Meet me—I am Lana Cole, a licensed Marriage and Family therapist, practicing in the city of Orange in California.
I specialize in relationship counseling, working with distressed couples in conflict who argue with each other frequently without a “serious” reason; growing apart, having difficulties in expressing their feelings and concerns; losing or having lost romance and intimacy; having problems with trust and infidelity, or lack of understanding in general; couples having very different core values; arguing about financial issues, spending habits, and family financial goals.
I help couples and individuals gain certainty in the future of their relationships, understand if their partner is right for them; couples hurting from the trauma of their past; individuals who are willing to improve their relationship but their partner is not.
I work with any couple or individual whether they are married or dating, gay or straight, regardless of their cultural or ethnical background.
I also help people suffering from anxiety, including panic attacks, phobias, social anxiety, high stress at work or elsewhere.
Prior to becoming a therapist, I was a linguist, a teacher, and a manager of a private language school. It was a great experience, and it is still helping me to connect to people from different ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
I have always liked helping people, and people used to talk to me about their problems. Then I decided to become a therapist, so that I could dedicate myself entirely to helping people in achieving a happier, more rewarding life.
I have an MA degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Alliant International University in Irvine, CA (School of Professional Psychology). Before opening my private practice, I worked for several years in a non-profit agency, where I acquired substantial clinical experience counseling individuals, couples, groups, and families.
I am constantly improving my skills through continuing education in many areas, including Gottman couples’ therapy training, workshops on human sexuality, conflict resolution techniques, phobias, anxiety, stress, and more.
I love travelling, enriching my experiences in understanding different cultures, visiting fascinating new locations, indulging in new cuisines, music styles, and art. I have travelled to approximately 30 countries, and I feel it helps me in my work tremendously, broadening my horizons.
I love reading, being a member and a founder of a book club. I enjoy live theater of different genres, including drama, opera, musicals, shows, and ballet. I love different styles of dancing, hiking, walking on a beach enjoying a sunset, swimming in warm seas, and yoga.
I am also a writer of fiction, having recently published my first novel in 2016 under the pen name of Vanessa Star “One Fateful Summer.” It is a travel thriller that takes place in the Mediterranean isle of Cyprus, a very beautiful and romantic locale. It is full of complicated and interesting romantic relationships.
