Sometimes doctors? offices and labs aren’t as personal as a friend’s couch can be. That is the approach taken by Dr. Bonnie Parker Psy.D., a local therapist.
Parker, originally from Michigan, returned to the Clarkston area after seven years practicing in Florida, to open her own practice in her home.
Having her office in the same place she lives helps her serve her clients better, she said.
‘It’s a very cozy, warm feeling instead of going to a clinic’it’s a little more confidential feeling coming to a home office, Parker said.
‘I like that part of it, it’s makes it feel a little more personal. I deal directly with my patients, they don’t call and get a secretary, they call me and I call them back.?
‘It’s working out very well, I’m really pleased’I really enjoy it.?
Having an office in her own home also cuts back on the overhead costs, Parker said, and she is also able to accept some insurance plans, something of a rarity with home offices.
Parker always found psychology interesting, and her mother’s own career in medicine helped steer her that way.
‘I was always interested in people and I think everybody has a natural tendency to want to look at why people do things,? she said.
‘My mother was a nurse. We always had ‘Psychology Today? sitting around the house. She was very interested in people and taking care of people and I think that is part of what helped draw me into the field.
‘It’s a fascinating field, you meet so many wonderful people from so many backgrounds. I get to help people from every walk of life and each kind of field find a better way to live, and that’s a very rewarding thing to do.?
When Parker and her husband, Jason, were planning on moving back to the area, they picked their home because its size, which afforded them the opportunity for Bonnie to have an office. They also looked at the area’s reputation.
‘To raise a family, I couldn’t think of a better place than Clarkston,? she said.
Recent trick-or-treating helped solidify the values she sought when she moved.
‘I love that it’s a very family-oriented community and people care about their community and the schools. I went to Halloween over on Main Street and it was something you would see in the movies with all the children and the parents’the people were excited about Halloween and giving out candy and decorating. It’s a nice community in that way.?
Parker, mother of two, has been a therapist for 17 years, receiving her Doctor of Psychology degree from Central Michigan University in 1998. She also received her master’s degree in clinical psychology from CMU in 1989 after earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Michigan State University in 1987.
Parker has been a part of several panels and discussions on psychological issues such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression and self-esteem and is affiliated with the American Psychological Association.
Parker offers individual therapy, couples? therapy, teen and family therapy and treatments for anxiety, trauma and depression. Parker is also a child psychologist, offering play therapy for children in addition to seeing adult patients. Parker can perform evaluations of personality, learning disabilities and ADHD.
Her office is at 8864 Big Lake Road in Springfield Township. She can be reached at (248) 922-9222 or e-mail at DrBonnieParker@aol.com.