Today we’d like to introduce you to Bonnie King.
Hi Bonnie , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Creating a business such as Counseling and Nature Therapy Center is something I never even dreamed was possible for myself. Getting to lead people on a path to healing, help counselors grow as clinicians, and to give to the community on a larger scale than I could on my own, is truly humbling. So here is the story that has somehow led me here.
Like many psychotherapists, I came into this profession with natural empathy, a deep desire to serve others, and curiosity for understanding the human condition. I’ve also experienced my own trauma, which led me to want to help others in the ways in which I wish I would have received help, or in the ways I actually did receive help through my own therapeutic journey.
As someone who grew up in North Texas, I experienced the aftermath of the heroine epidemic in Plano in the early 2000’s. Unfortunately I lost some friends, and my beloved older brother to bipolar disorder and addiction. He was only 22 years old. This devastating loss led to soul-searching and research to try to understand why we lost him. I also experienced my own struggles with mental health and trauma during my adolescence and young adulthood that shaped the trajectory of my life. By increasing my knowledge about effective coping strategies, self-care, family dynamics and engaging in my own therapy, which included EMDR to work through past trauma, I was able to heal.
It is my passion now to turn tragedy into meaning-making. To me that looks like helping others heal, and creating positive change in my community in the ways that I can. What a gift it is to see and be seen by another, and I’m honored that I get to connect with others’ humanity for a living. I value each and every person our agency serves.
With 16 years as a therapist, I have served as a mental health counselor in inpatient drug rehabilitation, community mental health in homes and schools, school counseling, and private practice. I have been a university professor, teaching clinical mental health counseling since 2017.
It is now my true privilege to help create a community of therapists with the same passion to help others as myself. They are compassionate, creative, skilled and uniquely qualified in so many ways to serve the specific populations with which they have chosen to work. Everything we do is heart-centered, clinically effective, and grounded in best practices. We offer sliding scale pricing structures and take insurance to ensure we can serve our community effectively.
With a three-year old-daughter at home, it is my dream to build a business that will allow me the freedom and flexibility to craft a more flexible schedule to be there for her, help more people, and teach her the value and satisfaction of serving others. Most importantly I want to show her that she can be anything she wants if she is hard-working, ethical, heart-centered, educated, and true to herself.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think all of us inherently have struggles, big and small, to contend with, not only on a daily basis but throughout the course of our lives, which is why focusing on healing trauma is such an important part of my journey. For myself personally along the way, as mentioned previously, I’ve had my fair share of trauma in losing my brother to drug addiction as well as my own personal traumatic setbacks.
However, when it comes to building a business, there are some other unique challenges. I have a PhD in counselor education and a master’s degree in counseling. Throughout those programs, we learn a lot about how to be ethical, how to engage appropriately with clients, how to build our clinical skills and toolkits to serve the community, multicultural competence, diagnosis and treatment planning, and so many other important skills.
However, one thing we’re not taught, is how to run a business. I chose to start this business with savings on a meager shoestring budget. I have had to learn about the role of boss, marketer, accountant, clinical director, and many other skills along the way, and I’m far from done learning. As I don’t have a degree in business, I soon learned quickly that my learning curve would be steep. I’ve worked very hard to gain the skills that I need to grow and build. Luckily, I’ve had an amazing team by my side. I could not have done this without the clinicians that are a part of my practice doing stellar quality work and my administrative assistant, Claire, who has supported me with so many aspects of the business along the journey.
I’m lucky to say that I’ve had a lot of support along the way when it comes to moral support from my husband and even support from a group of women business owners in the community that help me gain perspective, bounce off ideas, and commiserate on our struggles. For that, I’m so grateful. We’re still early in our growth of the business, but I do truly believe in the services that we provide, and we are steadily becoming more profitable, our name is associated with compassionate, ethical, high quality care. Our clinical standards and training levels are top notch, and I’m so proud of the trauma therapy that Counseling and Nature Therapy Center has been able to provide for the community.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Counseling and Nature Therapy Center?
Counseling and Nature Therapy Center is a mental health group private practice that serves teens and adults in Frisco, Texas. We provide licensed professional counseling services for a variety of mental health concerns, and our focus is on trauma therapy, post-traumatic stress disorder, post-partum and perinatal support, counseling for teens, and betrayal trauma after infidelity. We also support a variety of other mental health diagnoses, such as anxiety, depression, mood disorders etc.
Our comprehensive approach to mental health treatment includes Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing therapy, and Walk and Talk Therapy. These are all evidence based approaches, backed by research to heal trauma and support mental health. We support coping and communication skills to improve relationships, and provide a holistic approach focused on wellness, to help clients regain a sense of self, and embrace a life filled with joy, purpose, and meaningful connections.
How do you define success?
Success to me is defined by the following quote:
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Pricing:
- We take the following major health insurances: Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue-Shield and CIgna
- 100.00-185 per session (depending on the therapist and service)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.counselnature.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counseling_in_nature/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/counselingandnaturetherapy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bonniecounselnature
