Bonnie D. Stephens, M.Ed., MS., LPC, became affiliated with Pathways Forensic & Mental Health Services, PLLC in April of 2024. Ms. Stephens served in the US Army from 1980 to 1982, followed by two years in the US Army Reserve. She attended Lamar University, later earning a Bachelor of Science in criminology, followed double Masters first in Criminology and then Education. Stephens has held licensure as a counselor for 16 years. Her experience in the mental health and case management field is extensive, the most recent of which found her serving as an independent contractor with Connel Associates where she provided counseling for individuals, couples, families, and groups on matters pertaining to family dynamics, parent-child interaction, couples communication, stress reduction, PTSD, medication management, and adjustment to military lifestyles. She also provided reintegration training and family support for active-duty personnel returning from deployment.
Prior to independent contracting, Ms. Stephens worked in the mental health department of the Criminal Investigation Division providing daily mental health consults to assist investigators to manage overall mental/cognitive health. She has also served as a military and family life counselor in Fort Polk, LA while embedded with 31-0 Mountain Brigade Division, where she worked with over 800 deployed and on-post active service members providing mental health services.
Ms. Stephens is no stranger to the East Texas area. Originally from the Woodville, TX area, she began her counseling career and worked 10 years in private practice serving 80 individual clients through 7 counties in the Deep East Texas catchment area. She has practical experience with collaborative care involving clients in need of medication, providing assessments, and in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health clients with co-occurring disorders.
Bonnie Stephens is full-time with Pathways FMHS and is available for evening appointments. She has specialized training in Ethics, Law, Communication, Treatment of Depression, PTSD, Human Trafficking, Military Life, Anxiety, Child abuse and Family Dynamics Command and Troop Education Community Awareness Conflict Resolution, Couples Communication Skills, Stress Management, Prevention Programs, and Services, New Parent Support Program, Parent Education, Domestic Violence Prevention Victim Advocate Program Relationship Support, Safety Education, Emergency Placement Care Program, Reporting Procedures, Debriefing Techniques for Critical Incidents (US Army CID), Case Management for Law Enforcement (US Army CID), Identification and Treatment Techniques for PTSD, Suicide Prevention, and Drug Abuse, and Critical Case Management Quantico, Virginia, US Army, 2018.