Lourie BonsuLicensed Professional Counselor Associate

Lourie Bonsu, Licensed Professional Counselor Associate, 5760 is practicing under the supervision of Renee Cross (Connecticut, LPC, 3042) at Resilience Lab.

Please, note: A clinician listed as being “clinically supervised” is completing clinical hours toward their licensure. They have one or more fully licensed clinical supervisors that often have special training to become supervisors. They consult with their supervisor(s) on all of their cases, which means that, when working with them, you are getting the time and expertise of multiple therapists in your treatment.

I am originally from Ghana in West Africa, where it is believed that the elderly are always right, and younger people are often wrong. Growing up, older people often made negative remarks to me, which led to a low sense of self-worth. I became depressed, and no one seemed to care. I eventually was able to recover, but it took a lot of emotional and behavioral resources and the support of my loved ones. After I had been in the professional world for some time, I began to discover my passion for helping people through empathetic and active listening. With my attentive listening and amateur counseling skills, I was able to make an impact on two separate immigrants on the verge of suicide. These experiences confirmed what I'd suspected for some time: this work is my calling. It's an honor to now use my natural skills and professional education to help others who are living through the same struggles I experienced. I hope to be their guide as they learn to accept and embrace their pasts, take charge of their present, and build their future.

I came into my therapy career with a wide range of life and professional experience, from talent acquisition to supply chain management. But all of my roles prior to therapy taught me the same thing: connection is essential to growth. It’s an honor to offer that connection to clients and walk alongside them as they learn to feel safe in their body and mind again. In my practice, I specialize in trauma. Your body often carries the greatest burden of the trauma that has happened to you. That’s why my approach to trauma healing is holistic, body-based, and unified. In session, I’ll guide you through techniques for sensing and regulating your body and mind. We’ll help you reestablish a reciprocal relationship with your body, learn to turn inward with compassion, live more fully in your body, all while allowing time and space for the trauma to be processed. Time and time again, I’ve seen the power of these techniques to restore well-being by unwinding trauma.

As a clinician, I am uniquely empathetic. I have lived a lot of life prior to this work, working in different industries and experiencing different countries and cultures. I bring that perspective with me into every session. I believe in the power of active listening, and I use it as a tool with my clients. In listening deeply to my clients, I am able to encourage them to notice their own inner responses by asking questions like, “What is coming up for you?” and “What do the tears mean?” My third strength is patience. In therapy, there’s no timetable or rush. No pressure to perform. I work at the pace of my clients, and my priority is to make sure they feel comfortable.

I have a lot of experience working with adults with trauma and therapy group settings. I have a Master’s degree in Counseling from Palo Alto University. I have also worked with adolescents and couples. I’m now a proud member of the Resilience Lab mental health collective. Resilience Lab is the largest community of clinicians working collaboratively to produce better outcomes and improve mental health access. In other words, we want to make sure you can work with some of the industry’s best therapists as you move through your healing journey.