Brian Burns, MFT (Mental Health Professional/Mediator)

COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE COACH with strong background in family, adult, and marital therapy, mental health trauma, and divorce education. CHILD SPECIALIST with background in child and family therapy, assessment and treatment of child/adolescent mental health disorders. Currently offering the CHILDRENS DIVORCE GROUP, a therapeutic group for children ages 7-12 focusing on helping children cope more effectively with the difficult emotions of a divorce. Please see website and contact information below for more information.
Firm/BusinessName: FamilyMeans Address(es): 1875 Northwestern Ave. So. Stillwater MN 55082 USA Phone: 651-439-4840 Fax: 651-439-4894 Email: bburns@familymeans.org Website: http://www.familymeans.org
Practice Group Membership Collaborative Law Institute of Minnesota
Professional Activities Editor - Minnesota Assoc. of Marriage and Family Therapy Newsletter Public Outreach Committe - Collaborative Law Institute of MN Team Divorce Planning Committee - Collaborative Law Institute of MN
Professional Licenses Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
General Comments Divorce is much more an emotional process than a legal one. While it is essential to have good legal representation to understand and move through the legal process, an attorney is not trained to identify and understand the complex emotional issues that occur in this major life crisis. The saying, 'Marriage is more than just a piece of paper' is certainly true, and it is just as true that 'Divorce is much more than signing on the dotted line.' I work hard to ensure that the collaborative process moves forward in a respectful, efficient, and effective manner. This means attending meetings, facilitating communication, pointing out areas of improvement, and giving feedback about the couple's and/or children's needs. Attorneys that I work closely with say the process works much better when a skilled Neutral Coach is working with the team. I have been working with families through separation and divorce for over 10 years, including providing therapy for children and adults, teaching parenting classes, and creating a therapeutic group for children at my current practice. I continually strive to stay sharp and up to date on the most effective tools in working with children and families, and find a lot of pleasure in getting to know each person I meet with.
Areas of Practice Child Specialist Collaborative Law Divorce Coach
Education Undergraduate Education B.S. Psychology - Brigham Young University, 1997 Post-graduate Education M.S. Marriage & Family Therapy - University of New Hampshire, 1999 Marriage & Family Therapy Supervision - St. Mary's University, 2006 Professional Education Treating Anxiety and Depression, Grief and Bereavement, Treating Childhood Disorders, Couples/Marital Therapy, Conflict Resolution, Family Therapy
Collaborative Practice Training Year Training Type Instructor Hours 2006 Advanced Interdisciplinary Training Susan Gamache & Victoria Smith 12 2006 Basic Collaborative Training CLI 4.5 2007 Basic Interdisciplinary Training CLI 6 2007 Conflict Resolution Training S. Ellison 8 2007 The Impact of Divorce on Children C Ahrons 3.5 2008 Mediation / Conflict Resolution C Liek 32 2008 Neutral Coach Model Linda Solomon 6 2008 Advanced Neutral Coach Model L Solomon 8
** I have reviewed the IACP Minimum Standards for Collaborative Practitioners and the IACP Ethical Standards for Collaborative Professionals. I verify that I meet the IACP Minimum Standards for Collaborative Practitioners and that I apply the IACP Ethical Standards for Collaborative Professionals in my collaborative practice. See IACP Standards > IACP does not verify the information provided by the professionals listed in this directory.