Hamed Fatahian, LMFT, LPC

Hi, I’m Hamed. I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Michigan, and I’m deeply honored to be joining Mala to help grow and shape the Marriage and Family Therapy training program.

Over the past decade, I’ve worked closely with couples and adult individuals navigating relational challenges, identity, and emotional connection. My work is especially centered around supporting neurodivergent individuals and couples—helping them find ways of relating, communicating, and living that feel authentic in a world that often asks them to adapt in ways that can feel exhausting or misaligned.

At the heart of my work is a simple belief: when we help transform relationships, we don’t just help individuals—we impact entire families and future generations. So much of our pain lives in the patterns we develop with the people closest to us. When those patterns begin to shift, people often experience relief not just in their relationships, but within themselves.

As an Iranian American who has lived and worked in both cultures, I bring a deep sensitivity to the cultural nuances that shape relationships. I’ve seen how unspoken expectations, values, and identity differences can quietly strain connection. My role is often to help bridge those gaps—creating understanding where there has been misalignment, and helping people move back toward each other with more compassion and clarity.

I also bring my own lived experience as a husband and father into this work. I understand, on a very real level, the complexity of balancing work, parenting, and maintaining a meaningful, connected partnership. That perspective grounds my work in something practical, human, and deeply relatable.

My primary therapeutic approach is Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), an evidence-based, attachment-focused model developed by Dr. Sue Johnson. EFT gives me a lens to look beyond surface-level conflict and understand the deeper emotional needs and attachment patterns driving it. It allows me to support clients in building more secure, lasting connections—with themselves and with each other.

In addition to my clinical work, I am passionate about training and mentoring the next generation of therapists. Being part of Mala’s multidisciplinary and values-driven training environment is incredibly meaningful to me, and I’m excited to support trainees in developing both their clinical skill and their ability to see and hold the deeper emotional experiences of the clients they serve.