Therapy for adults navigating relationship anxiety, career dread, family guilt, and the big decisions they keep avoiding.
Trauma informed, somatic based therapy for adults in California.
“I highly recommend Life by Design Therapy to anyone seeking a supportive and transformative therapeutic experience.” - Privately Disclosed
A TEAM PEOPLE KEEP CHOOSING
Life by Design Therapy™ has been recognized for its mind-body approach to therapy in Berkeley and online, helping adults work with anxiety, burnout, relationships, and the patterns that keep showing up in daily life.
You have the life that is supposed to feel good, but something in your body keeps saying, “This is not working.”
You keep asking yourself:
Should I stay, or am I just scared to want more?
Do I actually want this career, or am I just good at performing success?
Is this boundary healthy, or am I still managing everyone’s reaction?
And underneath it all:
Why does a life that looks fine feel so hard to actually live in?
A Therapy Team Adults Across California Trust
-
"Melody Wright and her team at Life by Design Therapy are exceptional therapists who truly care about their clients. I highly recommend this practice and their commitment to ethical standards, social justice, and mental health education around the importance of the mind-body connection."
- Privately Disclosed
-
"It's hard to find a therapy practice that truly understands the power of somatic therapy that incorporates both body and therapy, but I finally found it with this team. They provide a safe and nurturing environment and are skilled in guiding clients through a healing process."
- Privately Disclosed
-
"What sets this counseling center apart is their unique approach to therapy, which incorporates the mind-body connection. They really care about their clients … I would highly recommend this team of therapists and their holistic approach."
- Privately Disclosed
-
"I highly recommend Life by Design Therapy to anyone seeking a supportive and transformative therapeutic experience. The exceptional team's dedication, expertise, and genuine care for their clients truly set them apart. If you are looking for a safe space where diversity is embraced, you should definitely check out Life by Design Therapy."
- Privately Disclosed
You’re doing “fine” … but it doesn’t feel fine.
◆ You keep wondering if you should leave the relationship, but you cannot tell if you are unhappy, triggered, avoidant, or just terrified to want more.
◆ You worked hard to get this career, but lately every Sunday feels like your body is begging you not to go back.
◆ You have the house, the partner, the plans, and the life you were supposed to want, but it still does not feel like yours.
◆ Your family can send one text and suddenly you are not an adult in California anymore. You are right back in the old role, managing everyone’s feelings but your own.
◆ You can make high-stakes decisions at work, but when it comes to your relationship, your boundaries, or your actual life, you freeze.
What Starts To Feel Different
You stop outsourcing your life to anxiety, guilt, old family roles, or the friend who has already heard the same story twelve times.
You can finally look at the relationship, the job, the boundary, or the decision you keep avoiding and hear yourself clearly again.
Many clients begin noticing subtle but meaningful shifts within the first few sessions.
Not because everything is magically fixed, but because fear, shutdown, and people-pleasing stop getting the final vote.
Why Talking About It Hasn’t Been Enough
◆ You can know why you overthink, shut down, people-please, or panic when someone feels distant… and still not be able to stop it in the moment.
◆ Because it does not feel like “a pattern.” It feels like your chest tightening, your stomach dropping, your brain racing, and your whole body begging you to fix it, avoid it, explain it, or disappear.
◆ That’s why we work with what happens underneath the words: the email that makes you feel in trouble, the text that sends you spiraling, the family comment that turns you small, and the conflict that makes you lose your voice.
◆ We move at your pace. Nothing is forced or rushed. We help your nervous system learn that honesty, boundaries, disappointment, and big feelings do not have to mean danger.
How You Start Getting Your Life Back
-
Free 15-Minute Consult
Tell us what’s been happening, what you want to change, and what kind of support you need.
-
Early Wins & Relief
Start spotting the exact moment you spiral, freeze, people-please, shut down, or crash.
-
Breakthrough Framework
Build tools for the moments that usually run you: texts, work stress, conflict, plans, boundaries, burnout, and the end-of-day crash.
-
No Pressure
If we’re not the best fit, we’ll be honest about that and help point you in a better direction.
Hey… we are really glad you found your way here.
If you have been scrolling through therapist profiles wondering why everything sounds the same, we see you.
You may not need someone to simply ask, “How does that make you feel?”
You may need someone who understands why success still feels empty, why love still feels unsafe, why family still makes you small, why conflict makes your body freeze, and why the life you built still does not feel like yours.
Melody Wright, LMFT
Founder of Life by Design Therapy™
Our team helps young adults and early-career adults who are tired of overthinking, shutting down, burning out, people-pleasing, and feeling like their emotions are driving the car
-
Krystal Williams, LMFT, LPCC
-
Erica Casco, AMFT
-
Rachel Eisenstat, AMFT, APCC
-
Jhane Vargas, AMFT
Life by Design Therapy™ was founded to offer holistic, somatic, and culturally responsive care to the diverse Bay Area community. We help young adults and early-career adults understand their patterns, build tools that work in real life, and stop feeling hijacked by every mood, trigger, conflict, email, or text.
FAQs
-
We don’t only analyze your thoughts. Our approach is holistic, looking at the full picture: your mind, body, relationships, and lived experiences.
Through conversation, somatic awareness, and experiential tools, we help you notice what’s happening internally and gently shift it, so change feels real and lasting … not just something you understand intellectually.
-
Not at all. It simply means we pay attention to your nervous system and help you build practical regulation skills you can use anywhere.
-
No — this is not a touch-based therapy practice. Our work is conversational and experiential, grounded in holistic care that considers the mind, body, and nervous system.
-
Yes. We offer both in-person sessions in Berkeley and virtual therapy anywhere in California. Virtual currently has more availability.
-
Each therapist on our team sets their own rates. During your free consultation, we'll walk you through your options and help match you with a therapist who aligns with your needs, goals, and budget.
Each of our clinicians also offer a limited number of sliding-scale spots.
If you are in crisis, call 988 or 911 immediately. Do not share confidential or emergency details here.
Life by Design Therapy™ practicing in-person in Berkeley, CA and virtual anywhere in California.
Website Disclaimer No Surprises Act
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of what your services may cost.
We are committed to making our website accessible to all users. If you have difficulty accessing any content on this site, please contact us and we will work with you to provide the information you need.