Individual Counseling & Psychotherapy
To help people deal with a wide range of issues, the field of psychotherapy has developed many different theoretical orientations. This array can be confusing to anyone who has not studied psychology in depth. Below, we describe the basic principles that underlie all our therapy at Shine a Light. Learn more about different approaches to therapy.
How we work depends on the goals and needs of each particular client. So your needs are always our priority, and we try to find an approach that works well for you. Further down the page are brief descriptions of the different counseling modalities therapists at Shine a Light commonly use.
The Basic Principles of Counseling
People are Inherently Good
With this premise, our therapists choose to identify each person as the part of themself that is trying to do their best, seek win-win solutions, and live gracefully in a sometimes difficult world. Despite any dysfunctional patterns we may have picked up along the way, it is this goodness inside that remains who we really are at our core. Any way in which we have hurt others, hurt ourselves, or shrunken from our potential can be understood as coming from some way in which we ourselves have been hurt, neglected, or suffered. As we heal ourselves we increase our ability to drop dysfunctional patterns and let our good intention manifest more clearly.
Every Person is the Ultimate Authority of Their Own Experience
Each person has an inner voice that speaks his or her truth. Others (therapists, for instance) may have hunches about what is true for you, but only you can decide if their theories fit your experience. When therapists become attached to their theories they may push them in a way that increases a client’s experience of distress. Alternatively, when a therapist keeps sincerely trying to understand a client as a unique individual, the client is free to continue the healing process of self-discovery.
Personal Growth includes both Empowerment and Self-acceptance
There are two main branches of personal growth. One heightens our sense of empowerment. Through self-reflection and insight we are better able to seize the power we have to make new choices and transform our lives. At the same time, however, the other branch reminds us that who we are is already beautiful and whole. While part of our nature always seeks growth, one aspect of that growth is fully appreciating ourselves just as we are now.
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Couples Counseling
Teen, Child or Family Counseling
FAQs about Therapy at Shine a Light
Reality is in the Present Moment
Each moment offers a fresh look at how we feel and what meanings we are creating out of our circumstances. Understanding our past can be helpful in identifying the nature of the dysfunctional patterns that still affect us. But it is the stories about our past that we continue to tell ourselves in the present that most affect how we currently feel. By becoming mindful of our present experience we can best identify what choices might help us improve our lives.
The Mind and Body are Connected
Emotions are a combination of body sensation and mental interpretation. Understanding our emotions, therefore, requires both paying attention to our awareness of our bodies and to the meanings our mind creates for us. Slowing down helps us focus this awareness. Therapists help by encouraging clients both to really feel their bodies, and to carefully track the thought processes that result in distress.
To Request an Appointment at Shine a Light or NPCC, please fill out this form. Please note *We respond to inquiries Monday through Friday 8AM to 8PM. All inquiries we receive on the weekends or holidays will be processed the next business day. Thank you for your patience.
Appointment Request
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
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 medical care 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, please be aware that your costs for therapy may be less by using an in-network provider for your insurance company. 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 pre-licensed therapists (most of our staff).
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