MIND BY DESIGN

Professional ADHD Testing to Help Your Child Thrive

Comprehensive Assessments by Licensed Educational Psychologists in Campbell

When your child is struggling, withdrawing from friends, melting down after school, or saying "I'm fine" when everything feels anything but, you need more than a suggestion to "wait and see."

You've likely noticed signs at home too: difficulty with homework completion, trouble sitting still during family time, or challenges following multi-step instructions. These behaviors don't define your child's potential, but understanding them is the first step toward helping them succeed.

Therapy at Mind by Design is built inside a practice that already knows how children learn. Because our therapists work alongside educational psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and reading specialists under the same roof, they see connections other providers miss: the anxiety that masks ADHD, the social withdrawal rooted in a language delay, the behavioral outbursts driven by undiagnosed processing differences. That integrated lens means your child's therapist can collaborate in real time with the clinician who assessed them, the coach building their executive-function skills, or the specialist supporting their reading, without you having to relay information between three separate offices.

For Bay Area families paying out of pocket, that efficiency matters. Every session is focused, every recommendation is informed by data the team already has, and every dollar goes further because your child's providers are genuinely talking to each other. Whether your family is beginning the journey with a free consultation or continuing care after a psychoeducational assessment, therapy at Mind by Design is designed to meet your child exactly where they are, and move them forward.

Our Services

Therapy at Mind by Design is short for a suite of evidence-based therapeutic services: child therapy, adolescent and teen therapy, and family therapy, delivered by licensed clinicians and carefully supervised pre-licensed clinicians in our Morgan Hill and Campbell offices.

Every pre-licensed therapist works under the direct oversight of Melissa Sorci, LMFT, our therapy program supervisor, ensuring clinical rigor at every session.

Sessions are structured around your child's presenting concerns, anxiety and worry, emotional regulation difficulties, social challenges, behavioral issues, attention and focus struggles, or academic avoidance rooted in emotional distress. Rather than applying a single modality to every case, our therapists draw from a flexible toolbox of structured techniques and open, child-led dialogue, meeting each young person where they are developmentally and emotionally.

A typical engagement begins with a free 15-minute phone consultation so our Client Relations Specialist can understand your family's needs and match you with the right clinician. From there, an initial intake session establishes goals collaboratively, with the child, the parents, and, when helpful, input from teachers or other professionals already working with your family. Ongoing sessions occur weekly or biweekly in 30-, 45-, 60-, or 90-minute formats, depending on clinical need and family preference.

What distinguishes therapy here from a standalone counseling practice is the team behind the therapist. If a psychoeducational evaluation reveals processing gaps, or if speech-language testing uncovers expressive language delays contributing to social anxiety, that information flows directly into the therapeutic plan. Your child's therapist does not work in isolation; they work inside a system designed to see the whole child and act on what they find.

