Palo Alto, CA – 06/24/2021: In a time when elderly Asians are being attacked on the streets and immigrants are being told to go back home, an Iranian-American couples counseling therapist in Palo Alto is drawing upon her cultural values and her 20 years of experience as an LMFT in service of her community.
Azizeh Rezaiyan, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, focuses primarily on couples, but also works with individuals and families. According to her website, couples hoping to build a better relationship come to her for help with wide-ranging issues, from intimacy problems and infidelity to premarital counseling and cross-cultural marriage counseling.
The term ‘cross-cultural marriage counseling’ isn’t something one sees being discussed a lot. In this day and age, when the world’s information and knowledge are readily available, there are those who question whether people really need professional intervention for understanding another culture.
“Well, yes they do,” explains Rezaiyan, with the trademark patience of a marriage counseling therapist. “Marrying someone from another culture is a lot different than even dating someone from a different background. People often don’t realize just how much we’re shaped by our cultural identity. The idea of love that’s pushed into our minds keeps us from asking how cultural differences affect our relationship in the long run. But, it’s important for people to ask these questions, and of course, we’re here to help them find the answers.”
Hoping to learn more, we reached out to some of her clients.
Martin, 24, sent us his response via email: “I come from a big, loud Italian family, but my wife’s an only child and was born and raised here. I really didn’t think it was necessary for us to go to therapy. We figured things would kinda (sic) fall into place for us, but then we realized we didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things. Azizeh was super recommended by my wife’s friend, and I’m really glad I decided to go to her. She’s helped us a lot!”
When asked what drew her to this, Rezaiyan had this to say: “Before I made my home here, I lived in about four different countries and had the privilege of experiencing a lot of different cultures. Going from observing people in various cultures, to helping people struggling to understand themselves or others felt almost like a natural progression.”
Azizeh E. Rezaiyan, LMFT, is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) as well as the Bar Association of San Francisco. In addition to her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy, she’s also certified in Integrated Body Psychotherapy (IBP) and Corporate Psychology.

About Silicon Valley Marriage Counseling
Founded by Azizeh Rezaiyan, Silicon Valley Marriage Counseling offers relationship counseling and marriage guidance counseling in Palo Alto and surrounding areas.