Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist · Temecula, CA

Meet Janine.

The therapist who goes where the work needs to go.

15 years. Hundreds of couples. One belief — that the relationship you want is closer than you think.

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“The relationship you want is closer than you think.”— Janine

Janine Piernas LMFT couples therapist Temecula CA

15+ Years of Practice

The Story

I Ask the Hard Questions.
And I Stay Until We Find the Real Ones.

I am Janine Piernas, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 15 years of experience working with couples in Temecula, Murrieta, and throughout California. I specialize in the kind of work that actually moves things — not slow, careful circling around the real issue, but going directly to it with enough warmth and skill that couples feel safe getting there.

I became a couples therapist because I believe the relationship between two people is one of the most powerful forces in a person's life. When I help a couple change a harmful pattern I am not just helping two people. I am impacting everyone they will ever love.

LMFT License #105849, Pepperdine University

Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy

Married, partnered since 2004, mother of three

In-person Temecula, CA and telehealth all of California

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Verified onPsychology Today

“

When I help a couple change a harmful pattern, I am not just helping two people. I am impacting everyone they will ever love.

Janine

Janine Piernas, LMFT · Couples Therapist, Temecula CA

How I Work

Three Things That Are True
About Every Session.

I am not a smile-and-nod therapist. Here is what you can actually expect.

I go where the work needs to go. Most people come to therapy having spent years carefully avoiding the real thing. I ask the questions that get us there faster. Not recklessly — with enough warmth and directness that most couples tell me they feel more understood after one session than they have in years.

I hold space for both of you equally. My job is not to decide who is right. It is to help both of you feel genuinely understood — by me and by each other. That balance is harder than it sounds, and it is the foundation of everything that works in couples therapy.

I give you things to actually use. Insight without tools is just an interesting conversation. Every session ends with something concrete — a phrase, a practice, a framework. The real work happens outside my office, and I make sure you have what you need to do it.

My Clinical Approach

Evidence-Based.
Deeply Personalized.

I draw primarily from two of the most extensively researched approaches in couples therapy. But the method is always in service of the people in front of me — never the other way around.

Gottman Method Based on decades of research into what makes relationships succeed or fail. Not theory — evidence. The Four Horsemen, bids for connection, the Sound Relationship House: this framework gives couples a map.

Emotionally Focused Therapy EFT works at the level of attachment and emotion — getting underneath the surface conflict to the fear and longing actually driving it. This is where real and lasting change happens.

Individual Sessions Every couple I work with includes individual sessions with each partner. I want to understand both of you fully — not just the version of yourselves you present when your partner is in the room.

Attachment Theory The patterns we bring into our relationships were built long before we met our partners. Understanding your attachment style changes how you see every fight you have ever had.

Janine Piernas LMFT therapy approach Temecula

In Their Words

What It's Like to Have
Janine in Your Corner.

“

Janine has saved my life — emotionally, physically, and spiritually. She is never judgmental. I find her to be understanding, fair, kind, and knowledgeable. If you need someone to really listen, to truly hear and see you, someone you can trust — Janine's your ‘person.’ Don't be afraid.

— K.C.

“

After our first consultation we knew right away she was the right choice. In a short time she gave us tools and helped us work through challenges as a couple and as individuals. I love that Janine “phased us down” because she saw we were growing — that says it's not about the money. She truly cares about her clients and their families.

— C.T.

“

Having someone in my corner like Janine has been a real treasure. She has shown up for me in so many ways, especially during the times I felt most alone. If you're looking for a therapist who makes you feel seen and cared for, who truly listens — then this is the person for you.

— L.H.

Beyond the Office

I Know What It Takes
To Choose Each Other.

I have been partnered since 2004 and I am a mother of three. I know what it looks like when life gets in the way of love — when the relationship you built gets buried under the weight of everything else you are carrying.

I did not become a couples therapist because relationships are easy. I became one because I know how hard they are, and I have seen what happens when two people decide they are worth fighting for.

That is who walks into my office. Not people who have given up. People who have not given up yet. And that is exactly who I know how to help.

— Janine Book Your Free Consultation

Common Questions

Questions About Working with Janine.

Honest answers before you book.

What is your style as a therapist?+

Direct and warm. I do ask how you feel — that matters to me — but I will not just nod along and agree with everything you say. I challenge you, I confront what needs confronting, and I say the things that can be hard to hear. The difference is that I support you through all of it, every step. Most couples tell me they feel safer in the room than they expected, precisely because they know I am being honest with them.

Do you work with individuals as well as couples?+

Yes. I see individual clients both as private pay and through IEHP (limited slots). My primary focus and specialty is couples therapy, but I also work with individuals whose goals are relationship-focused.

How long have you been doing this work?+

Over 15 years. I completed my graduate training at Pepperdine University and have been working with couples and individuals in the Temecula and Murrieta area since then. Couples therapy has been my primary focus and specialty throughout my entire career.

Do you take insurance for couples therapy?+

Couples therapy is private pay only at $250 per session — this is standard, because insurance typically does not cover relationship counseling. For individuals, I offer both private pay and IEHP (limited slots).

Where are you located and do you offer telehealth?+

My office is at 27576 Commerce Center Dr. Suite 204, Temecula, CA 92590. Telehealth sessions are available to individuals and couples throughout all of California. Both formats deliver the same quality of clinical work.

What is the first step?+

A free 30-minute consultation. No commitment. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about where you are and whether working together makes sense. That is always the first step.

Ready to Start?

The First Step Is
Always the Hardest One.

Free 30-minute consultation. No commitment. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about where you are and what would actually help. The relationship you want is closer than you think.

Book Your Free Consultation How I Work with Couples

Meet Janine.

I Ask the Hard Questions.And I Stay Until We Find the Real Ones.

Three Things That Are TrueAbout Every Session.

Evidence-Based.Deeply Personalized.

What It's Like to HaveJanine in Your Corner.

I Know What It TakesTo Choose Each Other.