Carly Ketchum, MA, MA, LMFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist & Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University

Carly is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology, and founder of Marriage Made Better™ Relationship Counseling. Carly has dedicated her career to studying the science of relationships and helping people develop and maintain deeply satisfying partnerships.

In addition to her clinical work, Carly teaches and mentors graduate-level therapists, helping shape the next generation of relationship counselors.

With warmth, curiosity, and a sense of humor, Carly translates decades of relationship research into practical insights that help couples and individuals better understand the patterns shaping their relationships. She works with clients to repair trust, strengthen emotional connection, and build relationships that are more resilient, secure, and deeply fulfilling.

Carly has spent over a decade working in private practice with couples navigating some of the most painful and complex challenges relationships can face, including betrayal, infidelity, chronic conflict, and emotional disconnection. Her work focuses on helping couples understand the deeper relational patterns that drive conflict, repair broken trust, and build relationships that are more honest, secure, and emotionally connected.

In addition to her clinical work, Carly continues to study how attachment, trust, and conflict patterns shape modern relationships. She integrates insights from relationship science, clinical experience, and years of working with couples to help partners better understand the dynamics that influence how they love, fight, repair, and reconnect.

Earlier in her career, Carly worked as a therapist at Laura’s House Counseling and Resource Center, a nonprofit domestic violence organization, where she supported survivors of domestic violence as they navigated the complex and often frightening process of escaping violent relationships, rebuilding their lives and entering new relationships. This early work profoundly shaped Carly’s understanding of how trauma affects trust, attachment, and the ability to feel safe in intimate relationships. These insights continue to inform her work today with couples rebuilding connection after betrayal and other relational ruptures.

Recognizing that many survivors needed support specifically focused on future relationships after escaping abuse, Carly created and launched a group therapy program called Dating After Abuse. The program was designed to help people process past trauma, rebuild their sense of safety and self-trust, and develop a deeper understanding of the relational patterns that shape their experiences in love. Participants learned how to approach relationships with greater clarity, confidence, and the capacity to create secure and fulfilling partnerships free of violence.

Carly is also a dynamic and engaging public speaker who has presented to a wide range of audiences on the complex dynamics of romantic relationships. Known for her approachable and refreshingly candid style, Carly brings relationship concepts to life by weaving together insights from relationship science, clinical experience, and real-world examples. Her presentations explore topics such as understanding conflict patterns in relationships, rebuilding trust after betrayal, navigating difficult conversations, and how self-esteem influences dating and relationship choices across the lifespan.

In addition to teaching at Pepperdine University, she has also been a regularly invited guest presenter at the University of California-Irvine’s Master of Science in Nursing program, where she teaches graduate students about understanding and effectively supporting survivors of domestic violence.

Carly is a Licensed Clinical Member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT). She holds two master’s degrees from Pepperdine University, an MA in Psychology and an MA in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California.