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Key Benefits

Most private-pay therapy practices in the Bay Area operate as standalone offices. Your child sees a therapist, and that therapist works alone, coordinating with outside providers only if you, the parent, make it happen. At Mind by Design, therapy exists inside a multidisciplinary practice that includes licensed educational psychologists, speech-language pathologists, reading specialists, and executive-function coaches. This is not a referral network; it is one team, in shared offices, with shared clinical context.
What does that mean for your child? When a therapist notices that anxiety spikes around reading tasks, they can walk down the hall and consult with the literacy specialist who already evaluated your child's decoding skills. When executive-function coaching reveals emotional regulation breakdowns tied to unprocessed grief, the coach and therapist can adjust plans together, the same week, not after a month of phone tag with an outside provider.
For families in Santa Clara County juggling packed schedules and tight budgets, that integration eliminates redundant appointments, conflicting recommendations, and the exhausting burden of being your child's sole care coordinator. The practical outcome is a therapy experience that moves faster, stays more focused, and produces results that hold because every provider reinforcing your child's growth is aligned. This is the whole-team advantage Mind by Design was built around, and it is the single biggest reason families stay.
Therapy at Mind by Design is not a general counseling practice that happens to accept younger clients. Every clinician on our therapy team is trained to work specifically with children, adolescents, and the family dynamics that surround them. That specialization shapes everything: the language used in session, the techniques selected, the way goals are framed, and the degree to which parents are involved.
For younger children, therapy may rely heavily on play-based and expressive techniques that give kids a vocabulary for feelings they cannot yet articulate in adult terms. For teens, sessions often blend structured cognitive-behavioral strategies with relational dialogue that respects the adolescent's growing need for autonomy. Family therapy sessions bring caregivers into the room to address communication patterns, conflict cycles, and the systemic stress that learning differences or behavioral challenges place on every member of the household.
The common thread is developmental appropriateness. A seven-year-old managing anxiety after a new ADHD diagnosis needs a fundamentally different therapeutic approach than a fifteen-year-old navigating social withdrawal and school avoidance. Our clinicians understand those differences deeply, and parents consistently tell us that their child "actually wants to go" to sessions because the therapist speaks their language.
Families exploring private-pay therapy understandably want to know who will be in the room with their child. At Mind by Design, therapy is delivered by both fully licensed clinicians and pre-licensed clinicians completing supervised practice hours, and we are transparent about the distinction because we believe it is a strength, not a compromise.
Every pre-licensed therapist on our team was selected through a rigorous process and works under the direct clinical supervision of Melissa Sorci, LMFT, our therapy program supervisor. Melissa reviews cases, observes sessions, and meets with supervisees weekly to ensure that the quality of care matches the standard families expect from a practice led by board-certified educational psychologists. Pre-licensed clinicians bring current training in the latest evidence-based modalities, high energy, and the capacity to carry smaller caseloads, which means more availability and more attentive care for your child.
Licensed clinicians like Christina Reilly, who holds dual credentials as an educational psychologist and licensed therapist, offer the added perspective of diagnostic expertise woven into the therapeutic relationship. Regardless of licensure status, every therapist at Mind by Design operates within the same integrated clinical framework, participates in team consultations, and has access to assessment data and intervention notes that inform treatment planning. You are never choosing between "the good therapist" and "the affordable one"; you are choosing a team that holds every clinician to the same high standard.

An ADHD diagnosis often brings tremendous relief to families who have struggled with homework battles, behavioral challenges, and academic concerns. Understanding that your child's difficulties stem from neurological differences rather than defiance or laziness transforms family dynamics and reduces daily stress.
Our comprehensive evaluation provides the clarity families need to move from frustration to effective support. Campbell families frequently tell us that understanding their child's ADHD profile helps them respond with patience and appropriate strategies rather than consequences that don't address underlying challenges.
We provide parent coaching and resources to help families implement positive behavioral supports, establish effective routines, and celebrate their child's unique strengths while addressing areas of difficulty.
Many children referred to therapy are also navigating IEPs, 504 plans, school-based counseling, or conversations with teachers about accommodations. At Mind by Design, our therapists understand these systems because the practice was built by clinicians who spent years inside them. Jana Parker and several team members served as school psychologists and special-education administrators before entering private practice, and that institutional knowledge informs every therapeutic relationship.
When it is clinically appropriate and you provide consent, your child's therapist can coordinate with school counselors, teachers, or IEP teams to ensure that strategies practiced in session translate to the classroom. If your family is simultaneously working with Mind by Design's educational and IEP consulting team, the alignment is even tighter, your consultant and your child's therapist share context, reducing the "telephone game" that frustrates so many parents shuttling information between providers.
This school-aware approach matters because children do not compartmentalize their lives. The anxiety your child feels in a therapy session on Tuesday is the same anxiety that surfaces during a math test on Wednesday. Therapy that acknowledges and addresses the school environment, without replacing school-based services, produces more durable outcomes and gives parents a clearer picture of progress across settings.
Many families discover Mind by Design's therapy program after completing a psychoeducational evaluation or school neuropsychological assessment. When an evaluation reveals anxiety, ADHD, autism spectrum traits, or emotional regulation challenges alongside learning differences, therapy becomes the logical next intervention, and because the assessing psychologist is part of the same team, the transition is seamless. Your child's therapist receives a detailed clinical picture from day one, not a summary you reconstructed from memory in an intake form.
But you do not need an assessment to begin therapy. Families come to us directly through pediatrician referrals, school counselor recommendations, or their own search for private-pay child therapy in the Bay Area. The free 15-minute consultation exists precisely to help us understand your starting point and recommend the right path, whether that is therapy now, an assessment first, parent coaching to build strategies at home, or a combination. There is no gatekeeping; there is only the question of what will help your child most, answered honestly.
For families already engaged in other Mind by Design services, literacy intervention, speech therapy, executive-function coaching, adding therapy creates a reinforcing loop. Skills practiced in coaching are processed emotionally in therapy. Language gains from speech therapy reduce the social anxiety addressed in counseling. The practice was designed for these connections, and therapy is often the thread that ties them together.

