Just before winter break, a classroom of middle schoolers crowded around OTTP-NorCal psychotherapist Meta Bodewes, LCSW, as she handed out their holiday gifts. One student, known for her playful sarcasm, surprised everyone with a hug after opening her LED lights. Another couldn’t wait to test out his new remote-control car, and a Bluetooth speaker soon had the whole room smiling and laughing.
Moments like these are what OTTP-NorCal’s Holiday Gift Drive is all about. Many of the youth OTTP-NorCal serves face challenges outside their control, such as financial hardship, and for some, a holiday gift isn’t a given. Since 2020, community members have sponsored gifts chosen by the youth themselves. Some support their therapeutic journey, like sensory fidget toys or an art kit. Others simply bring joy, like a LEGO set or a new pair of shoes.
Join OTTP-NorCal This Holiday Season!
The drive runs: November 2nd – December 1st.
● Starting Nov. 2, sponsor a gift: roonga.com/hgd26
● Donate anytime: ottpnc.org/donate (select “Holiday Gift Drive”)
Located at 98 Bosworth Street in Glen Park, Occupational Therapy Training Program–NorCal has provided mental health services to youth across Northern California since 1999. It was then that OTTP-SF Director Colleen Devine took a grant and turned a broom closet at Ida B. Wells High School into OTTP-NorCal’s first office.
What began as two occupational therapists and a part-time social worker has grown into a team of over 90 licensed mental health professionals and support staff–occupational therapists specializing in mental health, psychotherapists, social workers, and psychiatric nurse practitioners–serving more than 1,000 youth and families each year across northern California. The organization moved from its Divisadero location to Glen Park in 2022.
The holistic mental health model includes individual and group therapy, professional skills development, case management across needs, and follow-up contact after formal services end. From anger management workshops in the Juvenile Justice Center to play-based occupational therapy support for Kindergarteners at Buena Vista/Horace Mann, the organization’s guiding motto is personalized care.
For more information or to get involved, visit Occupational Therapy Training Program–NorCal.