Hi, I'm Phoenix—a designer who sees systems through a human lens

I'm a service designer with a background in social work and mental health therapy. I design for the people traditionally left out of design processes.

LSW #S.2107075 MPS User Experience Design BS Social Work
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My Path

I didn't start in design studios. I started on the frontlines.

Before I ever opened Figma or drew a service blueprint, I was working directly with people navigating some of the most complex, broken systems in our society—mental healthcare, social services, juvenile justice, crisis intervention.

For over four years as a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) and mental health therapist, I provided intensive, in-home therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and families experiencing severe emotional and behavioral challenges. I worked with youth involved in the juvenile justice system. I provided trauma-informed therapy to LGBTQIA+ clients, transracial adoptees, and people navigating religious trauma.

I learned what happens when services fail. I saw who gets left behind when systems aren't designed with real people in mind. I watched families get caught in policy constraints that made no sense. I saw barriers that had nothing to do with motivation or capability—and everything to do with how services were structured.

"I realized that the problems I was seeing—the barriers, the gaps, the moments where people gave up—weren't just policy problems. They were design problems. And I wanted to be part of fixing them."

So I went back to school. I'm currently finishing my Master's in User Experience Design at Columbus College of Art & Design, where I've been able to merge my clinical training with design thinking, systems theory, and service design methodologies.

Now I approach every project with both a designer's eye and a clinician's heart—understanding not just what users do, but why systems fail them, and how to redesign for equity, dignity, and real impact.

My Approach

Why my background makes me a different kind of designer

Most designers learn about users through research. I learned about them through years of direct clinical practice. Here's what that experience taught me:

I understand systems thinking from the inside out. As a Multisystemic Therapist (MST) and Integrative Family & Systems Treatment (I-FAST) clinician, I was trained to see how families, schools, courts, and social services interconnect. I learned to identify leverage points, map service delivery pain points, and co-design interventions that actually worked within policy constraints.

I know how to conduct trauma-informed research. Every interview, every co-design session, every stakeholder workshop requires emotional intelligence. I know how to create psychological safety, navigate power dynamics, hold space for difficult emotions, and facilitate with care. This isn't something I learned from a blog post—it's clinical practice.

I've done cross-sector collaboration in high-stakes contexts. I've coordinated with courts, schools, medical providers, and community organizations to design interventions for youth in crisis. I know how to work across silos, translate between stakeholders, and align everyone around shared outcomes.

I'm comfortable with complexity and ambiguity. Human problems don't have clean solutions. My clinical training taught me to work iteratively toward better (not perfect) outcomes, to sit with discomfort, and to always center the people most impacted by the work.

"Design isn't neutral. Every choice we make—who we center, who we exclude, what we measure—has real impact on real lives. My background ensures I never forget that."

What Guides My Work

These principles shape every project I take on, every design decision I make.

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Human-Centered, Always

I design with people, not for them. Co-design isn't just a methodology—it's an ethical commitment to centering the voices of those most impacted.

♿

Inclusive by Design

Accessibility isn't an afterthought. I design for the margins first, knowing that what works for the most excluded works better for everyone.

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Trauma-Informed

Every interaction is an opportunity to cause harm or to heal. I bring clinical awareness to design, prioritizing safety, consent, and dignity at every touchpoint.

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Justice-Centered

Good design doesn't just make things easier—it challenges systems of oppression and creates pathways to equity. I design for liberation, not just convenience.

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Systems Thinker

I don't just design interfaces or touchpoints. I design ecosystems. I look at the whole system—people, processes, policies—and find leverage points for change.

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Community-Driven

The people closest to the problem are closest to the solution. I facilitate processes that center community expertise and build sustainable, locally-owned solutions.

