Her Story
About Bonnie
Bonnie Bennett, ACMHC, CPC, is an Associate Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Certified Life Coach based in St. George, Utah. Through her work at Resilience Group Counseling and her life coaching practice, she helps individuals navigate mental health challenges, personal obstacles, and periods of transition. Her areas of focus include trauma, depression, anxiety, women's issues, self-esteem, and personal growth. Drawing from extensive therapeutic training and experience across multiple counseling modalities—including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)—Bennett takes a collaborative approach, meeting people where they are and helping them identify the direction that aligns with their values and goals. Bennett's professional journey represents a significant career reinvention later in life. Before entering the mental health field, she raised two children as a single mother while working multiple jobs, including waitressing and working in a lumberyard. After experiencing a health-related turning point that prompted her to make significant changes, she returned to college and initially considered pursuing graphic design. During her first psychology class, however, her oldest son's return from Afghanistan emotionally wounded profoundly influenced her direction and helped her recognize mental health counseling as the path she wanted to pursue. She subsequently dedicated approximately 10 years to her education, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Sciences from George Fox University and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Grand Canyon University, graduating with high honors from both programs. Bennett is deeply committed to helping others recognize their strengths, develop self-awareness, and move toward meaningful personal growth. She received trauma training through the Dove Center, an organization supporting individuals affected by domestic violence, and continues to support the organization. She is also passionate about caregiver support, an issue informed by her family's own experience caring for an aging loved one. Her personal philosophy, “Transformation through self-awareness,” reflects her belief that meaningful change begins with understanding oneself and identifying what may be standing in the way of growth. Ultimately, Bennett is motivated by her love for her work, her commitment to continued learning, and her desire to show up fully for the people she serves.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Bonnie
01What do you attribute your success to?
My drive has evolved through different phases of my life. When I was younger, I was motivated by the desire to provide for my children without having to work three jobs. During college, I was also driven by the desire to prove my father wrong after he told me I would not succeed.
Later, watching my son return from Afghanistan emotionally wounded gave me an even deeper sense of purpose. His experience reminded me that there are people and communities who desperately need mental health services, and thinking about that helps me continue when I feel overwhelmed or discouraged.
Ultimately, I believe one of the greatest sources of my success is that I genuinely love what I do. That passion motivates me to continue taking classes, growing professionally, showing up for my clients, and taking better care of myself so that I can continue helping others.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
"Always remain curious, courageous, fierce, and understanding." This philosophy has proven to be correct in many of the different careers I have had in my life. Having spent most of my younger years working in male dominated industries, I have found this to be especially true. Later in life working in a more female dominated industry, it has also proven to be correct.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women is to treat yourself with a great deal of grace and kindness. You are going to make both good and difficult decisions throughout your journey, and that is part of being human and growing.
I encourage you to treat yourself the way you would treat your best friend. Pay attention to your internal dialogue and ask yourself whether you would speak to your best friend, your child, or someone you love in the same way. If you would not, take a moment to reframe that inner conversation with greater kindness and compassion toward yourself.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There is absolutely no job that does not have its challenges and opportunities. I believe the opportunities far outweigh the challenges in my chosen field. I am gifted to be surrounded by immensely talented people who are working as clinicians in the St. George Area. Although there is a nationwide shortage of mental health counselors, that cannot be said for St. George Utah. One of the biggest challenges in this industry is self-care. As a clinician, there is constant exposure to nefarious and traumatizing information, because of this, secondhand PTSD or burnout is common in this industry. This is where self-care and good boundaries are imperative. Opportunities are equally abundant in this field. I happen to work with an incredible team that makes my day at the office a good thing, I am always happy to see them and have time to catch up with each of them, we are a family. This is one of the few industries where women excel, and the only limit is determined by how much work you're willing to put in.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My values have shifted with age. When I was younger, I had no boundaries when it came to my work front. I would work myself until there was nothing left to give. With age comes wisdom and I have learned over the years to establish strong boundaries with both work and my personal life to protect them from each other. Values can be a semi-fluid thing, but currently in this phase of my life, work values revolve around trust, competence, and authenticity. My personal values revolve around trust, compassion, shared commitment, friendship/affection, and authenticity.
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