Sarah Bonner, PLPC

I am currently a Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor, PLPC as I recently passed the National Counselor Examination (NCE) for licensure in Missouri!!! I graduated in June 2025 with a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Capella University. My path to counseling began over a decade ago when I obtained dual certification for behavioral health and life coach, earning my Board Certification in Health and Wellness Coaching (NBC-HWC) through the National Board of Medical Examiners. For more than 10 years, I have supported clients from diverse backgrounds in areas such as mental health, career growth, stress and anxiety management, relationship challenges, and overall wellbeing.

In 2021, I launched Joyful Life Coaching, my private coaching practice, where I developed specialized programs in stress and anxiety reduction, boundary setting, and conflict management. These programs were created through years of experience, study, and integration of evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), mindfulness practices, Appreciative Inquiry, and Polyvagal-informed strategies. Over time, my work increasingly focused on helping individuals reduce stress and anxiety, strengthen boundaries, and improve relationship dynamics, including couples counseling.

While coaching provided meaningful progress for many clients, I consistently encountered a barrier: unresolved trauma. I recognized that to truly support clients in long-term healing, I needed to pursue counseling training and licensure. This led me back to graduate school to deepen my clinical knowledge and expand my scope of practice. During my internship at Center Middle School in Kansas City, KS, I served in the Working on Womanhood (WOW) program, a trauma-informed, school-based counseling initiative for adolescent girls. There, I facilitated group counseling for students navigating anxiety, depression, and PTSD, gaining firsthand experience in trauma-informed care, social-emotional development, and resilience-building.

Now, as I continue my professional journey, I am passionate about specializing in trauma counseling with plans to pursue certification in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. My current focus remains on helping adults and older teens (16+) with stress and anxiety reduction, boundary setting, conflict management, and relationship concerns. My counseling approach is direct yet compassionate, integrating person-centered principles with CBT, ACT, mindfulness, and positive psychology to empower clients to recognize their strengths, confront challenges, and create meaningful change.

As a counselor, I believe healing happens when clients feel truly seen, heard, and supported. My goal is to create a nonjudgmental, safe, and collaborative space where clients can explore their stories, heal from the past, and move toward the life they envision. I bring both professional expertise and lived experience, knowing firsthand the courage it takes to travel the journey into healing and face difficult emotions and embrace growth. I work with clients at their own pace, honoring their unique paths, while offering encouragement, perspective, and evidence-based tools along the way. I welcome and affirm clients from all backgrounds, including LGBTQIA+ individuals, people of diverse cultural, racial, and spiritual identities, those navigating life transitions, and individuals managing a wide range of mental health concerns. My commitment is to walk beside each client on their journey toward greater resilience, freedom, and joy.