Meet the Therapists behind Kodo
Direct, warm, and able to stay with you when things get hard. This is how we work at Kodo.
Sheena Simpson, LMFT #156841
Sheena founded Kodo to create a practice built around depth-oriented couples work: therapy that gets beneath surface conflict to the patterns that actually drive disconnection. She is both direct and deeply attuned, helping couples see what’s happening between them in real time and shift it where it matters.
Before becoming a therapist, she was a Japanese conference interpreter, developing an exceptional ability to listen closely, read what’s not being said, and translate complex emotional experiences into clear communication. Bilingual and bicultural, she brings an awareness of nuance, context, and unspoken meaning that shapes how she works with each couple.
Her work integrates Relational Life Therapy (RLT), EMDR, and emotionally focused approaches, combining emotional depth with practical direction so couples don’t just understand their patterns, but begin to change them.
Master of Arts, in Marriage & Family Therapy · B.A., UC Berkeley
Gottman Method Levels 1 & 2 · EFT Level 1, Level 2
RLT Levels 1, 2 & 3 · EMDR Certified
$250 per 50-minute session · eligible for superbills
Our work is grounded in Relational Life Therapy, EMDR, and emotionally focused approaches.
Every clinician at Kodo works this way, bringing clarity, warmth, and steadiness into the moments that matter most.
Allison Waugh, LMFT #157575
Allison works with couples who want to move out of recurring conflict and into a more connected, grounded way of relating. Her approach is relational, somatic, and trauma-informed,
In session, Allison slows the process down and tracks the moments where connection breaks. She helps couples notice how emotions and protective patterns show up in the body, how past experiences shape present reactions, and how quickly partners fall into familiar cycles. By working directly in those moments, couples begin to interrupt the pattern as it’s happening and relate to each other differently.
Her style is steady, engaged, and attuned. She creates a space where both partners can be seen clearly, while also being challenged to take responsibility for their role in the dynamic.
Session investment: $225 per 50-minute session (eligible for superbills)
Joanna Karp, Relationship Coach
Joanna brings over 30 years of experience helping couples repair disconnection and build more secure, meaningful relationships. Her work is grounded in emotional honesty, embodied awareness, and relational repair.
In session, Joanna helps couples identify the patterns that keep them stuck and understand what drives them. Drawing from Emotionally Focused Therapy, body-centered work, EMDR, and parts-based approaches, she supports partners in slowing down, staying present, and engaging with each other in new ways.
Earlier in her career, Joanna spent nearly a decade on staff with Shakti Gawain, leading workshops throughout the United States and Europe. This background continues to inform her ability to guide deeper emotional work with steadiness and care.
Her style is warm, attuned, and direct. She creates a space where both partners can be seen clearly, while supporting the kind of emotional honesty that allows real change to take hold.
Session investment: $225 per 50-minute session (not eligible for superbills)
Erma works exclusively with couples through private intensives, extended, focused sessions designed to create meaningful shifts more quickly than traditional weekly therapy. In session, Erma is active and engaged. She names what she sees, helps couples stay with difficult moments, and guides them in shifting the patterns as they unfold. She works best with couples who are motivated, reflective, and willing to step into discomfort in service of real change.
Her approach draws from Relational Life Therapy (RLT), the Gottman Method, PACT, and somatic and attachment-based work.
Before becoming a therapist, Erma was a professional musician, which informs her sensitivity to tone, timing, and what’s happening beneath the surface of communication. She brings a culturally aware, inclusive lens to her work and welcomes couples of all identities and backgrounds.
Erma Kyriakos, LMFT #159527
Every relationship deserves
a space where it can be fully seen.
Kodo welcomes couples of all backgrounds, identities, and relationship structures. Who you love is never a question here; how you love is what we focus on together.