MEET The Team
Coastal Coves Therapy is the name of our Newport Beach office, home to two separate private practices operating within one shared, welcoming space. Our team of licensed clinicians and registered associates offers a range of specialties and evidence-based approaches, making it easier to find support that feels like the right fit.
Lori Lawton
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT, RPT, Owner of Lori Lawton Private Practice Lori works with adults, children, teens, and couples navigating anxiety, trauma, grief, neurodiverse experiences, and relationship challenges, offering a warm and supportive space for healing and growth. She integrates EMDR, play therapy, cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, and attachment-based approaches, and as a certified ADOS provider, also offers Autism assessments and support for individuals and families. Her client-centered approach is guided by each person’s goals, strengths, and values, helping clients find clarity, resilience, meaningful connection, and lasting change.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/lori-d-lawton-newport-beach-ca/1624742
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT, LPCC, Owner of Lisa Popper Private Practice & Founder of Social Skills Development CenterLisa Popper
Lisa brings over 20 years of experience helping children, teens, and young adults build the social and emotional skills they need to thrive. As a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, certified PEERS instructor, and credentialed teacher, she offers therapy, social skills support, and parent guidance for youth navigating challenges such as Autism, ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Through her work, families gain practical tools, deeper understanding, and meaningful progress in confidence, communication, peer relationships, and everyday functioning.
Bri works with individuals navigating PTSD, infidelity, grief, trauma, loss, and the quiet pain that often goes unseen by others. Her approach is compassionate, insight-oriented, and grounded in helping clients understand the deeper roots of what they’re feeling, not just how to cope. Through this work, clients are supported in exploring their past, breaking unhealthy patterns, and building a more grounded, connected, and authentic sense of self.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/bri-gonzalez-newport-beach-ca/1615676
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MA, AMFT, EMDR Bri Gonzalez
Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor, MA, APCC, Drama Therapy, Certified Therapeutic Theater Practitioner (CoATT), Founder of the Artist Wellness Lab Taylor Korb
Taylor works with young adults, women, moms, couples, students, artists, and families who are seeking clarity, healing, and meaningful change. Her approach is warm, collaborative, and deeply client-centered, blending talk therapy with IFS, SFBT, mindfulness, drama therapy, and attachment-based work tailored to each client’s goals. Through therapy, Taylor helps clients build self-trust, uncover what lies beneath the surface, break old patterns, and feel more grounded, resilient, and fully themselves.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/taylor-lee-korb-newport-beach-ca/1605374
Michelle Nguyen
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MA, AMFTMichelle works with clients navigating family expectations, cultural identity, and childhood roles that no longer serve them. As a second-generation Asian American therapist, she brings a warm, direct, and culturally informed approach that blends CBT, DBT, and EMDR while also addressing the everyday factors that shape well-being, like sleep, stress, movement, and nourishment. Through honest, whole-person work, she helps clients understand the roots of their patterns, break cycles, and build meaningful change that lasts beyond the therapy room.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/michelle-nguyen-newport-beach-ca/1623484
Nic Valko
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MS, AMFT, EMDRNic works with teens, adults, and couples navigating complex trauma, dissociative and mood disorders, infidelity, and relationship challenges. His approach is compassionate, direct, and judgment-free, helping clients process pain, build practical tools, strengthen communication, and move toward healing and lasting change. He also integrates EMDR therapy and offers EMDR Intensives to support deeper trauma work, reduce triggers, and help clients restore a greater sense of balance and self.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/nic-valko-newport-beach-ca/1341629