Durga Erskine
Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee
Watsonville Office
Medi-Cal provider
The human experience can be complex and challenging. Many of us hold onto old patterns, carry unresolved emotions, and long for a greater sense of connection and purpose. Yet within each of us lies an innate capacity for presence, resilience, and the ability to experience authentic joy. My approach is compassionate and integrative, combining Humanistic, Existential, Narrative, Somatic, and Psychosynthesis models. I believe that healing unfolds when we turn inward, honor the wisdom of the body, and reconnect with our inherent wholeness.
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan and am currently pursuing a Master’s in Counseling Psychology at Sofia University. With a background in yoga, massage therapy, and holistic wellness, I integrate traditional psychotherapy with somatic awareness, mindfulness, and transpersonal practices. Together, we’ll explore and make sense of complex emotions and thought patterns, shift limiting beliefs, and support you in developing tools to regulate your nervous system, strengthen resilience, and move through life’s challenges with greater ease. By developing and tapping into your inner resources and recognizing your capacity for healing, we can foster meaningful growth and lasting transformation.
Whether you’re navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, or seeking personal growth, I provide a supportive, non-judgmental space to deepen your self-awareness and align with your authentic self. I would be honored to walk alongside you on your healing journey.
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.
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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