Life By Design Therapy

  Trick or treat: spooky season is upon us! This Halloween, remember that the best costumes are ones that don't perpetuate harmful stereotypes about mental illness . Costumes like... 🎃 Straightjackets 🎃 "Psycho" masks 🎃 Insane asylum patients ...make light of the very real struggles faced by people with mental illness, and preserve the misconception that mental illness is something to be feared. Remember: someone's disease is not a Halloween costume. By dressing up in one of these costumes, you might inadvertently be hurting someone you care about. If you can't think of something scarier than someone with a mental health condition, then you're not being creative enough! https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/krystal-williams-lmft-lpcc

  It's important to manage expectations going into therapy. Some patients expect that they will experience a full recovery with zero symptoms. This expectation is unrealistic because we all experience uncomfortable feelings from time to time -- even those of us without mental health issues. Others cannot imagine a world where their symptoms are no longer debilitating. For these people, therapy might feel like a wasted effort. As a result, they may not give therapy their all and won't feel its positive effects. The definition of success in therapy is not a complete lack of symptoms. As Whitney Goodman says, it's knowing what to do when symptoms arise -- and, most importantly, showing yourself compassion when they do. Being hard on yourself when you have symptoms of anxiety or depression will not help you overcome them; in fact, it may make symptoms worse. That's why an important part of our holistic therapy process is teaching you how to engage in positive self-talk to e

  October is #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth. It's important to be aware of how this disease affects physical health, but also of how it affects mental health. Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis can shake your world, leading to shock, depression, and anxiety. As cancer treatment progresses, you may find your mood, friendships, and relationships impacted by the experience. Symptoms of depression also impact survival rates: mortality rates are up to 26x higher in cancer patients with depressive symptoms, according to the American Psychological Association. Breast cancer survivors can continue to experience the psychological effects of the disease long after remission. Anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common among breast cancer survivors, according to the Young Survival Coalition. It's important to take care of yourself and your loved ones if you or someone you care about is facing a breast cancer diagnosis. Holistic therapy can help you navigate the challenging

  A common thought among trauma survivors is, "why me?" Of course, there's no easy answer to that question. The reality is that while some types of trauma are an inevitable byproduct of being human, others are shaped by the oppressive systems that continue to bind women, minorities, BIPOC, the LGBTQIA+ community, and more. This is only one of the reasons why Life by Design Therapy is so passionate about social justice, but it is an important one. As trauma coach Iris McAlpin writes, "We can put everyone in the world in trauma-informed therapy, but as long as our systems remain oppressive, we will only ever be doing damage control." As trauma therapists ourselves, we have seen firsthand the powerful effects of therapy on survivors. Still, we must acknowledge that therapy is only one part of the solution. The onus is on all of us, as a society, to reject the oppressive systems that further trauma. Without real, systemic change, we cannot interrupt the vicious cycl

  If you are grieving right now, we want you to know that your feelings are valid. Grief looks different for everyone. It can also mean a lot of different things. Grief means mourning a loss -- but that doesn't have to mean the loss of life. For example, it can also be the loss of opportunities or memories, such as events cancelled due to COVID, or the loss of a childhood due to trauma. In his book The Wild Edge of Sorrow, Francis Willer introduces the “Five Gates of Grief.” This book, and Willer's way of looking at grief, offers an invitation to grief that's open to all of us, whether or not we have experienced the loss of a loved one. To learn more about the Five Gates of Grief, check out the latest blog post by our therapist, Ashley Gregory LMFT https://www.lifebydesigntherapy.com/blog/a-brief-introduction-to-the-five-gates-of-grief/10/2020

  Starting therapy is never easy. The experience of pouring your heart out to a perfect stranger is weird and uncomfortable. Often, it means dredging up old memories and emotions that haven't been touched for years. When you first begin therapy, it's normal to feel worse before you feel better. Experiencing an outpouring of anxiety, sadness, anger, or grief in the time you spend outside your therapist's office does not mean that therapy isn't working. In fact, it is often an important sign of progress. As Amanda E. White, LPC said, "90% of the change that occurs in therapy happens outside the therapy office." Noticing uncomfortable emotions and sensations is an outward sign of this change: Firstly, it means that you are experiencing your emotions, rather than ignoring them (which is often half the battle when it comes to therapy). Secondly, it means that you are getting to the root of your uncomfortable feelings and harmful behaviors. Delving deeply into the e

  Let's face it: we are living in challenging times right now. Stress, worry, and fear are at an all-time high. Uncertainty is the new normal and we are all just trying to get through the day with our sanity intact. During times of stress and constant change, it’s natural to experience an increase in feelings of anxiety, depression, and general overwhelm. While our Berkeley and Richmond offices may be closed, Life by Design Therapy remains committed to helping you and your family get through these trying times. Online therapy can support you in many of the same ways as in-person therapy, with the added benefit of being safer and more convenient during the pandemic. At Life by Design Therapy, we offer: ⭐️ Secure, HIPAA-compliant video or telephone sessions ⭐️ Support at home, or in a private location of your choosing ⭐️ Weekly or biweekly sessions to help you through life's current challenges ⭐️ Easy online booking to make therapy as simple as possible Providing flexible options