Bonnie Cardell is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist [LMFT 102066] who earned her Masters in Counseling Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Her previous vocations included 12 years working in corporate technology and prior to that worked both as a theatrical and visual artist. Today writing is her form of self-expression. Writing for Healing and Journaling as well as Dream Interpretation are just some of the Expressive Arts Modalities she incorporates into her work. She is also a neuroscience enthusiast, and Advanced LENS Neurofeedback Practitioner and is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Applied Psychophysiology in the College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences at Saybrook University. In her private practice she integrates her knowledge of physiological brain functioning and psychophysiological interventions with clinical psychology models to achieve the highest possible outcomes for her clients.
Her therapeutic specialties are working with the ADHD, Depression and Anxiety spectrum including Learning disorders and PTSD in children, adolescents and adults. Her style of psychotherapy is Logotherapy, or “Meaning-based” therapy, which is a form of Client Centered, Humanistic-Existential talk therapy, designed to assist the individual or family member(s) find his, her or their own meaning in life.
Bonnie blends evidenced based practices such as Mindfulness-based practices and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Mindfulness Practices and Neuroscience to provide relief for aggravated symptoms of the central nervous system such as ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injuries and Chronic Pain to name a few.
LENS Neurofeedback can help persons who have trouble with self-regulation due to maladaptive physiological or emotional coping mechanisms. These maladaptive responses to life’s threats or traumas lie in the neuronal structures and are experienced as negative feedback loops. Some people experience these literally as ‘negative thought patterns’ or they may not be aware of them at all but feel they are struggling to succeed or describe the constant feeling of "overwhelm." Bonnie’s personal experience with LENS Neurofeedback is that it helps break up these negative feedback loops and allows the brain to optimize its performance; creating a new sense of calm and mental clarity, and hence more self awareness. LENS can be very complimentary to other therapies, such as Traditional Talk Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, other types of biofeedback treatment and EMDR. See the LENS Neurofeedback tab for more information about LENS.
Bonnie was a LENS Neurofeedback client before she became a provider. She has personal experience with the intervention and an intuitive knack for designing treatment protocols.
Personal Statement: I am a multi-cultural aware practitioner who believes in LGBTQ+ affirming therapy models. I welcome all spectrums of gender identity, sexuality, spirituality, blended families, divorced families and poly families. I have experience working with adopted families, foster youth and persons identifying as gender fluid.