What sets up apart at Life Design Centre is our passionate dedication to the work we do with our clients. We honor and accept our clients with unconditional positive regard. We respect the strength and light they have inside themselves and hold with care the parts of their story that may be painful and private. Our experienced clinicians are able to work skillfully and appropriately with you whatever your place in the change process. Our ultimate goal is to encourage you toward healing, personal growth, and meaningful transformation.
Our Staff
Executive Director
Thuy Bui, Ph.D. is creator and Executive Director of Life Design Centre. Her inspiration for creating Life Design Centre is helping people discover their authentic self with purpose, meaning and beauty. Her vision was to develop an unconventional and innovative psychotherapy studio in order to communicate principles that help inspire people to expand their individual potential, move towards wholeness and connect with others.
Thuy is a licensed mental health professional and certified sex addiction and trauma specialist with extensive experience working with families, children, couples and individuals with relationship and sexual issues. Thuy is passionate about furthering the development of the field of sex addiction studies, and is interested in exploring the intersection of mindfulness, sexuality, and interpersonal neurobiology. She is also highly immersed in the field of depth psychology with an emphasis in Archetypal and Jungian psychotherapy. Thuy is one of the few Hakomi trained psychotherapists in Southern California, is EMDR certified and an expert equine therapist. She studies extensively with Daniel Siegel, M.D. and Katie Sanford, M.A.
Clinical Interns
Sarah McCann, M.A. is a registered Marriage & Family Therapist Intern at Life Design Centre working under Thuy’s clinical supervision. Sarah received her Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles and trained at The Southern California Counseling Center, where she worked with individuals, couples, and families from all walks of life. Her work consists of creating a safe space for her clients to explore themselves and communicate their hopes and values. As a therapist, Sarah thinks of herself as “a master of being curious,” a facilitator of dialogue, and a supporter of her client’s life principles and ambitions. She is trained in EMDR, a therapeutic approach designed to alleviate distress associated with trauma. Sarah enjoys practicing mindfulness meditation, being a musician, and weaving her artistic insights into her therapeutic work.
Animal Assisted Therapy
Keiki, our canine clinician is a purebred golden retriever therapy dog. She received her basic and intermediate obedience training from Sirius Academy where she graduated with honors. She is the recipient of the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program award for having good manners and a wonderful temperament. Her theoretical orientation is “pawsitive psychology” and she works well with children of all ages. Keiki works out of our West Los Angeles office only.
Kaira, is our purebred Irish Connemara horse standing at 15 hands she is the perfect companion. Her calm, gentle nature and warm disposition promotes trust and safety. She received her “premium mare” status from the American Connemara Pony Society and has a very good temperament and conformation. She utilizes EAGALA methods to support the mental health and personal development of young children, adolescents, and adults.
Administrative Staff