My Journey

Aug 2024 - Present
Master's in User Experience Design
Columbus College of Art & Design
Completing MPS in UX with focus on service design, trauma-informed practices, and community-centered design. Capstone: F.I.R.E. Framework for post-burnout creative resistance in queer and trans communities.
Jan 2024 - Aug 2024
Intensive Home-Based Treatment (IHBT) Therapist
Integrated Services for Behavioral Health
Provided intensive, in-home therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and families experiencing severe emotional and behavioral challenges. Conducted assessments, developed individualized treatment plans, and collaborated cross-sector with schools, medical providers, and community resources.
Jun 2023 - Aug 2024
Integrative Family & Systems Treatment (I-FAST) Clinician
Integrated Services for Behavioral Health
Applied systems-thinking approach to support families navigating complex mental health challenges. Used qualitative research methods (interviews, behavioral analysis) to identify systemic barriers and inform interventions. Worked cross-functionally to design interventions addressing social determinants of health and policy constraints.
Jan 2022 - Jun 2023
Multisystemic (MST) Therapist
Integrated Services for Behavioral Health
Led intensive, evidence-based interventions for youth in juvenile justice system. Conducted cross-sector research to understand policy constraints, mapped service delivery pain points, and co-designed interventions with courts, schools, and social services that improved youth outcomes.
Dec 2020 - Nov 2021
Licensed Mental Health Clinician (LSW)
Mares Cares Counseling, LLC
Provided trauma-informed, affirming therapy to individuals aged 6-30, specializing in LGBTQIA+ clients, transracial adoptees, and individuals navigating religious trauma. Applied evidence-based modalities while recognizing systemic barriers affecting clients' wellbeing.
Nov 2021
Licensed Social Worker (LSW)
Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board
Obtained clinical licensure (License #: S.2107075) to practice social work in Ohio, completing requirements in ethics, clinical practice, and systems-level intervention.
Aug 2013 - Dec 2020
Bachelor of Science in Social Work
The Ohio State University
Trained in systems thinking, community organizing, clinical practice, and social justice frameworks. Field placements in homeless services, mental health crisis intervention, and family support programs.

How I Work

The tools, methods, and approaches I bring to every project

Design Skills

Service Design

Service Blueprints Journey Maps Personas Stakeholder Mapping Touchpoint Design Ecosystem Mapping

Research & Strategy

User Research (Qual & Quant) Ethnographic Research User Interviews Usability Testing Co-design Workshops Strategic Storytelling

UX/UI & Ideation

Figma FigJam Miro Wireframes Prototypes Storyboards Information Architecture Content Design

Tools & Workflow

Slack Asana Trello Google Workspace Microsoft Suite Agile/Iterative Process

My Approach

  • Start with listening, not assumptions. I spend time understanding people, context, and systems before I sketch a single wireframe.
  • Design with communities, not for them. The people most impacted are the experts. I facilitate co-design processes that center their voices.
  • Apply trauma-informed principles. I prioritize safety, consent, and control at every touchpoint. Design can heal or harm—I choose healing.
  • Think in systems, not just touchpoints. I look at the whole ecosystem—frontstage, backstage, and all the invisible infrastructure that makes services work (or fail).
  • Facilitate with emotional intelligence. Real change requires difficult conversations. My clinical training helps me hold space for complexity with care.
  • Design for equity and justice. I center marginalized voices, challenge oppressive systems, and design for dignity and liberation.
  • Iterate with humility. I test, learn, adjust, and keep improving based on feedback from the people who use what I design.
  • Prioritize impact over aesthetics. Beautiful design is great, but if it doesn't work for the people who need it most, it's just decoration.

Community Leadership

Design work doesn't stop at 5pm—it's about showing up for community

Co-Founder & Co-Facilitator, Chillicothe Trans*formers

2016 - Present | In collaboration with First Capital Pride Coalition (501(c)(3))

Chillicothe Trans*formers is a local support group and community meetup for the trans+ and gender expansive community in and around Chillicothe, Ohio. For nearly a decade, I've co-facilitated this space—creating programming, supporting members in crisis, advocating for policy change, and building connections in a rural Appalachian context where LGBTQ+ resources are scarce.

This work has taught me community organizing, grassroots facilitation, and how to design informal support systems that meet people where they are. It's also a constant reminder of who I design for and why equity and justice aren't abstract concepts—they're survival.

🏆 2025 PRIDE Hall of Fame Inductee
Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library + First Capital Pride Coalition

Let's Work Together

I'm looking for service design roles where I can bring my unique background to bear on problems that matter—designing for healthcare, social services, community wellbeing, and marginalized populations.

Get In Touch Download Resume