About

Meet Bonnie

I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (#6921) with a private practice in Richmond, BC.  I have been active in the helping professions for over four decades as an educator and as a counsellor.

Education, Training, and Experience      

I have a Master of Counselling degree from City University of Seattle, a Bachelor of Science degree and a Professional Teaching Certificate from UBC, and a Diploma in Voice Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto (ARCT). My experience in working with adults, youth, and children is broad and varied.  Before offering counselling services in private practice and in social service agencies, I was a high school teacher in greater Vancouver, an ESL teacher in Japan, and a private studio piano and voice teacher in Richmond.  As a therapist, I have effectively addressed diverse individual client concerns including anxiety and depression, burn-out, anger, stress, trauma, abuse, cross-cultural concerns, ageing, grief and loss, self-esteem, and personal growth.  I have worked with couples on issues including marriage preparation, improving problematic relationship patterns, marital stress, and divorce, both as a couples’ counsellor and as a facilitator of couples’ relationship education/therapy groups.  In addition, I have helped families with parenting and family concerns, such as transitions within the family life cycle, problematic behaviours in children, and strained or estranged relationships between family members.  I have post-graduate training in several research-informed modalities, including Bowen Family Systems Theory, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, EMDR, Focusing-Oriented Therapy, and Gottman Couple’s Therapy.

Passion for Counselling

My professional education, training, and experience combine to give me with a passion for helping people understand, cope with, and resolve disharmony in their relationships with others and within oneself.  My husband and I have three adult children, and I believe that my roles as spouse, parent, mother-in-law, and grandmother have greatly enhanced my capacity to relate to and support people in a wide variety of roles in their relationships. My general counselling practice helps people seeking therapy for a broad range of concerns.  I am particularly drawn to working with people facing relationship challenges with their partner, spouse, family members, friends, colleagues, or co-workers.  I welcome people in any phase of life, and with any identity, orientation, belief system, or background.