Therapy: A Safe Place to Work Through the Hard Stuff
Therapy for kids, teens, young adults, and families navigating anxiety, grief, identity, family transitions, and the weight that comes with growing up and parenting.
When life feels heavy, having someone to talk to changes everything.
Anxiety, big feelings, grief, divorce, identity questions, the weight of a hard school year. Kids and teens carry more than they often let on, and parents carry a lot right alongside them.
Therapy gives the whole family a place to slow down, sort through what is hard, and build the tools to move forward with more ease.
WHO WE WORK WITH
Who Might Benefit from Therapy at Mind by Design
Our therapists work with kids, teens, young adults, and families navigating a range of emotional and relational concerns. Some clients come to us with a specific challenge in mind. Others come because something feels off and they want help making sense of it. Both are welcome.
Kids
Children carrying more than their bodies and brains know how to handle. That might look like meltdowns, withdrawal, big worries, the loss of a pet or grandparent, or the shifts that come with divorce in the family. Therapy gives them a space to feel understood and the skills to manage what comes next. When a recent evaluation is part of the picture, we fold what's been learned into the goals we set together.
Teens
Adolescents navigating mood, gender identity and expression, friendships, and the weight of becoming themselves. Some are working through anxiety, depression, or self-injury that's hard to talk about at home. Others are pushing against everything, including the people who love them, and need a space that's just theirs to sort through it. Our work with teens is collaborative and respectful of the autonomy they're trying to build.
Young Adults
Eighteen through the mid-twenties is its own season. Bigger decisions, new independence, and emotional terrain that doesn't always have a roadmap. We work with transitional-age young adults sorting through anxiety, mood, relationships, identity, the loss of a grandparent or other early grief, and the launch into adult life that doesn't always go the way it was supposed to.
Families
Sometimes the most useful work happens with parents in the room, or with parents on their own. Family-focused sessions help everyone move in the same direction, whether that's working through a conflict pattern, navigating divorce, supporting a teen who's pushing against everything, building goals around what a recent evaluation has shown, or learning how to support a child without losing yourself in the process.
What We Help With
Therapy isn't one-size-fits-all. Below are some of the most common reasons families come to us. Each links to a closer look at how we approach that specific concern.
✔ Anxiety
Worry that's started to take up too much space, including the kind that shows up before school, before sleep, or before a hard conversation. Therapy helps clients name what they're feeling, understand what's driving it, and build tools to manage it day to day.
✔ Family Dynamics
Communication patterns, sibling conflict, parent-child tension, divorce and the shifts that follow, and the work of weaving new information from a recent evaluation into how the family moves forward together. Family-focused work can include parents only, the child only, or both.
✔ Depression & Mood
Low mood, irritability, loss of interest, or a heaviness that's hard to shake. We help clients understand what's happening underneath and build a path back toward more of themselves.
✔ Teen & Young Adult Mental Health
Depression, anxiety, gender identity and expression, self-injury, and the full weight of these chapters. Our work prioritizes the client's voice, their pace, and their goals.
✔ ADHD-Related Support
The emotional side of ADHD: the frustration, the self-esteem hits, the feeling of always being one step behind. Therapy supports the inner experience that often goes unaddressed in academic support alone.
✔ Grief & Loss
The death of a family pet, the loss of a grandparent, or other early experiences of loss that don't always get the space they deserve at home. Therapy gives kids, teens, and young adults a place to grieve at their own pace.
✔ Defiance & the Pull Toward Independence
Pushing against everything, refusing what used to work, taking risks that worry the people around them. Therapy helps teens sort through what's underneath, and gives parents a space to talk through what to do with what they're seeing.
✔ Identity, Gender, & Self-Esteem
“Who am I, where do I fit, and what does it mean that I'm different from the people around me?" For many teens, those questions include gender identity and expression. Therapy gives kids, teens, and young adults a steady place to work through them.
Wondering if You or Your Child Could Use Someone to Talk to?
You don't need to wait for a crisis; reach out today.
WHY THERAPY AT MIND BY DESIGN IS DIFFERENT
A Therapy Team Connected to a Full Multidisciplinary Practice
Most therapists who work with children don’t have access to a detailed picture of how that child’s brain processes information. Our team does.
Our therapists are part of a broader team that includes educational psychologists, speech-language pathologists, executive function coaches, literacy specialists, academic support providers, and a consulting psychiatrist.
That means when something more comes up in therapy, whether it is a question about attention, learning, language, or executive function, your therapist has trusted colleagues right down the hall. With your permission, they can coordinate care so everyone supporting your family is working in the same direction.
For families already engaged with other MBD services, therapy fits naturally into the bigger picture. For families coming to us for therapy alone, you get a therapist with a deep clinical bench behind them.
What We Bring to The Room
When families come to us for therapy, they're usually not shopping for a practice. They're looking for the right person to sit across from. Here's what we think about and bring to every relationship we build.
✔ Warmth before clinical anything
Before we talk about modalities or goals, we focus on connection. A child or teen won't do real work with someone they don't trust. Our therapists lead with the relationship and let the clinical work follow.
✔ Parents included when it helps
Some families benefit from parent guidance sessions. Some need family work with everyone in the room. Some just need their child to have a space that's theirs. We figure that out together, and we'll tell you what we think will help.