Our Service Categories

Therapeutic support for children experiencing anxiety, emotional regulation difficulties, social challenges, behavioral concerns, attention and focus struggles, or academic avoidance driven by underlying emotional distress. Sessions use developmentally appropriate techniques, including play-based and expressive modalities, to help younger children build coping strategies, understand their feelings, and develop resilience in a safe, supportive environment.
Focused therapy for teens navigating the unique pressures of adolescence, identity development, peer relationships, academic stress, and the emotional impact of learning differences or neurodevelopmental diagnoses. Clinicians balance structured evidence-based approaches with relational dialogue that honors the teen's growing need for autonomy while keeping parents informed and involved.
Sessions that bring caregivers and children together to address communication breakdowns, conflict cycles, and the systemic stress that learning differences, behavioral challenges, or life transitions place on every member of the household. Family therapy strengthens the relationships and routines that support a child's progress across all settings.
Understanding your child's intellectual abilities provides crucial context for ADHD symptoms and academic performance. Our cognitive evaluations identify learning strengths, processing differences, and intellectual giftedness that may mask or complicate ADHD presentation.
A complementary service for parents seeking strategies and confidence to support their child at home and at school. Parent coaching can run alongside therapy or serve as a standalone service for families not yet ready for, or not in need of, direct child therapy. Learn more about Parent Coaching →

Our Process

STEP ONE

Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation

Connect with our Client Relations Specialist for a complimentary phone call to discuss your child's needs, your family's goals, and any concerns you have. This is not a sales call, it is a conversation to determine whether therapy at Mind by Design is the right fit, and if so, which clinician and format will serve your child best. If another service (assessment, coaching, intervention) would be a better starting point, we will tell you honestly and help you get there. Most consultations are scheduled within a few business days of your initial inquiry.

STEP TWO

Complete Intake and Set Collaborative Goals

Before the first session, you will complete intake paperwork that gives your child's therapist a thorough picture of history, strengths, and current challenges. The initial session is dedicated to relationship-building and collaborative goal-setting, with your child, with you as the parent, and when relevant, with input from teachers or other Mind by Design clinicians already working with your family. You will leave the first appointment with a clear understanding of what therapy will focus on and how progress will be measured.

STEP THREE

Begin Weekly or Biweekly Sessions

Your child meets with their therapist on a consistent schedule, typically weekly to start, in 30-, 45-, 60-, or 90-minute sessions based on clinical need and age. Sessions take place in person at our Morgan Hill or Campbell office, with telehealth available on a case-by-case basis. Your therapist will check in with you regularly, adjust the treatment plan as your child grows, and coordinate with other Mind by Design providers or school professionals as needed.

STEP FOUR

Review Progress and Plan Forward

At regular intervals, your therapist will review goals, share observations, and discuss next steps with you. Some children benefit from a defined course of therapy and transition to less frequent sessions or to executive-function coaching as skills solidify. Others maintain therapy as a consistent support alongside other services. The timeline is driven by your child's needs, not by an arbitrary session count.

Our Approach

At Mind by Design, therapy is not a siloed service bolted onto an assessment practice.

