About Bonnie…

Bonnie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker exploring creative writing.  If you landed here in search of her private psychotherapy practice website please go to  Bonnie A. McKeegan, LCSW

About Bonnie…

Bonnie scores as an INFP – Introvert, Intuitive, Feeling, Perception – although as she grew older her scores shifted some to nearly 50/50 for I/E and P/J.  She believes the change in score was related to experiences of trauma & loss (leading to more of a need for “control” of things…) and the intentional adaptation to talking to larger groups of people because of her career.

She loved binge watching Parenthood, Frank & Gracie, The Crown, Orange is the New Black, and Gilmore Girls. Not to mention a few more serious shows like Hell on Wheels, Peaky Blinders, Breaking Bad, Blacklist, Once Upon a Time, Marco Polo…. variety is good!

Now she’s on to Nurse Jackie – oh, yes!!

Bonnie’s melancholic by nature but loves to laugh.  Much of her writing seems to be coming from that melancholic place. Themes from real life e.g. love, death, trauma, growth, maturing, healing have repeatedly emerged. She has two WIPs which are likely considered Women’s Fiction (Gone with Innocence and Dreamwork) but she is also enjoying creating short stories and a bit of spontaneous, no rules followed (rogue!?), poetry type prose.

This new creative endeavor of writing fiction, non-fiction and poetry started early one Spring morning in 2017 when Bonnie awoke from a dreadful dream, heart-pounding, and thoroughly shaken.  She felt absolutely compelled to write it down.  She wrote herself a quick email with just descriptive words then spent the morning getting ready for work, getting kids ready for school and being continually interrupted by the traumatic story that was demanding to be told.  She felt nearly possessed with the need to keep writing the story.  As of September 2017, that story, titled Dreamwork, has over 20,000 words!  This in itself is amazing considering it was to be Bonnie’s first attempt at writing a long fictional story.

As per the usual “alignment of the stars” or whatever you wish to call it, a mentor appeared in the form of a good friend who encouraged her to “keep writing” when she was wondering what the heck was going on.  She’s been writing since that morning and interestingly, other stories have also emerged, as well as this blog.

Bonnie believes in the power of creativity to heal grief.  Whether it’s creating a living mosaic in a garden or bringing to life, for a child, a custom handmade “Waldorf” doll. She has always engaged in some form of creativity for pleasure or as a necessity to cope with life’s challenges and pain.  Her own grief experiences have been a powerful influence in all of her creative endeavors.

Bonnie started a Wattpad profile and posted a few short stories for fun. She hopes to “officially” publish a story or two, eventually.  But, not until the time is right, and almost purely for the satisfaction of bringing her stories out to whoever finds interest in them. Oh, well yes, there IS more to it. The entire process of writing to publishing is a learning experience perfect for this time in Bonnie’s life.  She’s energized by the learning process!

So, essentially the writing of fictional stories began for Bonnie with a dream.  She has been writing in some form or another for years, from her personal teenage journals embellished with imagination to her Master’s Research Project bound for the shelf at California State University, Sacramento.  The current creative endeavor seems just a natural evolution.

Bonnie lives in Grass Valley, California with her ever-supportive husband & tween twin boys, two feline personalities, an energetic Mini-Aussie nicknamed “Roxie The Rocket,” and a small backyard chicken flock.  The two elderly goldfish recently suffered a sad demise.  Our neighborhood hosts a multitude of wildlife including wild turkeys, deer, mountain lion, numerous birds, raccoons, skunks, gray and ground squirrels, fox, opossum, and black bears just to mention a few.

She has a successful part-time private practice in Grass Valley where she supports clients during challenging times in their lives, often processing a range of grief & loss issues.  She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work with experience in chemical dependency, mental health, and her primary passion – healthcare.  Her approach is “whole person” acknowledging the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of life. She has a special interest in women’s issues, the challenges of living into older years, healing through grief, and living with chronic medical/pain conditions.

Up to the middle of 3rd grade, homeschooling was the education of choice for her boys but their involvement with the local school system was important to her as well.

Bonnie’s volunteer time over the past few years has been connected to her boys’ education.  She is proud to say she was one member in a passionate group of parents driven to start a new public charter school in El Dorado County and started the fundraising organization for that school, which is now thriving (American River Charter School).  She was on the Yuba River Charter School’s Parent Council & was a board member of the YRCS Education Foundation, a non-profit school fundraising group. She is currently on the Board of Directors & is board secretary at Sierra Montessori Academy, a K-8 in Nevada County, California.

Bonnie enjoys gardening, yoga practice, nature walks, camping and other travel adventures, lake days, snow skiing, reading, eating, painting, sewing, crocheting, snorkeling, and spending time with close family and friends.  And coffee, any flavor, softened with non-diary creamer.

Bonnie’s favorite band is Fleetwood Mac. Their music conjures overwhelming feelings of joyful and melancholic nostalgia.

Bonnie’s favorite place to relax is at the ocean or beside a campfire.

If Bonnie could hire any professional it would be a personal chef!

Common reads found in Bonnie’s bathroom stash: In the Light of Meditation by Mike George, Psychology Today, Better Home’s & Gardens, Via AAA Travel Magazine, various Nevada County Gold Country guides, the local quarterly Parents Resource Guide, Sierra Club magazine, and more…

The living room pile?  Well, the best thing there is the Mindfulness Adult Coloring Book! Love the gel pens 😉 But, the coffee table is also inhabited by:

• National Geographic magazines
• National Geographic Reference Atlas to the Birds of North America
• Ranger Rick
• Nevada County Gold
• 2017 Nevada County Grown Farm Guide
• Outdoor Life Hunting & Gathering Survival Manual: 221 Primitive & Wilderness Survival Skills.
• and board games.  Chinese checkers is a favorite as well as backgammon.

Bonnie’s greatest gardening nemesis: The thirsty grapevine leaf-hoppers & hungry sphinx caterpillars who munch her one and only grapevine with great enthusiasm every year.

Bonnie’s greatest health challenge is riding the often torrential waves of chronic migraine.  Living with chronic pain is difficult, to say the least, but she never gives up.  She has found ways to keep going, embraced lessons learned through the process, and hopes to provide encouragement to others who live with chronic pain.

If Bonnie could add one room to her house it would be spacious enough to hold all the books, sewing and crafting materials that are currently spread throughout the house.

Bonnie’s greatest joy: Her and her husband’s twin boys who continue to inspire her in many extraordinary ways!

Bonnie thanks you for visiting!

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