✔ Evidence-based, tailored to fit
We draw on cognitive behavioral therapy, parent guidance, and other evidence-based approaches, and we adapt them to who's in front of us. The same anxiety doesn't look the same in two different teens, and the same family doesn't need the same conversation twice.
✔ Led by a doctoral-level psychologist
Our therapy team works under the clinical leadership of Dr. Melissa Sorci, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist with deep experience in this work. That structure brings doctoral-level clinical judgment into every case, with ongoing oversight, consultation, and team development.
✔ Pace matched to the client
Adolescents and young adults are working on autonomy. We respect that. Sessions move at the client's pace, and we give them room to lead the work that's theirs to lead.
✔ Goal-oriented, with check-ins along the way
Therapy should be going somewhere. We set goals early and revisit them on a regular cadence so the work stays purposeful and so you know what's changing and what isn't.
YOUR THERAPY TEAM
Clinicians Who Bring Warmth, Training, & Real Depth to the Work
Our therapy team supports kids, teens, and families navigating a wide range of emotional and relational challenges. Each clinician brings their own training and style, and we work with families to find the right fit.
Dr. Alexa Padilla, Ph.D.
Registered Psychological Assistant, supervised by Dr. Melissa Sorci, Licensed Clinical Psychologist PSY #23816
Dr. Padilla is a child, adolescent, and family therapist who supports kids, teens, and parents navigating anxiety, depression, mood concerns, and other mental health challenges. Her approach is warm, structured, and goal-oriented, drawing on cognitive behavioral therapy to help clients build practical skills they can use right away. She enjoys helping those looking for support and answers.
Kevin Scofield, APCC
Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC #22277), Master of Arts in Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Palo Alto University, 2025)
Kevin supports clients navigating anxiety, depression, life transitions, and identity exploration. His humanistic, person-centered approach is shaped by his prior work in Applied Behavior Analysis with neurodivergent kids and his lived experience as the parent of an autistic child. He creates space for clients to feel genuinely seen, heard, and valued.
Christina Reilly, LMFT
Licensed Educational Psychologist #4038, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #145096, Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP)
Christina draws on her dual training in educational psychology and marriage and family therapy to support children, teens, and parents through anxiety, big emotions, self-esteem, and the relational dynamics that shape how families function. Her approach is warm, collaborative, and grounded in a deep understanding of the whole person.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common Questions About Therapy
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We see children, teens, parents, and families. Our therapists work with clients across a wide range of ages and concerns, and we will match you with the clinician whose training and style best fits your situation.
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No. Therapy at MBD does not require an evaluation, and many of our therapy clients have never had one. If questions come up during therapy that point toward an evaluation, your therapist can talk that through with you.
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It depends on what you are working through. Some families come for a focused stretch of a few months around a specific concern. Others stay longer as needs shift over time. Your therapist will check in with you regularly about goals and progress.
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Yes. Therapy is a confidential space, with the standard legal and ethical exceptions your therapist will walk you through at intake. For minors, we work thoughtfully with families to balance a child or teen’s need for privacy with parents’ need to stay informed.
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Yes. If your child also works with one of our evaluators, executive function coaches, speech-language therapists, or academic support specialists, your therapist can coordinate with that provider so everyone is moving in the same direction.
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We are a private-pay practice and do not bill insurance directly. Therapy may be partially reimbursable depending on your plan. See our Billing and Insurance page for the current details on superbills, CPT codes, and reimbursement.
THERAPY CPT CODES
Codes Commonly Used for Therapy Sessions at Mind by Design
Insurance carriers use CPT codes to categorize therapy services. When submitting for reimbursement, your therapist selects the code that matches the actual format and duration of the session. The table below lists the full set of psychotherapy CPT codes, including the ones most commonly used for therapy at Mind by Design.
| CPT Code | Descriptor | Total Session Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 90832 | Psychotherapy, 30 minutes with the patient | 16 to 37 minutes |
| 90834 | Psychotherapy, 45 minutes with the patient | 38 to 52 minutes |
| 90837 | Psychotherapy, 60 minutes with the patient | 53 or more minutes |
| 90845 | Psychoanalysis | Not time-defined |
| 90846 | Family psychotherapy (without the patient present), 50 minutes | 26 or more minutes |
| 90847 | Family psychotherapy (conjoint psychotherapy) (with patient present), 50 minutes | 26 or more minutes |
| 90849 | Multiple-family group psychotherapy | Not time-defined |
| 90853 | Group psychotherapy (other than of a multiple-family group) | Not time-defined |
A note on session length: the CPT manual allows providers to apply the “Time Rule” and select the code closest to the actual time of the session. A 45-minute session is billed under 90834. A 60-minute session is billed under 90837. Add-on codes exist for specific services provided in combination with the principal psychotherapy or evaluation service, and both the principal and add-on codes are listed on the billing form when applicable.
Check Your Out-of-Network Benefits
Many families are surprised to learn how much of their therapy costs may be reimbursable through out-of-network benefits. The tool below lets you check your plan in about a minute, with no commitment.
Ready to Feel Heard?
When kids, teens, and parents have a safe place to work through the hard stuff, everything else gets a little easier. If your family is carrying more than it should have to, our therapy team can help lighten the load.
Get in Touch
Let us know how we can help. You’re welcome to fill out a form or give us a call or text at 669-282-2510.
If you’d like to schedule a call with one of our team members, please fill out the form. You’ll then receive a link to our calendar.