Serving clients + partners in the Bay Area and beyond
At EBAT, we provide a creative and affirming approach to mental health therapy, one where you or your child will feel seen and heard for the unique individuals you are. Through expressing your inner self through creativity and with the guidance of a credentialed art therapist, you will gain deeper insight and grow into the person you've always had the potential to become.
– Tonia Hererro, EBAT Practice Owner + Founder
EBAT is a full-service integrated creative arts therapy practice based in the San Francisco Bay Area with offices in Oakland and San Jose. EBAT also serves private and professional art therapy clients virtually and offsite at partner locations throughout the greater Bay Area. We specialize in focused art therapy for youth, adults, couples, and families. Through key community partnerships we strengthen our reach by offering professional development support and workshops for a growing number of organizations and companies throughout Northern California and beyond. To see a full list of the services visit our services page.
We have a strong, diverse team of licensed, board certified, and credentialed art therapists that have deep experience across specialties and populations, whether you identify as autistic with anxiety or a veteran dealing with depression issues. We believe that art therapy is for everyone and we are committed to core values that honor all unique identities and experiences with practices that are culturally competent, neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC affirming, trauma informed, and sensitive to all client needs (To see a full list of specialties and support issues, visit our about page). We take a liberatory, social justice and disability justice approach to mental health services.
Services We Offer
Therapy
East Bay Art Therapy serves clients of all genders, ages 4+ with a variety of diverse backgrounds and identities. We work with a variety of mental health issues with both youth and adults. We offer therapy in English, Spanish and Chinese. We are an anti-oppressive, anti-racist, anti-fatphobic practice that is LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent affirming. In-person services are available at our offices in Oakland, CA and San Jose, CA. We also offer telehealth for individuals in many states.
Community Partnerships
We provide off-site creative arts therapy services to a wide variety of populations of all ages throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area. We partner with hospitals, K-12 schools, senior centers, treatment centers, affordable housing, non-profit agencies, government agencies, (and more) to bring innovative and trauma-informed care to the local community.
Professional Development
Are you or your team of mental health clinicians looking for creative and trauma-informed ways to build rapport with clients and address treatment goals? Are you a school administrator looking to create a trauma-informed team of educators and increase student's social emotional learning (SEL)? We provide a variety of trainings and professional development to mental health providers and educators!
Workplace Wellness
Is your team struggling with work stress, burn-out, creative blocks, unhealthy work/life balance, or grief? Is your team lacking healthy cohesion, communication and collaboration? Are you managing a team of healthcare professionals or frontline workers dealing with vicarious trauma? An Arts-based Wellness Workshop can address all of your workplace wellness needs!
Featured News
CanvasRebel Press
CanvasRebel Press
Interview with East Bay Art Therapy owner, Tonia Herrero.
CR Article, Community Highlights: Meet Tonia Herrero of East Bay Art Therapy
Locations We Serve
Oakland CA Office
Our Oakland therapy office is conveniently located near Piedmont Ave and easy to access from Berkeley, Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward, Fremont, and San Francisco proper. Our diverse team of board-certified art therapists in Oakland specialize in everything from anxiety and depression to adhd, ptsd, and the everyday stress of modern living. We offer individual therapy, child therapy, couples therapy, and family therapy. We also offer in-person art therapy groups for teens and young adults in our Oakland office.
Art Therapy in San Jose
Our San Jose office (conveniently located close to downtown) is our newest location that opened in 2025. Here we have a growing team of art therapists with a variety of specialties. We offer individual and family therapy and specialize in everything from anxiety and depression to adhd, ptsd, and the everyday stress of modern living. Our offices are stocked with a wide variety of art materials and play therapy supplies. We in process of becoming vendors of San Andreas Regional Center, (in the meantime we can do courtesy vendorization).
Virtual
Virtual art therapy is a great option for those with busy schedules, who live too far from our offices, or are unable to come in person due to health issues or disabilities. We conduct virtual therapy using secure and HIPAA-compliant video conferencing software, where you can join on your phone, computer or tablet from the comfort of your own home. Your art therapist may suggest specific art supplies for you to obtain depending on your treatment goals.
Off-site
A big part of the work we do at EBAT is off-site services within communities and facilities across the greater San Francisco Bay Area. We partner with hospitals, K-12 schools, treatment centers, non-profit organizations, and other government agencies to provide art therapy services to the general public. We also offer off-site training for clinicians, professional development for educators, and workplace wellness services for a variety of workplace environments. We provide all art supplies and materials for all of our off-site services.
Programs
Art Making for Clinician Self Care and Processing Therapeutic Relationships
Art making is not just for clients! Creative expression is a great self-care strategy for managing and preventing burn out, vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue. Art making can also be a great tool for exploring our professional identity as clinicians and processing counter-transference. In this training, you will get hands-on experience with art making activities for self-care and for processing our relationships with clients, and professional identity.
Introduction to Art Therapy
Ever wondered if Art Therapy is the right career for you? This training provides a detailed overview of the steps it takes to become an art therapist for people in all stages of their educational or professional journey. In this training you will engage in multiple art therapy activities to learn for yourself what it feels like as a participant and provide you with a snapshot of what the career field may entail. You will leave this training with clear next steps to pursue a career in art therapy. This training doubles as a self-care and personal processing opportunity.
EBAT Blog
Workshop + Training Testimonials
"I really enjoyed the art therapy exercises and concepts as they intertwined with the healing component. This was thought provoking in a very free and open way, allowing one's ability to open their perspective on managing difficult elements of loss such as grief."
"I saw firsthand the impact the activities had on our staff. It was powerful."
"I loved how Tonia facilitated our creativity and especially, how that I applied to the collaborative piece. The benefits and potential for this were obvious and immediate. How great to inspire connection, fun and understanding!"
"I found it fascinating to hear how each person interpreted the prompts, as well as what emotions surfaced and about their process of execution."
"I have never thought to use art for self-care, but the workshop was soothing and healing to me. I can use art for my self-care because creating something is helping me mentally."
"Focusing on the process of art making and not the end result, helped me to let go of my perfectionism."
"The deconstructing of my original piece and then changing it to something different was impactful. I did feel a little lighter and like I have relieved some of my emotions."
"I appreciated the therapeutic nature of transforming my inner thoughts to visual pieces which allowed me to approach my issues from another angle."
"As someone who struggles with expressing how I am feeling, I learned how impactful art can be in creating and maintaining a healthy mental health."
Specialties and Supported Issues
ADHD / Adoption / Anxiety + Panic Attacks / Autism / BIPOC & Multicultural Identities / Bipolar Disorders / Body Image Issues / Burn Out / Chronic Pain + Illness / Codependency / Creative Blocks / Depression / Developmental + Intellectual Disabilities / Immigrants / Dissociation & DID / Eating Disorders + Disordered Eating / Family Issues + Conflict / Frontline Workers / Grief + Loss / LGBTQIA+ / Life Transitions / Oppositional Defiance / Parenting / Personality Disorders / Pregnancy, Post-Partum & Fertility / Psychosis / Schizophrenia / Schizoaffective Disorder / Relationship Issues / School Stress / Self Esteem Issues / Self-Harm / Substance Use / Suicidal Ideation / Sexual Abuse + Assault / TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) / Trauma (PTSD / CTPSD/ Intergenerational Trauma / Vicarious Trauma) / Veterans