Therapy For
Open Relationships +
Ethical Non-Monogamy
Erik Anderson, LMFT
In-person in Playa Vista +
telehealth across California
For the past five years, I’ve made open relationships a focus of my work, helping individuals and partners figure out whether an open relationship is right for them, what makes it work, what gets in the way.
So many open up excited about more sex and discover more conversation. That’s not a sign it’s going badly, it’s where the real work begins.
Are you interested in figuring out whether and how to open your relationship but unsure where to start?
Are jealousy, unclear boundaries, or difficult conversations making things harder than you expected?
You may want to navigate changes without losing the security of your connection. You may be in an open relationship and wondering whether it’s working for you.
Therapy can help you understand what you want, say it clearly, and build a structure you feel confident about.
Clients Come To Me When They
Are considering opening their relationship
Want to figure out if non-monogamy is right for them
Struggle with managing or understanding jealousy
Have agreements that are unclear, unspoken, or no longer working
Are opening at different speeds than their partner
Are navigating a new partner’s place in an existing relationship
Want help deciding who to tell and how
Can’t tell whether the structure or something underneath is the problem
Build A Relationship That Works For You
The goal isn’t to make your relationship look a certain way.
It’s to help you understand whether your relationship structure works for you and, if it does, build it with greater clarity and confidence.
What Open Relationship Therapy With Me Looks Like
Open relationships work differently for different people. Our work starts with getting clear about what you want and what is actually happening in your relationship. Every structure involves tradeoffs and part of the work is deciding which work for you.
We’ll look at communication, boundaries, attachment, jealousy, and the patterns that show up between you.
From there we build agreements you can stand behind and clarity to renegotiate them when things change.
Frameworks I Draw From
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Helps you understand how you respond to closeness, uncertainty, and perceived threats. Useful when opening a relationship brings up unexpected feelings and reactions.
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Works on communication and feedback while treating the relationship as a system rather than two individuals with separate problems. In non-monogamy, that system often involves more than two.
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Explores the deeper emotional patterns underneath conflict and why some reactions seem bigger than the situation warrants.
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Practical tools to manage conflict and repair drawn from observational research on couples. Helps couples maintain connection while working through difficult conversations.
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Offers a framework for thinking about desire, intimacy, and long-term relationships; helps couples consider how to maintain connection while creating room for autonomy.
We Work Towards
A clearer sense of what you want
Jealousy you can understand and navigate rather than just endure
Agreements that are clear and revisable
Conversations that don’t spiral
Room for hard feelings without destabilizing the relationship
Confidence in decisions made together
About Erik Anderson, LMFT
I’ve worked with couples across a range of orientations in private practice, hospitals, and substance use treatment settings, helping partners reconnect, rebuild trust, and regain clarity.
I work with individuals and with couples. With couples, having both of you in the room shows how your relationship actually functions. I get to see the patterns as they happen, and we can shift them in the moment.
Before becoming a therapist, I studied modern literature, tutored math and science, and earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Non-monogamy has been a focus of my practice for the past five years, and I'm listed on PolyFriendly.org.
If you’re ready to start figuring out what works for your relationship, I’d be glad to help.
Availability: I provide In-person therapy in Playa Vista + telehealth across California.
Education, Credentials, & Trainings
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, California
M.S. in Counseling, California State University, Long Beach
B.A. in Modern Literature, University of California, Santa Cruz
Advanced training in psychotherapy outcomes research, Scott D. Miller, PhD
Post Graduate training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
Active in the Rationality community
Curator of the Astral Codex Ten Psychiat-list
Listed on PolyFriendly.org
Getting Started in 3 Steps
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Fill out the contact form and share what brings you to therapy.
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We’ll talk about what you’re looking for and see if working together makes sense.
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We’ll get to know your history, beliefs, and goals and begin deciding what you want to change.
Ready To Figure Out What Works For You?