Therapist profile
Leonard Burns, LMFT
California
LMFT - Relationships and Trauma
Continue with LeonardWhere Leonard stands
- Credentials
- LMFT
- License
- LMFT, California / 25369
- NPI
- 1780759134
- Experience
- 35 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- California
About
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Attachment-based work
- Client-centered approach
About Leonard
Leonard Burns is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California with 35 years of experience. He works with adults facing stress, anxiety, relationship and family problems, trauma and abuse, grief, addictions, codependency, and related concerns such as intimacy issues and self-esteem.
He draws on long practice with family systems, psychodynamic ideas, and EMDR-related work. Sessions focus on clear, honest conversation about what is happening in a person's life. He pays attention to patterns that repeat in relationships and to reactions that come from past wounds.
Clients bring things like complex PTSD, depression, anxiety, trouble with commitment, or stress from caregiving and chronic illness. He also supports people wrestling with identity and nontraditional life choices. In the room he helps people name unhelpful patterns and try different ways of relating that feel more manageable.
His style is practical and grounded. He uses concrete exercises from approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alongside relational work informed by attachment ideas. He also integrates EMDR-style methods when appropriate to process traumatic memories.
He expects therapy to be work that asks for honesty and effort. He helps people set small, doable goals and practices to test new ways of coping. Over time the aim is clearer boundaries, steadier mood, and greater confidence in handling life changes.
How sessions work
Therapeutic approaches and online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and commit to actions that reflect personal values. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and situations where people feel stuck because they avoid difficult feelings. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationship patterns influence current connections. It helps people understand repeating dynamics in relationships and build steadier ways of relating.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Leonard will discuss different methods with clients and choose what fits current needs, goals, and comfort. That choice is collaborative and can shift as work progresses.
Confirm current session options before booking, since formats were not specified in the biography. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, allow a shorter check-in when needed, and remove travel time so appointments can work around work or caregiving. Talk with him during the matching questionnaire about what session rhythm and length would best fit everyday responsibilities.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
35+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Does he help with people-pleasing and codependency?
Yes. He lists codependency and relationship patterns among the concerns he works with and helps people notice how they put others first.
What is his therapy style like?
He combines practical exercises with relational work. Sessions focus on honest talk about patterns and trying new ways of responding.
How much experience does he have?
He has 35 years of clinical experience as an LMFT working with trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationship concerns.
Where is he licensed and based?
He is a California LMFT and practices in California.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with him?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are sessions arranged and what about cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin a first session?
Choose the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe at home, use the crisis and helpline numbers.