Karla B. Magnan has solidly distinguished herself among her patients as a psychotherapist and trauma therapist through her private practice, Karla Bonkowski Magnan, LCSW, CTTP, established in 2021 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. With more than 25 years of experience as a therapist, foundationally, she earned a Master of Social Work in 2000 from the George Williams School of Social Work at Aurora University. Ms. Magnan spent decades as a clinician in private practice, during which she specialized in divorce mediation, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (known as EMDR) treatment, and trauma treatment.
At the start of her academic journey, Ms. Magnan graduated magna cum laude in 1991 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in human development and family studies, with a concentration in infant mental health. She went on to complete a Master of Arts in liberal studies with a dual focus on gender studies and religious studies at DePaul University in 1997. Alongside her formal degrees, she has remained devoted to lifelong learning throughout her career by becoming highly credentialed. In 2021, she became a certified trauma treatment professional (CTTP) with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, through which she also became a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), a certified divorce mediator, and a certified clinical trauma specialist. Additionally, she has expertise in treating chronic complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
Serving as a wealth of, and a continual receiver of, vital information, Ms. Magnan stays entrenched in her field at large as a member of the National Association of Social Workers. She advises aspiring therapists and social workers to lead with a clarity of purpose and be ready to learn as much from their patients as their patients learn from them. Her guiding motto: “I attract and retain that which serves me, and I reject and discard that which does not.”
Multifaceted in various areas, Ms. Magnan’s numerous talents include songwriting, public speaking, and writing. She initially planned to pursue a major in dance before her aspirations were cut short by a back injury, but she has always kept the spark for her love of music and creativity alive. A song she co-wrote and produced, “Sacred Journey of the Heart,” earned numerous awards and served as the title track for a film of the same name. The film was screened as an official selection at the 2012 Los Angeles Femme International Film Festival. Eager to inspire others and uplift audiences around the world, Ms. Magnan has embraced an additional career as an international speaker. Her first speaking engagement, titled “The Secrets of Being,” took place in April 2024.