Affordable and Caring Teletherapy for the Bay Area and California
Psychotherapy provides a rich opportunity for growth and learning, helping persons to recover from the aftermaths of trauma, abuse and loss, meet the hardships of their lives, and thrive. In times like this, with so much anxiety about our collective welfare, it can be an invaluable lifeline.
In response to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, we began offering access to teletherapy to all of our clients, whether new and established. Also called telehealth or telebehavioral health, teletherapy can provide vital care and support to individuals, couples and families experiencing hardships which prevent them from attending therapy in person. Currently it is up to each client and therapist to decide whether they will utilize teletherapy or meet in-person. We are able to offer teletherapy to any California resident.
Unfortunately, even within the Bay Area, access to affordable psychotherapy is in significant shortage, with long waits for services in many counties. Persons with special circumstances or from marginalized communities face additional barriers, including a lack of services sensitive and respectful of their needs. We strive to ensure our services are both attuned to the needs of our communities and as accessible as possible.
With its commitment to affordability, and multi-cultural body of eclectically-trained clinicians, Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center is uniquely poised to meet the needs of our community at this time. Your welfare is of utmost importance to us.
Our current services include:
- Psychotherapy for individuals, couples and families, currently primarily online until further notice
- Internships for pre-licensed clinicians on the track to obtain licenses as Marriage Family Therapists, Clinical Social Workers and Professional Clinical Counselors
Our History
Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center was founded as a non-profit organization in 2006 by Mary Owen, a licensed Marriage Family Therapist and adjunct professor and clinical supervisor at JFK University and clinical supervisor at California Institute of Integral Studies. Mary created Grateful Heart to provide opportunities for therapists in training to prepare for licensure and begin their own private practices. Since its inception, the organization has grown to now serve approximately 1000 individuals, couples and families each year. More than 100 clinicians have participated in Grateful Heart’s program, successfully launching their practices as Marriage Family Therapists (MFTs), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs), or Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCCs).
Our Vision
We exist to provide a space for therapists to practice in alignment with their unique gifts and values, cultivating wellbeing for both themselves and their clients. We are committed to ensuring that our therapists receive the training and support they need, while our clients receive personalized mental health support. Our mission is to support both the clients we serve and the therapists we train in not just surviving—but thriving.
Our Mission
At Grateful Heart we believe our psychological well-being as humans is intimately tied to the health and sustainability of our families, communities, and world. We are dedicated to offering the Greater Bay Area accessible counseling services that integrate a variety of psychotherapy approaches. Guided by these values, we provide:
- Psychotherapy for children, teens, adults, couples, partners, families and groups
- Internships for pre-licensed clinicians on the track to obtain licenses as Marriage Family Therapists, Clinical Social Workers and Professional Clinical Counselors
- Educational opportunities for mental health practitioners and the community-at-large
Typically, our in-person services are provided in multiple cities and counties, including in Marin, San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, Alameda, Emeryville, Concord and Walnut Creek. Online therapy (phone and video-conferencing formats) is provided throughout the State of California.
Our Values
Compassion: We believe compassion is fundamental to ethical and effective mental health care. As a justice-rooted practice, active compassion calls therapists to show up with humility, accountability, and attuned presence—always mindful of social location and power dynamics. Compassion is not passive or performative; it is a daily commitment to care deeply for the whole person; both those we serve and those work alongside.
Authenticity: We believe authenticity is essential to building genuine connections in therapy and within our organization. Authenticity calls us to be honest and transparent, with both ourselves and each other, about who we are. It invites us to embrace our whole selves; holding vulnerability as a strength and creating spaces where diverse identities and experiences are believed, honored and valued.
Humility: We believe humility is essential to therapeutic practice. Humility calls us to remain open, flexible and teachable; to listen more than we speak, and to acknowledge the limits of our knowledge—especially across lines of difference, identity, and power. Humility invites us to approach each client and colleague with curiosity, respect, and a commitment to continual self-reflection and growth.
Integrity: We believe integrity is foundational to the therapeutic process and organizational culture. Practicing integrity across all tiers of the organization means aligning our actions with our values, acknowledging our limitations, and remaining accountable to those we serve and work alongside. Whether in the therapy room or within our organizational culture, practicing integrity requires transparency, consistency, and doing what is right, even when it is difficult or inconvenient.
Community: We believe community is vital to resilience, sustainability, and accountability. By staying connected in community, we build networks that foster wellbeing and thriving beyond the individual. We acknowledge our willingness to face discomfort – in ourselves, in the work, and in the systems we navigate. We commit to integrating the courage necessary to show up honestly and vulnerably; to embody the everyday bravery required to stay present, take risks, and engage in work that fosters transformative mental health care, shared learning and collective care.