Sonya Ekstrom

Sonya Ekstrom

Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #134557

Medi-Cal Provider

I work from an understanding that we each hold deep capacity for healing and growth, and that my role as therapist is to assist you in coming back into contact with these inner capacities. We may have internalized negative messages, narratives, and coping strategies from our families of origin, traumatic experience, and the surrounding culture, all of which can disconnect us from ourselves in different ways. The difficulties and symptoms we experience can clue us in to parts of ourselves that need care, attention, and understanding, as well as narratives of self that may need to be rewritten and reimagined. Therapy is a space where we can be seen, heard, and received unconditionally, facilitating the surfacing of deep truths and possibilities. Anxiety, depression, self-esteem, self-doubt, relationship difficulties, trauma, questions of identity, spirituality, loneliness, addiction, grief and loss – no struggle is too big or too small to bring to therapy.

I support my clients in healing the parts of themselves that are impacted by past wounds and trauma, in the service of creating possibilities for a more expansive and soul-filled present and future. I work holistically, meaning that I see all parts of self – mind, body, spirit – as integrally connected and important in the journey. My approach is collaborative, non-pathologizing, and culturally sensitive. I integrate Gestalt, parts work, psychodynamic, depth, mindfulness, somatic awareness, and trauma-informed perspectives in my work. I welcome people of all ages, races, cultural backgrounds, neurotypes, sexualities, and gender expressions. I work with adults and teens individually, as well as couples and partnerships.

I graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) with a Masters in Integral Counseling Psychology. I am now accruing hours for licensure under the supervision of Jennifer Farley (LPCC #2700) and Leane Genstler (LMFT #94201).

You can request an appointment with me on the Request an Appointment form below.

Request an Appointment

To Request an Appointment at Shine a Light or NPCC, please fill out this form. We respond to inquiries Monday through Friday. All inquiries we receive on the weekends or holidays will be processed the next business day. Thank you for your patience. If you need immediate services, please call 911.

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Your Name
Name of Intended Client
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Use the drop-down menu to select the type of counseling you want.
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Agency Inquiries

This form is for agency information. If you want information about counseling for yourself or your family, use the other form. Thank you.

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Name
This form is for agency information. If you want information about counseling for yourself or your family, use the other form. Thank you.

New Office in San Francisco!

Shine a Light Counseling Center is please to merge with New Perspectives Center for Counseling. NPCC has been serving the San Francisco community for thirty years. Now NPCC is transitioning to become the San Francisco site for Shine a Light. NPCC will retain its name, character and history. For information about NPCC or counseling in San Francisco:

 

New Perspectives Center for Counseling (link)

Emergency Contact

Shine a Light does not provide crisis services. If you have a mental health emergency, call 988 or 911. Or  click here  for more Crisis Resources

Telephone Contact

You can call Shine a Light at 831-996-1222, but we encourage you to use the email forms to the left. If you call, please leave the following:

  • Phone number
  • Preferred location
  • Best times to meet
  • Issue you want help with
  • What insurance you have (if any)

FAX us at: 831-417-0443

Good Faith Estimate

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your therapy sessions will cost. Your fee will be set according to a sliding scale, in collaboration with your therapist, prior to your first counseling session. Total costs depend upon the number of sessions you choose to utilize.

If you have private health insurance and we are not in-network with your plan, please be aware that your costs for therapy may be less by using an in-network provider. This will depend upon your plan's deductible amounts and co-payments. In some cases, counseling at Shine a Light is less costly than using private insurance.

If you hope to use "out of network" benefits through your private insurance, please be aware that many plans will not reimburse for services provided by trainees. Please request an Associate level therapists for out-of-network billing.

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Shine a Light Counseling Center

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