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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Shelley M. Samuels

she/her

  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

LPCC 6947

Master of Science, Counseling

Bio Photo

How I Can Help

Restarting your life? Feeling directionless or immobilized by life’s challenges? Are you feeling lost, overwhelmed, isolated? Do you feel stuck in the past as you try to recover and learn from previous relationships? Are you concerned about a lack of motivation in your life? Or maybe you think you are powerless, too old, too young, too different, or low energy?

Scary emotions are often part of the process of change. As a compassionate, supportive, experienced, and trustworthy therapist and guide, I can help. I specialize in life transitions, whether you are leaving a long-term relationship, facing career changes, or the loss of a partner.

I offer a supportive sounding board as you invite change into your life such as:
• Trusting yourself in intimate relationships
• Identifying your right work
• Healing from old wounds
• Learning to put yourself first

Real courage is moving forward when the outcome is uncertain. First steps are hard, but change is possible. Let me help you navigate your journey!

About Me

I am an eclectic, empathetic, creative therapist interested in empowering individuals to move through barriers to achieving sustainable, content lives. Influenced by feminist therapy, I strive to work collaboratively with my clients while viewing gender role socialization as crucial to my worldview. Since I deeply value a connection to the earth and appreciate the healing power of nature, I incorporate elements of ecotherapy into my practice. I believe that respect for the earth includes honoring all species, which I express as a vegan and animal rights advocate. I particularly enjoy working with creative types and often incorporate expressive arts, film, and literature into my psychotherapy practice. I believe strongly in self-reflection and discussing values, including ethics and spirituality, while respecting cultural differences.

My Background and Experience

I have a master’s degree in clinical and career counseling and completed undergraduate work in women studies, creative writing, and religious studies. My time in human resources training managers contributed to my understanding of workplace culture. I spent over seven years doing career counseling, coaching college students, baby boomers, and job seekers. I am an MBTI (Myers-Briggs) certified practitioner, able to administer and interpret MBTI tests. I am a California Certified Domestic Violence Advocate with two years of direct experience counseling domestic violence survivors. At the Pacific Center in Berkeley, I provided therapy to a queer clientele. I value group therapy and completed the group therapy training program at the Psychotherapy Institute in 2018.

My Approach

I am an eclectic, values-driven therapist who incorporates creative modalities like art, writing, ecotherapy, and dream interpretation along with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) ), EMDR, and mindfulness (MSBR) into my work. I offer a warm, supportive environment to help individuals explore deep trauma as well as the ordinary issues that impact daily life and long-term goals. I am passionate and intuitive, sometimes interactive, and I bring my true self to my practice. I offer wisdom based on my varied life experience and an affinity for political-social justice. Feminism, my queer community, and my ethical vegan environmentalist perspective all inform my work. I strive to inspire connection through nature.

My specialties include:
• Eco-therapy; including eco-walks (therapy outdoors)
• LGBTQQ issues, identity, and gender transitions
• Working through grief and loss
• Healing survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault
• Positive aging
• Body image
• Building long-term relationships
• Working with chronic pain
• Life transitions, including career issues, and coaching

My Values

I value compassion, honesty, creativity, spiritual respect, gratitude, and inner nourishment in whatever forms they may take. I believe in possibility, channeling optimism, and fostering hope. I honor difference. We can always learn from the experiences of others. I believe that the natural world is a gift to us. We are guardians of nature, yet nature can help us; plants and animals can guide us to our inner truths. I believe that we are all artists and architects of our own identities and creativity is innate. I recognize that confronting one’s inner demons might be excruciatingly painful but can also be profoundly healing. I view work as an integral part of a person’s values. I believe we each have our own stories and need to share them to be heard. I think that therapy is neither magic nor science, but believe therapy has the potential to be magical and transformative.

Client Ages
  • Young Adult: 18-25
  • Adults: 25-65
  • Seniors: 65+
I Provide Therapy To
  • Individuals
  • Persons in Polyamorous Relationships
  • Groups
Other Areas of Expertise/Interest
  • Artists
  • LGBTQIAA+ persons
  • Persons in Kink/BDSM Communities
  • Persons in Polyamorous Relationships
  • Persons Recovering from Domestic Violence
  • Persons Recovering from Traumatic Events/Experiences
  • Persons Struggling with/Recovering from Addiction
  • Persons with Histories of Childhood Sexual Abuse
  • Persons with Histories of Physical or Emotional Abuse
  • Persons with Disabilities

Vegan Animal Rights Advocates

Supplemental Training or Certification Completed
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Ecotherapy
  • EMDR
  • Expressive Arts Therapy
  • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
  • Other:

Career Counseling, MBTI (Myers-Briggs) certified, Dream Work

More About My Practice

I believe that movement is possible! Change may seem daunting and sustaining the motivation to progress can be even more challenging as we navigate uncertainty and obstacles along the path. I enjoy encouraging the foundation for change in my work with clients.

Types of Payments Accepted
  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card
Full Fee

$165

Sliding Scale Range

$75-$125

Phone

(510) 545-9218

Email

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Website

sageshelleytherapy.com

Office Address

1240 Powell Street, Suite 2C, Emeryville, CA 94608

Additional Office Address

**available for Teletherapy via video platforms/telephone**

Availability
  • Monday Afternoon
  • Tuesday Afternoon
  • Tuesday Evening
  • Wednesday Morning
  • Wednesday Afternoon
  • Wednesday Evening
  • Thursday Morning
  • Thursday Afternoon
  • Thursday Evening
  • Friday Afternoon
  • Saturday Afternoon
Scheduling Instructions

Please contact me for current availability. *** For Telemedicine, additional days/times may be available.

Last Updated

04/16/2020

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.