About Me
Erika Shershun, MA, MFT
When it comes to your health and overall well-being, it’s important to have a knowledgeable professional you can turn to. I believe in providing cutting-edge mental health services that suit your individual needs.
Over the years, I’ve provided online counselling and psychological services to patients in the San Francisco Bay Area area and throughout California, as well as coaching those residing outside of California.
My expertise covers a broad spectrum of mental health services, including somatic psychotherapy, EMDR, Brainspotting, parts work, and many other modalities. I specialize in treating trauma, PTSD, and CPTSD with an emphasis, on working with survivors of sexual trauma(s). I’m happy to share my experience and qualifications.
Road to Healing
My Story
My desire to become a therapist sprung from a deep curiosity about human behavior and an extensive search to heal from my own trauma history. I didn’t have an easy childhood, and as is often the case, it left me unprepared for the struggles that come with adulthood. I experienced more trauma and felt lost, without clear direction, seeking the answers outside of myself. Soon, I realized they must come from within; I read many excellent books yet still struggled to embody what I intellectually understood. It didn’t help that we knew much less about trauma when I began my healing journey.
I didn’t know then what I know now, that unintegrated trauma affects our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors bringing our body’s survival strategies on board at times when we don’t need them. Trauma disconnects us from the subtle and everchanging sensations of our body, sensations that coincide with our emotions, in an attempt to keep us safe. This disconnection keeps us unaware of what we’re truly feeling and needing.
I’m talking about a range of feelings here, not just the obviously big and loud emotions that often mask deeper and sometimes more painful feelings beneath. Without knowing what’s at the core of our feelings, it’s hard to calm or sooth ourselves, or to make healthy boundaries and formulate requests that support us in getting our needs met and maintaining healthy relationships. This can leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves and others, leading to painful feelings such as not belonging, powerlessness, and worthlessness.
So, after 20 years spent studying and working in the arts while struggling to heal through talk therapy, I switched careers and began studying somatic psychology in grad school and professional trainings. Once I immersed myself in the work of integrative healing (the whole system, not just the brain) I was able to combine several modalities that finally freed me of my trauma symptoms.
Humans are resilient; it shouldn’t and doesn’t have to take so long to become symptom-free, which is why I prioritize offering therapy that gets results. I’m truly honored to work with the individuals I do, and continually amazed by their vulnerability, strength, courage, and remarkable growth.
Begin Your Healing Journey Today!
Experience compassionate and personalized therapy that supports your growth and well-being.
Education
Training and background
I received a BA in Fine Art from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MA in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Somatic Psychotherapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2014. While at CIIS, I trained at the Center for Somatic Psychotherapy from 2013 to 2014. After graduating, I interned in private practice through Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center until licensure in 2017.
- Organic Intelligence Coach Certification Module 1, 2024
- Brainspotting, in progress
- EMDR certified in 2018, EMDRIA
- Psycho-Physical Therapy Couples Training, certified in 2015
- Psycho-Physical Therapy Professional Training Somatic Psychotherapy, certified in 2014
- Psycho Physical Therapy’s Somatic Resourcing, certified in 2012 – 2013
- Further trainings include: Somatic Experiencing, OI End of Trauma Course, Unraveling the Mystery of Memory in the Treatment of Trauma, Memory Reconsolidation, The Neurobiology of Feeling Safe, Understanding and Treating Disorganized Attachment and Dissociation, Trauma Solutions, The Neurobiology of Trauma, How to Target the Limbic System to Reverse Trauma’s Physiological Imprint, Healing Sexual Trauma, A Somatic Paradigm Shift for Transformative Touch, Mindsight, Secure Attachment Parenting in the Digital Age, Living with the Legacy of Loss, Organic Intelligence, Mindful Self-Compassion, Body-Mind Centering, The Emotion Code, The Essentials of Energy Medicine, The Ultimate Energy Healing Masterclass, EFT, Focusing, and Internal Family Systems.
- Member APA
- Member CAMFT
- Member SFCAMFT
- Member USABP
- Certified Massage Therapist, Reiki I and II Practitioner 2007
Client Testimonials
Journeys of Transformation
Transformative Guidance
Anonymous
I can honestly say I have never seen a therapist before who has impacted my daily life so dramatically…I feel like you truly listened to me…You have helped me learn to love myself and not to be ashamed of what I feel. I feel like a different person today than I was when we first met.
Lifelong Benefits
Anonymous
Thank you for all that you do. I never thought therapy would be so beneficial, and I will carry this knowledge through the years.
Grateful Transformation
Anonymous
Thank you for all the help and guidance you’ve given me. As I mentioned before, you’re probably the first therapist who made a difference, so I’ll always be grateful for the time I was able to spend with you.