01 · Who Bonneka works with

Bonneka works with stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and self esteem

Bonneka lists 19 specialisms and 23 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Bonneka chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Bonneka's own words

What Bonneka says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I recognize each person has their own unique struggles and seeking help is a big step. Thank you for taking the first steps in seeking help. I offer a variety of services tailored to your specific needs.

As a Nationally Certified Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor and Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor, I provide social and emotional support to individuals struggling with relationships, life stressors, depression, anxiety, life transitions, addictions, trauma, mental health challenges, as well as many other life situations. I serve adults who are suffering and/or perhaps feel "stuck" in their lives due to sadness, worries about the future, negative self-evaluations, dissatisfaction with how they look, dealing relationship conflicts, or difficulty navigating through major life decisions. My specialized training in trauma allows me to help empower survivors of traumatic situations including abusive relationships to facilitate change.

My focus is on the person as a whole, not the mental health disorder. Together we can work through the process of growth and change as well as helping you free yourself from “unhealthy patterns.” Developing mindfulness and self-awareness is the origin of change. There is a strong connection between mental health and happiness. You are in control of your happiness. Let me help you navigate to your destination of " happiness. "

My counseling philosophy is based on a collaborative empathic relationship between the client and the therapist. When asked about my treatment approach, I often respond with "it's 'our' approach." My role is collaborative. Therefore, I will not tell you what to think or do, but rather, develop a relationship that allows us to find the answers together. As a licensed therapist, my theory for counseling is an integrative approach which includes client-centered, emotionally focused, and evidence based methods like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Solution-Focused, Person-centered, Motivational Interviewing and Mindfulness Therapy.

My areas of specialty include substance abuse, trauma, anxiety/depression, domestic violence, life coaching, career counseling, relationship issues, life transitions, self-esteem issues, severe mental health issues and mindfulness.

As a licensed mental health therapist, I am committed to "being there" for you. I am the perfect match for you as a therapist. You are in the driver seat of your life. When you are ready to make the changes for a happier "you" contact me. I look forward to working with you!

Bonneka Seals, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Oct 2026

03 · How Bonneka works

The 11 approaches Bonneka lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Bonneka lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Bonneka's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Bonneka runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

The Gottman Method

A couples approach built on decades of observational research into what distinguishes relationships that last. Structured and assessment-led: it maps friendship, conflict and shared meaning, then works on the specific mechanics of how the two of you argue.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Bonneka practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Bonneka's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Bonneka at this point.

2. Naming Bonneka specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Bonneka is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Bonneka.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Bonneka

Built from what Bonneka actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Bonneka's - Bonneka has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Wisconsin

Licence

WI LPC 6744-125

Licence number

6744-125

Licence expires

28 Feb 2027

NPI

1093163065

Years in practice

10

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Bonneka's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 7 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Bonneka. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.