Welcome to Family Support Services
Support, Mental Health Consultation ,Care Coordination and Wrap Around Services
Welcome to Family Support Services
Support, Mental Health Consultation ,Care Coordination and Wrap Around Services
About Bonnie Lane
Experience and Expertise
Bonnie is a graduate from National Louis University with Master's Degrees, with honors, in both Developmental and Counseling Psychology, and a masters degree in Special Education. She is also a Certified Mediator, and certified in Domestic Violence Counseling.
Ms. Lane served as the Program Director at Youth Services of Glenview and Northbrook for 6 years. Among her responsibilities was facilitating groups for parents of children suffering with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. She was also the Executive Director of Project Chesed for the JCCs of Chicagoland and served as the Executive Director of Wilmette Youth Connection. Most recently, Bonnie worked for Thresholds Community Mental Health Agency as the Team Leader for all case managers in the Young Adult Program.
For more than two decades, Bonnie has worked privately with families dealing with severe mental health issues, such as, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder,and substance use disorder. She has counseled individuals and families as they successfully navigate the maze of care and resources available for adolescents through older adults. Helping families in times of crisis is her mission and her passion.
Bonnie is currently a member of the NAMI Illinois legislative committee, NAMI CCNS board, and the North and the Northwest Suburban Housing Task Force. Bonnie also sits on the Healthy Minds Healthy Lives Coalition through Thresholds and the Mental Health Summit. Bonnie is a board member of No Shame on U and serves as their Program Chairperson. With No shame on U, Bonnie facilitates twice monthly support groups for families of the seriously mentally ill at no charge to the community.
ADVOCACY
TRANSITION PLANNING
TRANSITION PLANNING
Bonnie assists with hospital discharge planning, transition to therapeutic day programs and residential placements across the country. She will also communicate with attorneys on behalf of the family, when a crime has been committed by an individual struggling with a thought or mood disorder, or substance use disorder.
TRANSITION PLANNING
TRANSITION PLANNING
TRANSITION PLANNING
Creating a plan for your loved one which may include permanent supported housing, day programs, and residential treatment facilities is stressful. Bonnie can alleviate that stress through her experience driven recommendations.
RESOURCE REFERRAL
TRANSITION PLANNING
RESOURCE REFERRAL
Finding the right service providers is crucial but can be confusing. Bonnie will help guide you to the best resources for your family and your budget.
SCENARIOS
High School Advocacy & College Selection
Your daughter with bipolar disorder has decided to attend college. Hooray! But what is the best school for her? How will she get the accommodations she needs? Bonnie can assist with this selection and ease the transition for both her and you.
Post Hospitalization Options
Your son has recently been hospitalized and you have been advised that returning home is not the best option. Family Support Services can help you select a supportive living arrangement that promotes his independence while giving you some peace of mind.
Vocational Advocacy
Your sibling suffers from social anxiety disorder and needs an advocate in the workplace. With your input, and their cooperation, Bonnie can help facilitate needed communication to improve the workplace environment.
Geriatric Support
Your mother has recently developed some cognitive impairment. She's confused and angry. You're frustrated and sad. You need someone that will understand your situation. Bonnie can also assist you in finding a geriatric professional that Mom will trust.
Testimonials
We hired Bonnie as our case manager for our family to assist with our 28 year old son who has schizoaffective disorder. She was a God send who assisted us and continues to assist us as we navigate our way in this very confusing mental health system. She found housing for our son and has given us hope that appropriate help is available. She assists us in very concrete ways and also supports us as a family in managing the stressors which are many that go along with providing appropriate support to our loved one who struggles with mental illness. We feel heard by Bonnie and are confident she truly understands mental illness, accessing appropriate support, and understanding what it is families deal with when loving someone with mental illness. Thank you Bonnie! We recommend her highly and feel she is in our corner…always a phone call or text away. She is responsive and so very helpful in so many ways.
Sharon P.
Bonnie came to our aid several months ago & made such a difference in our family’s search for an appropriate living situation for our son. She was thorough in explaining all the types of living situations, sending us recommendations, accompanying us on visits to the sites we felt would be the best fit, and always checking to see if our needs were being met. She’s wonderful to work with & helped me to reach a state of calm that I did not think would be possible!!! She continues to reach out to be of assistance if needed. Such a great resource!!!
Gail B.
Bonnie Lane is a warm, compassionate, and extremely knowledgeable mental health professional providing much needed services for patients and their families. Bringing her extraordinary skills and experience for whatever the situation calls for, Bonnie always goes that extra mile that makes all the difference! I am thrilled to have Bonnie’s Family Support Services as a necessary adjunct in serving my private practice mental health patients.
Joan M. Ferdinand, MS, LCPC
I am writing this as a very strong reference for Bonnie Lane and the wonderful work she has done in our life. My daughter has a mental illness and has been hospitalized many times. We had lost hope that she would be able to go anywhere. in desperation, I called Bonnie, after learning of her Family Support Services business.i have to say that i had little hope that anyone could help us, however i reached out and was given her name. I emailed as i just wanted to get a sense of what she would/could do. I then talked to her and was very encouraged by her contacts and her depth of knowledge of the system. She also gave guidance and explained the different things that we as a family should work on getting in place for my daughter's future. Unfortunately, my daughter had to be hospitalized yet again. I reached out to Bonnie. Bonnie assisted me in walking through the process at the hospital and then began assisting us in gaining appropriate placement for my daughter. i have to honestly say that in my wildest dreams i had never thought placement would be a possibility. Well, Bonnie not only assisted us in a program that would meet my daughter's individual needs, but also continually remained in touch with the placement, as well as keeping us aware of my daughter's transition to the placement. We had resigned ourselves that our daughter would live with us and not get better and that we would have to make the best of it. Bonnie changed all that and gave us hope that our daughter could be in a program that would assist her in moving forward and gaining skills and abilities that would prepare her for more independence. I 100% recommend Bonnie lane and Family Support Services for assisting in the meeting of the needs of our loved ones who have mental illness. Thanks, Bonnie!!!
Mary C