Dr. Michael Torres is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and holds a Doctorate in Psychology (PsyD) from Alliant International University, San Diego. He holds his California LMFT license (#LMFT105622) and has 11 years of experience working with couples and individuals in the San Diego area. His North Park office sits in the heart of one of San Diego's most vibrant and LGBTQ+-inclusive neighborhoods — a location that reflects both his community roots and his clinical commitments. Dr. Torres is actively involved in San Diego's LGBTQ+ community through advocacy work, provider training, and his ongoing role as a clinical supervisor for emerging therapists working with queer and trans clients.
Dr. Torres specializes in couples work — particularly couples navigating infidelity, trust ruptures, and the long road of rebuilding after betrayal. His training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) gives him a powerful framework for helping couples identify and shift the underlying emotional cycles that drive conflict, withdrawal, and disconnection. His Gottman Method training provides complementary research-grounded tools for building friendship, managing gridlock, and creating shared meaning. He is known for creating a non-judgmental therapeutic space where couples in genuine crisis — those who have reached a point of profound pain and uncertainty — feel safe enough to be honest with each other, often for the first time in years.
In addition to his couples work, Dr. Torres offers individual therapy for men exploring relationship patterns, masculinity, and the often-unexamined emotional habits that shape how they show up in love and life. His LGBTQ+ affirming practice extends to both his individual and couples work, and he has specific experience supporting gay and queer male couples as they navigate relationship dynamics that may look quite different from heteronormative frameworks. Telehealth is available for California residents.
InfidelityDivorce ConsiderationCommunication BreakdownAnxietyDepressionIntimacy IssuesAttachment WoundsIdentity DevelopmentComing Out (Adults)Relationship OCD
Treatment Approaches
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)Gottman MethodAcceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Affirmative TherapyAttachment TheoryTrauma-Informed Practice
Services Offered
Service
Session Length
Fee
Individual Therapy
50 minutes
$175 / session
Couples Therapy
60 minutes
$220 / session
Couples Intensive Session
90 minutes
$310 / session
Telehealth Sessions
All session types
Same rate as in-person
Telehealth available via HIPAA-compliant secure video. California residents only.
Insurance & Fees
Accepted Insurance Plans
✓Cigna
✓Blue Shield of CA
✓HealthNet
✓Sliding Scale
Sliding Scale & Out-of-Network: Dr. Torres maintains a small number of sliding-scale slots for clients demonstrating financial need. Superbills are available for out-of-network insurance reimbursement. Couples in active crisis are prioritized for any available sliding-scale spots.
Office Location
Dr. Michael Torres — North Park Office
3612 30th St, Suite 201
San Diego, CA 92104
"Dr. Torres quite literally saved our relationship. After the affair we didn't think we could come back from it — my wife and I were both ready to give up. He guided us through every excruciating step with patience, skill, and a kind of unwavering belief in us that we couldn't always find in ourselves."
Brandon K. ·Couples Therapy
★★★★★
"Finding a therapist who is genuinely affirming — not just technically tolerant — made all the difference for us as a gay couple. We'd tried other therapists before who said the right things but didn't really get it. Dr. Torres is the real thing. He made us feel like a completely normal couple — because we are."
Luis & Marco T. ·Couples Therapy
★★★★★
"I came to Dr. Torres for individual therapy around relationship patterns — why I kept pulling away from people I loved. His ACT approach was exactly what I needed. He helped me see the avoidance for what it was without judgment, and taught me how to stay present even when it's scary."
James W. ·Individual Therapy
Reviews are voluntarily submitted by former clients. Names are abbreviated to protect privacy in accordance with HIPAA guidelines. MFTFinder does not verify clinical outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — and research on infidelity recovery suggests that many couples who commit to the process do rebuild a relationship that is often more honest and emotionally connected than what they had before the betrayal. That said, recovery from infidelity is not a guaranteed outcome and requires full commitment from both partners. Dr. Torres uses a phased approach: first stabilizing the acute crisis, then processing the underlying relational wounds that preceded or were exposed by the betrayal, and finally rebuilding a new relationship structure built on more durable foundations. Both partners must be willing to engage the process honestly.
Affirmative therapy means that LGBTQ+ identities are treated as healthy and normal variations of human experience — not pathologies to be explored, changed, or explained away. In practical terms, it means Dr. Torres uses accurate, respectful language; understands the specific stressors facing LGBTQ+ individuals and couples (minority stress, family rejection, coming out at different life stages); and does not apply heteronormative frameworks to relationships that don't follow heteronormative patterns. It also means he actively advocates for his clients' wellbeing and will challenge any family or social messaging that is causing harm.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a couples therapy model developed by Dr. Sue Johnson that focuses on understanding and transforming the emotional cycles that drive disconnection. It works by helping partners identify the deeper emotional needs and attachment fears beneath their surface conflicts. The Gottman Method, developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman, is more skills-based — teaching specific communication tools, conflict management strategies, and frameworks for building friendship and shared meaning. Dr. Torres integrates both: EFT for understanding the deeper emotional architecture of the relationship, and Gottman tools for providing concrete skills and practices between sessions.
Yes. Couples who are uncertain about staying together — including those actively considering separation — are welcome in Dr. Torres's practice. He approaches these situations without pushing couples toward any particular outcome. His role is to help both partners gain clarity about what they want and need, understand what has happened between them, and make whatever decision they arrive at from a more grounded and informed place. In some cases, working through the decision together leads to renewed commitment. In others, therapy provides a supported pathway to a more conscious and less destructive separation.
The scope of couples therapy varies significantly. Couples working on communication and connection issues that have not yet become deeply entrenched often see meaningful change in 12–16 weekly sessions. Couples recovering from infidelity or a major breach of trust typically need a longer commitment — 6 months to a year of consistent work is not unusual. Dr. Torres checks in on progress at regular intervals and adjusts the plan collaboratively. Extended 90-minute sessions are available for couples who want to move through material more efficiently or who find the standard 60-minute format too abbreviated.