How do I know if Lisa Chen & Associates is the right fit for me?

We offer a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation. It's a chance to get to know us, understand our approach, and see if we align with your needs. The purpose of an initial consultation is to determine if you are a good fit for working together. You can expect a 15–20 minute conversation where you will have the opportunity to share your concerns, goals, and what you hope to achieve through therapy. This is also a chance for you to ask questions and get a sense of the therapist's approach and personality.

Our fees range from $180 to $350 per 50-minute session based on the clinician's experience, specialized training, and services provided. Lisa Chen's fees are $350 per 50-minute session for both individual and couples counseling. Licensed Client Session fees are $200 for individual and $225 for couples counseling per 50-minute session. Associate Clinician fees are $180 for individual and $200 for couples counseling per 50-minute session. We also reserve spots for clients requesting a sliding-scale rate to accommodate financial needs.

Do you accept insurance?

Lisa Chen & Associates are out-of-network providers. We provide monthly insurance statements ('Superbills') for you to seek partial reimbursement from your insurance company according to your policy. For questions about your out-of-network benefits, please contact your insurance carrier before scheduling.

What is your cancellation policy?

Weekly clients are allowed 3 free cancellations every 6 months, and bi-weekly clients are allowed 2 free cancellations every 6 months, beginning from the date of your first session. You will be responsible for payment for your normally scheduled session time for all cancelled appointments beyond this. Please provide at least 48 hours' notice for cancellations. You may always choose to reschedule and/or take sessions virtually to accommodate occasional scheduling conflicts.

How often should I expect to meet?

We recommend weekly therapy sessions for optimal progress. However, there are times when clients prefer to meet twice a week for more complex challenges. During your initial phone consultation, let us know if you are interested in more frequent sessions.

Are you offering in-person sessions?

Yes, we are seeing clients in our South Bay office located at 2615 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 326, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. We also offer telehealth sessions for California residents.

How do I get started with counseling?

The first step is to schedule an initial consultation by calling our office or submitting the contact form on our website. This allows us to understand your needs and match you with the best therapist for your situation. From there, we'll work with you to schedule ongoing sessions.

Gottman Love Maps Questions | 60 Questions to Know Your Partner

Gottman Love Maps: 60 Questions to Know Your Partner

A Guide to Deepening Emotional Intimacy Through Curiosity

By Lisa Chen, LMFT | Lisa Chen & Associates Therapy | Hermosa Beach, CA

Most couples don’t lose connection all at once.

They lose it gradually, in the small details they stop asking about, the inner worlds they stop updating, and the assumptions they begin to make instead of checking.

You can love someone deeply and still stop really knowing them.

That is why Love Maps matter.

In Gottman Method couples therapy, a Love Map is your mental picture of your partner’s inner world. Their stressors, their hopes, their history, their preferences, the things that matter to them right now. Couples with richer Love Maps tend to be better equipped to handle stress, conflict, and change together.

This guide helps you build that map again.

Inside, you’ll find 60 questions designed to help you better understand your partner, from everyday preferences to deeper fears, dreams, and emotional realities. The guide also includes a simple, game-like structure: take turns asking, answering, and seeing how much you already know.

This is not about getting every answer right.

It is about staying curious. Because intimacy is not built on assumptions. It is built on ongoing discovery.

Download PDF Guide

Lisa Chen, LMFT California License #140374

Lisa Chen is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and founder of Lisa Chen & Associates Therapy in Hermosa Beach, California. She specializes in high-achieving professionals navigating burnout, anxiety, trauma, and relationship strain, and holds advanced training in EMDR, Internal Family Systems, and Gottman Method Couples Therapy. Her clinical approach is informed by a prior career in investment banking and business development, including education at The Wharton School and Harvard Business School. She provides individual and couples therapy in person in the South Bay and via telehealth throughout California.

Read full bio· Meet the full team

Quick Summary

Love Maps are a Gottman-based way of strengthening emotional intimacy by helping partners stay updated on each other’s inner world. This guide includes 60 questions to help couples build connection, increase understanding, and create more meaningful conversations.

If you want to deepen communication in a more intentional way, couples therapy at Lisa Chen & Associates Therapy can help.

Who This Guide Is For

This guide was created for couples who want to feel more connected by knowing each other more deeply. It is especially helpful if you are:

Emotional Disconnection

Feeling like you still love each other, but have become more logistical than emotionally connected.

Surface-Level Conversations

Talking every day, but mostly about schedules, tasks, or what needs to get done.

Reconnection

Wanting a simple but meaningful way to feel closer again after stress, conflict, or distance.

Premarital or Early Relationship

Building a strong foundation by learning more about each other before deeper patterns set in.

Couples Therapy Support

Doing Gottman-informed couples therapy and wanting a practical tool to use between sessions.

High-Functioning Couples

Doing well outwardly but wanting more intimacy, curiosity, and emotional depth in the relationship.

This guide is not a substitute for professional care. If you are ready to go deeper, we are here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Gottman Love Maps?

Love Maps are your mental picture of your partner’s inner world, including their stressors, preferences, hopes, and fears.

How do Love Maps help relationships?

They help couples stay emotionally updated, which strengthens connection and makes navigating stress and conflict easier.

How should couples use these questions?

Take turns asking and answering. The goal is curiosity, not perfection.

Continue the Work

The practices in this guide are most effective when supported by skilled clinical care.

At Lisa Chen & Associates, we offer evidence-based approaches for individuals and couples throughout Los Angeles and California.

Our Approach

How We Treat →

EMDR, IFS, Gottman, and somatic approaches explained

Specializations

What We Treat →

Anxiety, burnout, trauma, and relationship strain

Modality

EMDR Therapy →

The clinical modality that shares roots with somatic tools

Modality

Internal Family Systems →

IFS and somatic work are deeply complementary

Couples

Couples Therapy →

Co-regulation is most powerful within a healthy relationship

Free Resources

Resource Library →

More clinical guides, quizzes, and tools

This guide is a clinical educational resource produced by Lisa Chen & Associates Therapy and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment. If you are in crisis, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

Published March 2026 · Last reviewed March 2026