- 35 years experience
- Values honest connection
- Practical steps
About Leonard
Leonard Burns is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with decades of experience helping people facing anxiety, stress, relationship strain, grief, addiction, and issues around intimacy and identity. He aims to build straightforward, honest connections with clients so they can make changes that matter. Leonard writes plainly and listens carefully to the things people bring into the room.
He draws on 35 years of practice in California and blends several approaches to suit each person's needs. Therapy sessions often focus on coping with trauma and abuse, recovering from complex post-traumatic stress, managing depression, and navigating life changes like illness or caregiver stress. He also addresses concerns such as abandonment, attachment struggles, codependency, and challenges tied to sexuality and LGBT identity.
Leonard emphasizes a practical, relationship-centered style. He works with people to identify small, doable steps and to notice what helps them feel steadier. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tools are used alongside acceptance-oriented work and attachment-focused conversations to address thoughts, values, and relational patterns.
His background includes family systems, psychodynamic perspectives, and EMDR work integrated into longer-term practice. These influences inform how he responds to complex symptoms like dissociation, chronic pain, and compassion fatigue. Leonard encourages realistic pacing and supports people through difficult emotions while helping them clarify what matters most.
If someone is ready to begin, Leonard asks for commitment to the process and will partner with each person to set clear goals and practical strategies for change.
He draws on 35 years of practice in California and blends several approaches to suit each person's needs. Therapy sessions often focus on coping with trauma and abuse, recovering from complex post-traumatic stress, managing depression, and navigating life changes like illness or caregiver stress. He also addresses concerns such as abandonment, attachment struggles, codependency, and challenges tied to sexuality and LGBT identity.
Leonard emphasizes a practical, relationship-centered style. He works with people to identify small, doable steps and to notice what helps them feel steadier. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tools are used alongside acceptance-oriented work and attachment-focused conversations to address thoughts, values, and relational patterns.
His background includes family systems, psychodynamic perspectives, and EMDR work integrated into longer-term practice. These influences inform how he responds to complex symptoms like dissociation, chronic pain, and compassion fatigue. Leonard encourages realistic pacing and supports people through difficult emotions while helping them clarify what matters most.
If someone is ready to begin, Leonard asks for commitment to the process and will partner with each person to set clear goals and practical strategies for change.
How Leonard’s Approaches Translate to Online Work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to clarify their values and take action even when uncomfortable feelings appear. It helps with anxiety, depression, and making changes that matter. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current patterns and supports work on trust, closeness, and communication problems.Finding the right approach is part of the process. Leonard works collaboratively to decide which methods fit a person's goals and preferences. He will adjust pacing and techniques as progress is made and as practical needs arise.
Confirm the available session options before booking, as specific formats are not listed here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, or allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It can also make it simpler to continue work when coping with illness, caregiver duties, or limited mobility. Licensed professionals help tailor sessions so the work connects with everyday life and real-world demands.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
AddictionsLGBTIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemDepressionCoping with life changesCompassion fatigueADHD
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesAvoidant personalityBlended family issuesCancerCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingInfidelityIntellectual disabilityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisPersonality disordersPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationSelf-loveSocial anxiety and phobiaTraumatic brain injuryVisually impairedWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Existential TherapyEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Jungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy
Experience
35+ years
Credentials
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does Leonard address?
He supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy-related issues, grief, addictions, trauma and abuse, ADHD, sleeping problems, and worries around identity and LGBT concerns.
What is his therapy style like?
He favors a relationship-centered, plainspoken approach that focuses on small, practical steps. Sessions combine listening with tools to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
How much clinical experience does he have?
He has practiced as a therapist for 35 years and draws on long-term experience with complex PTSD, anxiety, depression, and survivorship after serious illness.
What are his credentials and where is he based?
He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT, practicing in California.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people from other countries work with him?
He does not work with international clients at this time.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with him?
Select the continue button on this profile, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.