It is an intentional extension of the same philosophy that guides every evaluation, coaching engagement, and intervention program we offer: see the whole child, understand how they learn and feel, and build a plan that works across every setting in their life.

Our therapeutic approach is integrative by design. Rather than committing rigidly to a single modality, our clinicians draw from cognitive-behavioral strategies, relational and attachment-informed frameworks, play-based techniques, and family-systems perspectives, selecting and blending tools based on what each child needs at each stage of treatment. This flexibility is not eclecticism for its own sake; it is a clinical decision informed by the assessment data, school context, and developmental profile that our multidisciplinary team has already gathered.

What makes this approach particularly effective for Bay Area families is the speed at which insights become action. In a traditional model, a therapist might spend weeks uncovering dynamics that a psychoeducational evaluation already identified. Here, your child's therapist may begin treatment with a clear map of processing strengths, attentional patterns, and emotional triggers, because the psychologist who assessed your child is a colleague, not a name on a forwarded PDF. When speech-language therapy reveals pragmatic language gaps contributing to social anxiety, that finding enters the therapeutic conversation immediately. When executive-function coaching surfaces emotional blocks around task initiation, the therapist can address the underlying feelings while the coach reinforces the behavioral strategies.

This connected model reduces the fragmentation that so many parents describe as the most exhausting part of supporting a child with complex needs. One team, shared context, aligned goals, and a child who feels held by people who genuinely know them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mind by Design was founded in 2020 by Jana Parker, a Licensed Educational Psychologist and Board-Certified School Neuropsychologist, to provide psychoeducational assessments and support services that help children and families thrive. Based in Campbell and expanding to Morgan Hill in 2026, our multidisciplinary team of educational psychologists, speech-language pathologists, reading specialists, and therapists brings decades of public-school experience to private practice, offering families across Santa Clara County a single team for assessment, therapy, coaching, and intervention. Learn more about our team and story →

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School-based counseling is a valuable resource, but it is typically limited to brief, group-oriented sessions focused on immediate school-day concerns. Therapy at Mind by Design is individualized, clinically directed, and designed to address deeper emotional, behavioral, and relational patterns across all settings, not just the classroom. Our therapists have the time and clinical framework to work through anxiety, emotional regulation, social difficulties, and the complex interplay between learning differences and mental health. The two services complement each other, and with your consent, your child's therapist can coordinate with school counselors to ensure strategies are consistent. Learn more about our educational consulting support →
Pre-licensed clinicians are fully trained therapists who have completed their graduate education and are accumulating the supervised clinical hours required for independent licensure in California. At Mind by Design, every pre-licensed therapist is directly supervised by Melissa Sorci, LMFT, who reviews cases, provides weekly clinical supervision, and ensures that the quality of care meets the same standards as our licensed clinicians. Pre-licensed therapists often carry smaller caseloads, offer more scheduling flexibility, and bring the latest evidence-based training to their work. Your child receives excellent care at every level of our team. Meet our therapy team →
Absolutely. Many families begin with parent coaching to gain strategies, understand their child's needs, and build confidence before, or instead of, enrolling their child in direct therapy. Parent coaching is also valuable alongside therapy, reinforcing at home what your child is learning in session. During your free 15-minute consultation, we will help you determine which starting point makes the most sense for your family's situation.
No. While many families come to therapy after a psychoeducational evaluation or school neuropsychological assessment at Mind by Design, an assessment is not required to begin. If our team believes an evaluation would meaningfully inform treatment, we will discuss that recommendation with you, but therapy can start immediately based on the concerns you bring to the consultation. Learn more about our assessments →
Sessions start at $225 for a 45-minute appointment, with 30-, 60-, and 90-minute options available. Mind by Design is a private-pay practice, which means we do not bill insurance directly. However, we provide superbills that you can submit to your PPO plan for potential out-of-network reimbursement. Our Client Relations Specialist can help you understand your benefits during your initial consultation so there are no surprises.

Schedule a free 15-minute consultation and take the first step toward the right support for your family.

Your Child Deserves to Thrive