Burns brings a variety of perspectives into the counseling relationship. He is an ordained Vocational/Permanent Deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee. In this role, he has served churches in Franklin and Nashville where his work has largely focused on pastoral care. Burns is a graduate of the Education for Ministry program of the Episcopal Church, and has also completed two certificate programs in the Spirituality of the Enneagram with the Institute for Conscious Being. Burns is also certified as a spiritual director by the Metagem Institute. 

Burns pursued a career in counseling after having worked in Public Health as an Epidemiologist for over 18 years. While studying counseling at Belmont University, Burns followed the Clinical Pastoral Therapy track. Burns is open to working with people of all faiths. He welcomes those of strong faith, questioning faith, or no faith at all and those who may have been hurt by organized religion or prefer to consider themselves spiritual rather than religious. Burns is open to working with clients with a wide variety of issues, but he particularly enjoys working with individuals experiencing anxiety and/or depression, those experiencing grief and loss, and providing premarital counseling to couples. 

 

Burns has been married to his wife Donna since 2000 and they have one daughter. 

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Education:

Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling, Belmont University (2020)

Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, Diaconate Training Program (2014)

Ordained to the Diaconate (2015) 

 

Certifications & Supervision:

Candidate for Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapist

Under post-graduate supervision

Certified Facilitator for SYMBIS Premarital/Marital Assessment

Spiritual Direction, Metagem Institute (2020)

Scholar and Master’s Level Spirituality of the Enneagram, Institute for Conscious Being (2016 and 2018)