education & training
Dr. Bonner earned his B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy at Clark University in Worcester, MA. In 1993, Dr. Bonner received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, which is the only Ph.D. program in the country that specializes in existential phenomenological psychology. In addition to this orientation, while at Duquesne Dr. Bonner became well versed in the psychoanalytic and psychodynamic traditions.
From 1990-2000, Dr. Bonner worked as the Assistant Clinical Coordinator of the Services for Teens at Risk Program at Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic in Pittsburgh, PA. This program specializes in the treatment of depressed and suicidal teens. At WPIC, Dr. Bonner became fluent in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as well as Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and wrote a therapist treatment manual for developing emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance skills in teens (Bonner, 2002; for free download, scroll down to the 3rd manual). Since reducing his hours to a part-time schedule, Dr. Bonner no longer works with teens, but as a resource for parents and therapists offers a page on Parenting Teens as well as numerous articles and PowerPoints in Publications.
Since leaving WPIC, Dr. Bonner have been in full-time private practice for 22 years and has expanded his range of therapeutic methods-- particularly to include experiential interventions that work with “ego states,” treat trauma, and draw upon the interdisciplinary tenets of what has been called "interpersonal neurobiology". These methods include Internal Family Systems, Coherence Therapy, E.M.D.R. & Brainspotting, and Affect Management Skills Training. The Internal Family Systems Model is the predominant approach employed by Dr. Bonner, supplemented by and integrated with these other methods when needed.
