The Challenge
Open Paths Counseling Center serves marginalized women who have experienced trauma, including domestic abuse. Research shows that physical environments significantly influence patient outcomes, but traditional waiting rooms don't create healing atmospheres or offer private, individualized experiences.
The specific challenge: How might we create a tool or space that invokes calm for clients transitioning into and out of therapy, using privacy and light as primary design elements?
Our Approach
As Creative Director and Design Strategist, I led a multidisciplinary team through research, prototyping, and fabrication.
Research Insights:
- Vestibular and proprioceptive systems (balance and spatial orientation) are critical for calming experiences
- Circadian rhythm affects mood, stress levels, and emotional regulation
- EMDR techniques show that controlled sensory experiences can help process trauma
- Transitional spaces allow people to mentally prepare for change
Product Design: We fabricated a physical lightbox pod that provides:
- Private, enclosed space for individual use
- 15-minute breathing light experience calibrated to circadian rhythms
- Customizable white spectrum lighting based on user needs
- User control (ability to exit at any time)
- External indicators showing when pod is occupied
User Experience: Patients could use the pod before or after therapy sessions to center themselves, reduce stress, and create mental space for emotional work.
The Outcome
Product Impact:
- Fabricated working physical prototype using therapeutic light principles
- Created private decompression space for trauma therapy patients
- Integrated circadian rhythm research into experiential design
Partnership Impact:
- Collaboration between USC School of Dramatic Arts and Open Paths Counseling Center
- Funded through Arts in Action grant
- Demonstrated intersection of design and mental health treatment
What I Learned: This project taught me how to translate research insights into physical products. The biggest challenge was balancing therapeutic efficacy with user autonomy. We had to design something clinically grounded while ensuring patients maintained control over their experience.
