About Us
Family Paths, Inc. (formerly Parental Stress Service) is a non-profit organization of mental health professionals and dedicated volunteers that provide a number of mental health, counseling and therapy services to low income, multi-stressed individuals and families.
We are a multicultural agency committed to serving families of Alameda County regardless of age, ethnicity/race, financial status, language, sexual orientation, immigration status, class, religion, gender, mental or physical ability.
We have served the mental health needs of Children and Families since 1972, and today we offer services from offices in Oakland, Hayward and Fremont. These services include a 24-hour Family Support & Resource Hotline, a 24-hour Foster Parent Advice Line, Emergency Respite Child Care, CalWORKs Case Management, and Positive Parenting Classes. We also provide counseling for infants, children, adolescents adults and families
For more information about our organization, please choose an area to the left.
Office Locations
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Oakland Office |
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Hayward Office |
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Fremont Office |
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Program Directors and Board of Directors
Executive Director
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Marcella Reeves is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist currently living in Oakland, California. She is the Executive Director of Family Paths, Inc. and has been with the organization since 1992 when she began working for Family Paths as a family therapist and crisis line supervisor. She founded the agencys Families In Transition program in 1995, providing wraparound mental health services to children in foster care. Prior to her work at Family Paths, Ms. Reeves worked as a clinical researcher for Stanford University and was a group facilitator for the University of Arizonas drug & alcohol early intervention program. She has lived in Asia for 10 years, 7 of which were spent in Japan and 3 in the Philippines. When she is not working, Marcella enjoys reading, traveling, cooking and enjoying gourmet cuisine. |
Clinical Director
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Barbra Silver has worked at Family Paths since 1998, starting as a clinician in the Families in Transition Program and becoming the program's Training Coordinator soon after. She served as the North County Program Manager for the FIT team from 2000-2006 and became Clinical Director the beginning of 2007. Prior to her experience at Family Paths, she worked as a clinician in elementary schools, a dual diagnosis adolescent residential facility and at various outpatient therapy clinics around the Bay Area. Ms. Silver received her MA in Psychology from New College of California in 1995 and has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 2000. |
Finance Director
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Lyda Mata our Finance Director, hails from the Philippines, and migrated to the United States in 1979. She has lived in the Bay Area ever since. She has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and is a Certified Public Accountant. Lyda joined Family Paths in May 2006. She came to us with a wealth of experience, having been an Accountant for another non-profit agency for 26 years. Before that, she was a Senior Auditor here in Oakland and a Bank Examiner with the Central Bank of the Philippines. |
Development Director
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Peter Brooks is our Development Director. |
Director of Technology
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Christopher Palmer has worked in technology services for more than 15 years. Formerly he was the director of technology for the Global Business Network, The Idea Factory, and the East Bay Conservation Corps. He is also a practicing artist and arts educator in the San Francisco bay area, runs a consultancy for tech arts, and is a member of the faculty at San Francisco Art Institute, and at The Crucible in Oakland, where he teaches technological arts. |
Board of Directors
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Al Peters, Board President, retired in 2002. He practiced public accounting for twenty years, including as an audit partner for an international CPA firm, and served as CFO for fifteen years with a property and casualty Insurance Company. Al received my primary and secondary education in Oakland and then received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He was a member of the Piedmont City Council from 1994 to 2002, including two years as Mayor. He currently serve on the Board of Directors of Chabot Space and Science Center, Family Paths, Inc. and Samuel Merritt University. Other experience includes serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malaysia for two years and serving on the Board of Directors of other not-for-profit organizations, including Volunteers of America, Bay Area, Oakland Rotary Club #3, Cal Business Alumni Association, Bay Area Chapter and the Montclair Presbyterian Church. He is married and has two married sons and three granddaughters. Three to four times a week Al may be found on the tennis courts in the area. |
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Willard Ogan, Vice President. “Inside the Newsroom” Assignment Manager, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area . |
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Sister Lynn Marie Gillanders, Board Treasurer, has been on the Board since 2007. She is a Dominican Sister of Mission San Jose and comes with a background in Elementary Education/Administration. She has worked on the Development Committee and is presently working in the Development Office of her Community. She is also on the Board for the Restoration of Mission San Jose. |
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Adie Sherwood, Secratary. Associate Attorney, Executive Compensation, Fenwick & West LLP |
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David Blue, Member. Regional Developer, Synergy HomeCare Founder, Velectron, LLC. |
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Heather Boshears Robbins, Member. Internal Audit and Tax Services Director, San Francisco State University Chairperson, American Cancer Society Relay for Life Attorney, State Bar of California |
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Yuri Damitz, Member. VP, Wealth Brokerage Marketing Analytics, Wells Fargo Bank Member, Friends of Family Paths Fundraiser Planning Committee. |
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Danielle Yvette Sellers, Member. Financial Professional (LUTCF, CLTC), Prudential Financial. |
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Martha Winnacker, JD, Member. Executive Director, Academic Senate, University of California Former Public Defender for Contra Costa County in child welfare cases. |
Mission Statement
Family Paths strengthens family relationships by providing mental health treatment and supportive services with respect, integrity, compassion, and hope.
News & Announcements
Sign up for our Newsletter
| Join Our Mailing List |
Request Brochures
If you would like to receive Family Paths brochures by mail, please email us with your name, company name, mailing address and the number of brochures that you would like to receive.
Employment Opportunities
Therapist / Treatment SpecialistFor full job listing please see click here. |
FIT Program ManagerFor full job listing please see click here. |
Notice of Privacy
Family Paths, Inc. Notice of Privacy Practices
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THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO IT. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. |
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Family Paths, Inc. has a legal duty to safeguard your Protected
Health Information. |
A: HOW FAMILY PATHS, INC. MAY USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION.
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1. Uses and disclosures relating to treatment, payment, or health
care operations |
B: WHAT RIGHTS YOU HAVE REGARDING YOUR PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION.
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1. The Right to request limits on uses and disclosures of your PHI.
You have the right to request limits to the use and disclosure of your
PHI. We will consider your request. However we are not legally required to
agree to it. If we agree to your request, we will do so in writing and
abide by them except in emergencies. |
C: HOW TO COMPLAIN ABOUT FAMILY PATHS, INC. PRIVACY PRACTICES
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If you think that Family Paths, Inc. may have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision Family Paths, Inc. made about access to your PHI, you may file a complaint with the person listed in Section D below. You may also send a written complaint to the Secretary of the Department of Health of Human Services at 200 Independence Avenue S. W. Washington, D.C. 20201. Family Paths, Inc. will take no retaliatory action against you if you file a complaint. |
D: WHO TO CONTACT FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THIS NOTICE OR TO COMPLAIN ABOUT FAMILY PATHS, INC. PRIVACY PRACTICES
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If you have any questions about this notice or any complaints about Family Paths, Inc. privacy practices, or would like to know how to file a complaint with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, please contact the Family Paths, Inc. Privacy Officer at 510-893-9230. |
2009-2014 Strategic Plan
| Click Here to Read Family Paths 2009-2014 Strategic Plan |












