Now seeing clients virtually and in person!

Source:

As a couples therapist, when couples come in, they are very quick to point out what is wrong with their partner. Their o...
02/16/2026

As a couples therapist, when couples come in, they are very quick to point out what is wrong with their partner. Their own contribution? Not so much.⁣
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Making a habit of looking for the good, noticing it and EXPRESSING it can make all the difference.⁣
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Words of affirmation cost us nothing and give us the world. A kind of currency that connects us, makes somebody’s day, a balm to the negativity that is so pervasive these days.⁣
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Examples:⁣
* You’re the cutest thing that ever lived.⁣
* Love how kind you are.⁣
* You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.⁣
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Many of us didn’t hear these things growing up, and we are shy about saying them. We can do something we don’t feel like doing, and it gets easier with time.⁣
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Write some appreciations down, pick one and practice saying it—it will boomerang right back to you. Maybe it’s a way each of us can make the world a little better each day. ⁣
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If your relationship needs a tune-up, please visit my website at www.evieshafner.com for more information on therapy or to schedule a consultation. Now seeing clients virtually and in person.

02/12/2026

The difference between trying to fix someone and dating someone with a growth mindset is everything. One exhausts you, the other inspires you. Choose a partner who’s committed to their own growth and evolution—not someone you’re constantly trying to change.⁣
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Source:

Codependency masquerades as devotion, but it’s really self-abandonment. It’s putting someone else’s emotions, needs, and...
02/11/2026

Codependency masquerades as devotion, but it’s really self-abandonment. It’s putting someone else’s emotions, needs, and approval above your own sense of worth. Real love doesn’t demand sacrifice of self — it thrives when both people are independent and emotionally responsible for themselves.⁣
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If your relationship needs a tune-up, please visit my website at www.evieshafner.com for more information on therapy or to schedule a consultation. Now seeing clients virtually and in person.

Your partner just shared something with you—a story, a worry, or simply “look at this.” What happens next matters more t...
02/06/2026

Your partner just shared something with you—a story, a worry, or simply “look at this.” What happens next matters more than you think.⁣
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These are called “bids for connection.” But relationships are made or broken by how you respond:⁣
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Turn Toward (Engaging) You look up. You ask a question. You squeeze their hand back. Even if busy, you acknowledge them: “Give me two minutes to finish this.” This says: You matter. I see you.⁣
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Turn Away (Ignoring) You keep scrolling. Distracted “mm-hmm” without listening. You miss the bid entirely. This, even unintentionally, says: Other things matter more right now.⁣
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Turn Against (Rejecting) “Not now.” “Why are you interrupting me?” You dismiss or criticize the bid. This says: Your attempts to connect are a burden.⁣
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Research shows that couples who stay together turn toward bids 86% of the time. Couples who divorce? They turn toward only 33% of the time.⁣
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How we respond isn’t random - it’s shaped by childhood wounds. If connection felt unsafe growing up, you might instinctively turn away. If vulnerability was met with criticism, you might turn against without realizing it.⁣
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Once you see these patterns, you can change them. You can pause. You can choose to turn toward, even when it’s hard.⁣
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Strong relationships aren’t built on perfection. They’re built on awareness, repair, and choosing to turn toward each other.

Here’s what no one tells you about lasting love: it lives in the space between emotion and action. Yes, love is a feelin...
02/04/2026

Here’s what no one tells you about lasting love: it lives in the space between emotion and action. Yes, love is a feeling - the warmth that floods your chest, the magnetic pull toward someone, the joy of simply being near them. But love is also a practice. ⁣
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It is the deliberate choice to listen when you’d rather be right, to reach for their hand when you’re hurt, to show up with patience when frustration is easier. The feeling ignites the flame, but the practice keeps it burning. ⁣
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The most successful couples practice love daily through small, consistent acts of attention. It’s the daily micro-choices that transform fleeting emotion into enduring partnership. Both matter. Both are real. And both require your full presence.

01/30/2026

You can’t love someone into growth—they have to choose it themselves.⁣
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Every relationship moves from romantic love into the power struggle phase—that’s where our childhood wounds collide and we start triggering each other. Imago shows us this isn’t the problem; it’s the invitation to heal. ⁣
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But here’s what matters: Is your partner willing to see the power struggle as an opportunity for growth, or are they stuck blaming you for how they feel? You can’t consciousness someone out of unconscious behavior. ⁣
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They have to choose awareness, choose dialogue, choose to exit the blame game. Growth is a choice—make sure you’re both making it. ⁣
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If your relationship needs a tune-up, please visit my website at www.evieshafner.com for more information on therapy or to schedule a consultation. Now seeing clients virtually and in person.

01/30/2026

Choose someone whose words you want to wake up to, whose thoughts you want to understand, whose silence feels comfortable. ⁣
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Choose someone you’d rather talk to than anyone else—on the best days and the worst ones. Because fifty years from now, you’ll still be sitting across from each other, sharing stories. Choose someone whose voice you never get tired of hearing. 💕⁣
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If your relationship needs a tune-up, please visit my website at www.evieshafner.com for more information on therapy or to schedule a consultation. Now seeing clients virtually and in person. ⁣
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Source:

Most apologies don’t work because they’re more about defending ourselves than repairing the connection.⁣⁣The goal isn’t ...
01/28/2026

Most apologies don’t work because they’re more about defending ourselves than repairing the connection.⁣
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The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is repair.⁣
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Ruptures are inevitable. How we repair is what builds trust, safety, and conscious love.⁣

If your relationship needs a tune-up, please visit my website at www.evieshafner.com for more information on therapy or to schedule a consultation. Now seeing clients virtually and in person.

01/23/2026

Sometimes the healthiest choice is letting go.
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Not all relationships are meant to last. ⁣
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breaks down 3 reasons why breaking up might actually be the wisest choice 🚩.

Source: Jay Shetty and Audible

01/23/2026

Real green flags aren’t about grand gestures. It’s someone who stays curious when you’re upset instead of defensive. Who takes responsibility for their impact, not just their intent. ⁣
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Who wants to understand your world, not change it. Who can repair after conflict instead of going silent. Who sees your struggles with compassion and believes growth happens together. That’s marriage material.⁣
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The right person doesn’t just love you. They create space where you feel safe enough to be fully yourself - messiness and all.⁣
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If your relationship needs a tune-up, please visit my website at www.evieshafner.com for more information on therapy or to schedule a consultation. Now seeing clients virtually and in person.

Address

173 S Orange Drive
Los Angeles, CA
90036

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13232525624

Website

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