Your life force. Your story. Your path forward.
Somewhere along the way, a lot of us learned that surviving was the same thing as living. We held it together for everyone else, swallowed what hurt, and called it being fuerte. At Tonalli Therapy & Consulting, we believe you deserve more than getting through the week. You deserve to LIVE.
Tonalli is a Nahuatl word for the life force each of us carries, the vital energy that connects your story, your body, and your path forward. We chose that name on purpose. Our ancestors had language for healing long before therapy had a billing code, and we bring that lineage into the room with us.
We are a bilingual (English and Spanish), Latina-founded, BIPOC-centered group practice offering therapy in Berkeley, Walnut Creek, and via telehealth throughout California. Our founder, Adriana “Adri” Martínez, LCSW, built Tonalli for the people she rarely saw reflected in traditional therapy spaces: first and second generation adults balancing two or more cultures and the expectations of the people who love them. The ones who became the family translator at age eight. The eldest daughters. The cycle breakers. The ones who look “high functioning” on paper and feel exhausted everywhere else. Mi comunidad, this practice was built with you in mind.
Our clinicians support adults, couples, and families navigating trauma and complex trauma (CPTSD), anxiety, depression, life transitions, identity exploration, and intergenerational pain. We are trauma-informed and relational, which is a clinical way of saying we treat you like a whole person, not a diagnosis with a copay. Our team integrates EMDR, a well-researched approach that helps the brain and body finally digest painful experiences instead of reliving them, along with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work, which helps you get to know the protective parts of you (yes, even the overthinking one) with compassion instead of shame. Together, we help clients release old coping mechanisms that no longer serve them and rewrite their own narratives. Because here’s what we know: no one is broken. Not you, not your parents, not the little version of you who did their best with what they had.
Everything we do is culturally responsive, anti-oppressive, and LGBTQ+ affirming. You will never have to explain why you can’t just set a boundary with your mami, why family obligations are complicated, or why faith, food, and chisme all belong in the conversation. You can code-switch mid-sentence. We’ll keep up.
Our team includes Adriana Martínez, LCSW, founder and EMDR-trained trauma therapist who also provides clinical supervision and EMDR consultation; Salvador “Sal” Avila, AMFT, APCC; Veronica “Vero” Suazo, AMFT; and Melissa Albarenga, ASW. Our associate clinicians practice under licensed supervision, and every member of the team shares the same commitment: honesty, care, real-life context, and connection over perfection.
Beyond the therapy room, Tonalli also partners with K-12 schools and wellness centers across California to expand access to mental health care for students, because healing shouldn’t depend on your zip code.
If you’ve been carrying it all alone, this is your invitation to set some of it down. Therapy with us is a place to slow down, make sense of things, and feel genuinely supported while you do it. You don’t have to be in crisis to deserve support, and you don’t have to have the “right words” to start. Sessions happen in English, Spanish, or both, in the office or from your own couch. We see you, and we’d be honored to walk alongside you.
Reach out for a free 15-minute consultation. Text us at 510-213-8434, email ho**@***************ng.com, or visit tonallitherapy.com. English y español, siempre.
Inclusion of individual and group practices on our website does not mean we directly endorse or recommend their services. All of our members offer a free consultation and we recommend screening any and all potential therapists before beginning your therapy services. For any issues, please contact us via email. Therapists listed practice independently.
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