Holistic Mental Wellness Therapy Center | Oakland CA | 94610

Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center in Oakland, CA helps families, couples, individuals and children with mental health, trauma, grief and life changes

  • Holistic Mental Wellness Therapy Center | Oakland CA | 94610
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Samantha (Mac) McIntyre Ethridge

they/them

  • Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist

AMFT #114758

Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling, Somatic Psychology

Bio Photo

How I Can Help

Overwhelmed? Heartbroken? Burnt out? Tired of your inner critic beating you up and invalidating your needs? Desiring more joy, ease and connection? Curious about embodiment and intergenerational trauma? Ready for your next chapter of healing and growth?

Allow me to hold space for you to clear out your busy mind, drop down into the body safely, and root into the wisdom of the present moment. Together we’ll examine patterns and beliefs not working for you anymore with curiosity, compassion and humor. Learning how to stop and smell the roses while living a fully realized life is possible. Spoiler alert: knowing and cherishing thyself (yes including the not so cute parts) is key.

About Me

I never thought I would become a therapist. I grew up in a family where mental health was very stigmatized in a community obsessed with perfection, status and achievement. My first exposure was the high school divorce group that allowed me to skip class and hang out with people who understood what I was going through. After graduating college and moving across the country - a major life change, all the issues I had been ignoring by staying busy and over-fixating on my appearance couldn’t hide in the shadows anymore.

At my lowest point with my lifelong eating disorder is when I decided to seek treatment and my world was forever changed. I realized I didn’t want to be happy…I wanted to feel everything. I learned how beautifully complex and infinite humans are and how to hold space for the light and shadow of this wild experience in an embodied way.

My Background and Experience

I received my MA in Clinical Counseling and Somatic Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. I chose this program because of the essential value I saw in getting back in contact with the body through my recovery. My thesis was on disordered eating, developmental trauma and energy healing. While in school I trained in a variety of somatic techniques from somatic experiencing, authentic movement, polarity therapy and yoga.

I have worked with individuals of many backgrounds, mental health challenges and life stages. I’ve worked at the Center for Somatic Psychotherapy, Seeds of Awareness, The Lotus Collaborative and Respire Therapy. I have over 25 years of movement and expressive arts experience, and on my off hours run a queer expansive arts collective and provide trainings on gender diversity and gender-affirming care through the Fed Up Collective. My BA is from UVM in Environmental Studies, Community Development, and Dance.

My Approach

My approach is a blend of bottom-up emotional processing and practical skill building. I bring compassion, curiosity and humor into the room to help folks remember their inherent worth. I am a trauma-informed, decolonial, gender-affirming somatic psychotherapist who fuses talk therapy and body-based inquiry, like Hakomi, to help you navigate life's stressors and orient towards what feels good. I’d love to teach you how to hug your sadness. It feels really good actually.

I am particularly skilled at supporting folx to sift out noise from truth, identify their needs and desires, and come away with a stronger sense of self and clearer steps forward, all without ever meeting in person. I draw on a variety of modalities to meet each client’ needs in any given moment and love getting creative with the virtual setting. In short, therapy is a super customizable space just for you.

My Values

Clients are the experts of their own experience. Clients have all the wisdom they need within their bodies. Consent in the therapy room is essential whether it's a question or embodiment experiment. Clinicians must respect a client's No.
A power dynamic inherently exists in the room, and must be named and held accordingly, especially when there are differences in race and ethnicity in the room. Systems are impacting our clients each and everyday so they must be an explicit part of the therapy. They cannot be bypassed, minimized or “fixed”.
Gender, sexuality, and brain style live on a spectrum and must be affirmed through curiosity instead of assumption. Rupture and repair can be the most powerful, albeit uncomfortable. Everyone deserves to feel safe and connected to their body. My role is as guide, reflector and soother. Co-regulation and laughter are the best! Therapy is creative and can even be fun.

Client Ages
  • Young Adult: 18-25
  • Adults: 25-65
I Provide Therapy To
  • Individuals
  • Groups
  • Founders
Other Areas of Expertise/Interest
  • Activists
  • Artists
  • Gender Fluid or Gender Non-Conforming Individuals
  • Interfaith Couples
  • LGBTQIAA+ persons
  • Men
  • Persons Experiencing Grief and Loss
  • Persons in Polyamorous Relationships
  • Persons Recovering from Traumatic Events/Experiences
  • Persons with Histories of Childhood Sexual Abuse
  • Persons with Histories of Physical or Emotional Abuse
  • Persons with Disabilities
  • Women
  • Other:

Disordered eating, spirituality, embodiment, career, neurodiversity

Supplemental Training or Certification Completed
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
  • Ecotherapy
  • Emotionally Focused Therapy
  • Experiential Therapy
  • Expressive Arts Therapy
  • Gestalt Therapy
  • Humanistic Therapy
  • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
  • Relational Psychotherapy
  • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
  • Somatic Experiencing
  • Somatic Psychotherapy
  • Trauma-Informed Psychotherapy
Types of Payments Accepted
  • Credit Card
Full Fee

$170

Sliding Scale Range

$85-$130

Sliding Scale Openings

Yes

Phone

(415) 741-0993

Email

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Website

therapyden.com

Office Address

Permanent virtual telehealth through Simple Practice

Availability
  • Tuesday Morning
  • Tuesday Afternoon
  • Tuesday Evening
  • Wednesday Morning
  • Wednesday Afternoon
Scheduling Instructions

Please send the following to my email: therapywithsme@gmail.com

1) Your name
2) Your phone
3) In two time ranges you are available for a 15-20 minute call on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays

This call is to determine if we are a good fit. I will confirm said time via email. My response time is typically 24-72 hours depending on the day of the week. For the consult, you will receive a call at the confirmed time from a blocked number.

Supervisor Name & License Type/Number

Rawna Romero, LMFT #41466

Last Updated

05/25/2022

Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center

We offer affordable teletherapy (therapy by phone and by video) throughout the Greater Bay Area and California. Please call us today to schedule a preliminary meeting. Our services are offered in multiple languages during day and evening hours, 7 days per week. Compassionate and dedicated, our clinicians will provide you with care sensitive and responsive to your needs.

510-394-5065
admin@gratefulhearttherapy.org

MAILING ADDRESS
360 Grand Avenue, #46
Oakland, CA  94610

TIN: 20-5284226
NPI: 1942650239

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Internships

We offer a supportive private practice internship program, allowing pre-licensed clinicians (AMFT/ASW/APCC) to earn an income, accrue hours towards licensure and develop the clinical and entrepreneurial skills required for success in private practice. During the Coronavirus pandemic, we are continuing to accept new associates, helping them to launch practices as teletherapists. We also occasionally accept newly licensed clinicians, helping them to launch their private practice careers.

Services

In response to the Coronavirus, we now focus on providing teletherapy (therapy by phone and video) to our clients. Teletherapy can be helpful to individuals of all ages, including children and teenagers. Couples and families can also benefit from the convenience, flexibility and effectiveness of teletherapy. Please call or write us today to learn more about our services.

A Therapist Website by Brighter Vision | Privacy Policy
Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center is a 501(c) nonprofit organization providing psychotherapy services for children, teens, adults, couples, families and groups, internships for pre-licensed MFT/LPCC clinicians
and educational opportunities for mental health practitioners.