Family Counselor: Leslie Baker
925-998-3392
Leslie Baker, MA, MFT, NCC, RPT-S Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #28252
Licensed since 1991, Leslie as a family counselor has over twenty years of experience in the field of psychotherapy. She graduated Magna cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development/Family Studies from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She earned her Master of Arts degree from Antioch University in Santa Barbara.
Prior to the start of her full-time practice in Pleasanton, Leslie worked in group homes for the physically and emotionally challenged, the public school system as a behavior specialist and as an Associate in child abuse agencies and eating disorder clinics.
Leslie continues to contribute to the development of the marriage and family profession in various roles.
- National Board Certified Counselor.
- Leslie is a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor providing treatment, training, and supervision in the field of Play Therapy.
- Suicide Bereavement Clinician 2017- Present.
- Retired faculty, College of Social Sciences, University of Phoenix.
- Leslie Baker is a certified Gottman Therapist – Facilitates – Couples therapy, Gottman Level 1 trainings, Art & Love of Science Workshops and Consultation for Gottman Level 1.
- Certified Brainspotter
- Registered Sand Therapist – Consultant-Trainer (RST-C/T).
- Broken Bowl® Facilitator (2023).
- APT Provider.
- Leslie Baker receives book royalties from Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. She receives speaking royalties from PESI and Mental Health Academy.
Facilitator for local, national, and international conferences including:
- PESI: Spokane, Bethel, Tacoma, WA & Ontario, Anaheim, Pasadena, CA.
- NAMI, Family Education & Resource Center, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Livermore, CA
- American Counseling Association Annual Conference, Honolulu, HI.
- 8th Annual Southern California Regional Play Therapy Conference, Orange County, CA
- International Association for Play Therapy: Cleveland, Ohio, Louisville, KY, Phoenix, AZ, Dallas, TX, Minneapolis, MN, Little Rock, AK, St. Louis, MO, Palm Springs, CA
- British Columbia Association for Play Therapy, Vancouver, Canada
- Expressive Therapies Summit, New York, NY, Sedona, AZ
- Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, HI
- CAV Academy, Maui, HI
- California Association for Marriage & Family Therapists, LA
- Discovery Center, Danville, CA
- Stanislaus Unified School District, Modesto, CA
- Mid-Atlantic Play Therapy Training Institute, Arlington, VA and Norfolk, VA
- Axis Community Health: Pleasanton, CA
- Northern California Regional Play Therapy, Livermore, CA, Avila Beach, CA
- Academy for Play Therapy Training, Conference: San Ramon, CA
- California Association for Play Therapy: Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco
- Association for Psychological Counseling & Trauma Therapy- Ukraine
- East Bay Children Center, Hayward, CA
- Mid-Atlantic Play Therapy Institute, Virgina (virtual)
- Expressive Therapies Virtual Summit (virtual)
Publications:
- Baker, L. W. & Keller, E. R. Integrating Assessment, Treatment and Prevention of Suicide with Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy with Children in Drewes, A. A., & Remey, L. J. (Eds.). (2026). Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy: A comprehensive guide to theory and practice (1st ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/cognitive-behavioral-play-therapy-9798216390121/
- Stone, J., Baker, L., Altvater, R. A., & Ong, T. (2025). Initial Recommendations for Virtual Reality in Mental Health Care from the American Medical Extended Reality Association. Journal of Medical Extended Reality, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/29941520251394885
- Baker, L. (2025). Virtual Reality: Suicide Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention of Mental Health Disorder. In Stone, J. (Ed.), (2025). Mental Health Virtual Reality: The Power of Immersive Worlds. John Wiley & Sons.
- Baker, L. W., & Cross, M. R. (2024). Assessing and treating suicidal thinking and behaviors in children and adolescents: A Play Therapy Guide for Mental Health Professionals in Clinical and School-Based Settings. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Assessing-and-Treating-Suicidal-Thinking-and-Behaviors-in-Children-and-Adolescents-A-Play-Therapy-Guide-for-Mental-Health-Professionals-in-C/Baker Cross/p/book/9781032410821
- Baker, L. (2022). Expressive Therapies in Telemental Play. In Stone, J. (Ed.) (1st Ed.), Play Therapy and Telemental Health: Foundations, Populations, and Interventions (pp. 201-216). Routledge.
- Baker, L. (2019). Therapy in the Digital Age. In Stone, J. (Ed.), Integrating Technology into Modern Therapies (pp. 37-47). Routledge.
- Baker, L. & Cross, M.R. (2019) Snug & Rug and the ‘No Good Very Bad Thing’: A story of coping calming & courage for children. Therapy2Thrive.
- Baker, L. (2017). Healing Feelings: A healing story for children coping with a grownup’s mental illness. Yorkshire.
Contact Leslie if you are interested in a copy of Healing Feelings
Therapy2Thrive® brings Hope for Healing
Your family counselors at Therapy2Thrive® provide compassionate, practical, and evidenced based practices to assist you in the therapeutic process to meet your goals and find hope to heal the challenges you are facing.