Welcome.
I’m Molly Gerstein Gales, a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, particularly Berkeley and Oakland.
I have been working with adolescents and families in a variety of ways since 1992. I have an M. Ed. in English Education from Columbia University as well as an MA in Counseling Psychology from The Wright Institute. For more information about my experience and affiliations, keep reading this page. In my spare time, I enjoy walking along the water and among the redwoods in the beautiful East Bay. I also read way too much.
Phone: 510.543.1762 – Email: molly@authentictherapy.net
Experience and Expertise
As a therapist, I have experience working with all ages and orientations, and many races, always through a social justice lens. I have worked in high school-based settings as a mental health clinician as well as in community mental health centers and now my private practice. I specialize in working with teens and families, adult individuals, and the LGBTQ+ community, particularly for gender affirmation therapy. I have created therapy groups for teens and young adults focusing on stress reduction, parenting teens, anxiety and academics, and neuroplasticity and the growth mindset. I have seen excellent results treating chronic pain and illness using a variety of therapeutic practices.
I value developing strong relationships and connections with clients who require a safe place to explore a variety of goals and ways to manage and overcome often painful challenges. I believe that while some pain is inevitable, suffering doesn’t have to be.
In addition to being a therapist, I have over 25 years of experience in education. I have taught in high schools around the Bay Area and worked with teams of teachers both in and out of the classroom. In direct individual coaching, I have guided teachers, students and families to develop sustainable systems for academic success through an understanding of mindfulness, neuroplasticity, and the executive functions of the adolescent brain. I also founded Classroom Matters, a student learning and advocacy center in Berkeley, California.
Meet Butters!
Butters is a lovable, friendly therapy dog who is very popular with my clients. He has a sweet nature and is quite a smart and intuitive little fellow. He weighs 15 pounds, with incredibly soft hypoallergenic fur. He has been accurately described as a cross between a dog, a cat, and a plushie. Clients can choose to have Butters sit beside them on the couch, play with him on the floor, or have him rest quietly in his dog bed across the room. We can even go for a walk with him around the neighborhood. He recognizes and adores my clients, and loves to greet them and escort them from the waiting room to the office. Butters takes his job very seriously. He loves coming to the office and connecting with clients. He is a gentle little guy who seems to know just what people need.
If you’ve found Molly, you can breathe a big sigh of relief because you’re going to be in amazing hands. She is genuine, caring, funny and manages to perfectly blend her technical skills with her raw, relatable self. You’ll walk away from sessions feeling a) like you’re really getting somewhere and b) a little more lighthearted than when you arrived. She’s just the best, can’t speak highly enough!