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Nara Ahn

Christian Couples Specialist | Associate Marriage and Family Therapist | Associate Professional Clinical Counselor

At a Glance

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  • Faith-integrated clinical approach — honors your values and beliefs as part of the healing process

  • More than two decades navigating a neurodiverse marriage

  • Mother to two beautifully unique neurodivergent daughters

  • Educated at Christian universities — Pepperdine and California Baptist

  • 10+ years as a public school teacher supporting neurodivergent students

  • Bilingual in Korean and English — bridging cultures and families

  • UCLA, Pepperdine, and Cal Baptist — three graduate degrees

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Why I Do This Work

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I work with couples because I believe that marriage — even at its most difficult — holds the potential for profound restoration.
 

I've experienced that difficulty firsthand. Over more than twenty years of marriage to a neurodivergent partner, I learned that love alone doesn't resolve the communication gaps, the misunderstandings, or the loneliness that can grow quietly between two people who are trying their best.

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What I also learned is that when faith, clinical wisdom, and honest effort come together, real change becomes possible. Not perfection — but movement. Not the absence of struggle — but the presence of understanding.

Faith as a Foundation, Not a Formula

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My faith has been a steady presence through every chapter of my life — through the joy of raising children, through the pain of a struggling marriage, through the humility of starting over.

 

I don't bring faith into the therapy room as a set of rules or expectations. I bring it as a resource — a source of hope, perspective, and grounding when everything else feels uncertain.

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I trained at two Christian universities — Pepperdine University and California Baptist University — where I learned to integrate clinical excellence with spiritual awareness. That combination shapes how I work.

 

If your faith is central to your marriage and your identity, I honor that. We can draw on scripture, prayer, and spiritual values as part of the healing process.

 

And if faith is more private or complicated for you, I respect that too. The therapy room meets you where you are.

More Than Two Decades in a Neurodiverse Marriage

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My understanding of marriage didn't come from a textbook. It came from more than twenty years of navigating a relationship with a neurodivergent partner.

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Early in that marriage, I thought I was failing. We had communication breakdowns I couldn't solve with clarity and effort alone. He had sensory needs I didn't understand. I had emotional needs he sometimes couldn't meet — not because he didn't care, but because his brain processed connection differently.

 

We found ourselves in that painful cycle: I'd reach, he'd withdraw. I'd interpret it as rejection. He'd feel pressured and overwhelmed.

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Over those years, I learned that marriage requires more than love — it requires translation. It requires understanding that your partner may be showing care in ways you don't recognize, and that your way of connecting may feel overwhelming to them. It requires grace — for your partner and for yourself.

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That lived experience now forms the foundation of my work with couples. I understand what it takes to rebuild from disconnection, and I recognize the role faith can play in sustaining hope when the path forward feels uncertain.

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Two Beautifully Different Daughters

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I am raising two neurodivergent daughters who could not be more different from one another.

 

Parenting them has taught me that each brain is uniquely and intentionally designed. There is no single “right” way to be wired. What supports one child may overwhelm the other; what soothes one may unsettle the other.

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That understanding carries directly into my work with couples. Both partners’ experiences are real. Both sets of needs are valid. And both deserve to be understood and honored with care and intention.

Growing Up Between Worlds

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I grew up in a low-income household as the daughter of Korean immigrants. My childhood was shaped by scarcity and the quiet work of adapting — learning to read the room, anticipate needs, and make myself useful.

 

Those early experiences taught me what it means to feel unseen and hungry for recognition from the people closest to you.

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That wound became my calling. When I sit with couples where one partner feels invisible or unheard, I understand that ache from the inside.

 

My multicultural background also means I'm comfortable bridging different worldviews — cultural, spiritual, and neurological — without asking anyone to give up who they are.

UCLA, Pepperdine, and Cal Baptist — A Foundation Built on Curiosity

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I earned my Bachelor's degree in English from UCLA, then completed two Master's degrees at Pepperdine University — one in Education and one in Psychology.

 

Most recently, I completed my Master of Science in Counseling Psychology at California Baptist University, with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and Professional Clinical Counseling.

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My education at Christian institutions didn't just give me clinical tools — it taught me to hold both science and faith with integrity, and to bring that integration into the therapy room with humility and respect.

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How I Work


I take a strengths-based, compassionate approach grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and nervous-system-informed practices.

Together, we focus on building awareness, strengthening emotional resilience, and helping you move toward what matters most with greater clarity and intention.
 

When welcomed, I thoughtfully integrate faith, Scripture, and spiritual values into the therapeutic process—not as an add-on, but as a meaningful and natural part of how we explore your relationship, your pain, and your path forward.

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Who I Work With

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  • Christian couples seeking faith-integrated counseling that also draws on clinical expertise
     

  • Couples navigating communication breakdowns, emotional distance, or cycles of conflict
     

  • Neurodiverse couples where different processing styles are creating misunderstanding
     

  • Partners rebuilding trust after betrayal, neglect, or seasons of disconnection
     

  • Multicultural and bicultural couples navigating family expectations and identity
     

  • Parents navigating the stress of raising neurodivergent children together

What to Expect in Session

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I communicate directly and warmly. Sessions are structured, collaborative, and goal-oriented.


I create a space that is clinically informed and spiritually respectful — you won't feel preached at, and you won't feel like your faith is being left at the door. I accommodate neurodivergent needs, including movement, fidgeting, reduced eye contact, and other forms of structured support when helpful.

 

We work at a pace your nervous system can handle.

License, Training, & More

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  • Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, #160292

  • Associate Professional Clinical Counselor, #21068​​

  • Master of Science in Counseling Psychology — California Baptist University (2025)

  • Master of Arts in Psychology — Pepperdine University (2012)

  • Master of Arts in Education — Pepperdine University (2004)

  • Bachelor of Arts in English — UCLA (2003)

  • Trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic approaches, and trauma-informed, nervous-system-centered care. Experienced in telehealth.

 

Specialty Areas​


Christian, Neurodiverse Couples, Communication, Couples Counseling, Cassandra Syndrome, Parenting (Neurotypical & Neurodiverse), Betrayal/Affair Recovery, Multicultural Challenges, Emotional Regulation, Trauma, Life Transitions, Accepting New Couples & Indiv. Clients

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