John Burns, MSW, LCSW, EMDRIA Approved Consultant | EMDR Therapist in Charlotte, NC
Founder and Lead Clinician of Montgomery Counseling Group. Over thirty years of clinical experience in complex and developmental trauma.
BS in Psychology from Illinois State, MSW from University of Iowa
About John Burns
John Burns, MSW, LCSW, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the founder and Lead Clinician of Montgomery Counseling Group in Charlotte, NC. He has been practicing for over thirty years. His clinical focus is complex and developmental trauma, and he works with adults on the long-term effects of earlier relational experiences, along with anxiety, depression, and what stays in the body long after an event has passed.
John uses Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Ericksonian Clinical Hypnosis in his practice. He holds the EMDRIA Approved Consultant designation, an advanced credential from the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) that qualifies clinicians to provide formal consultation to other EMDR therapists as they develop their EMDR practice.
John’s clinical hypnosis background includes the Intensives training series at the Milton H. Erickson Foundation and a 100-hour clinical hypnosis training led by Michael Yapko, PhD. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) and the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH).
His approach is informed by the Utilization principle of psychiatrist Milton Erickson: the resources a person needs are already present, and therapy works by drawing on them. That principle shaped how he built the practice and how he works with each client. Montgomery Counseling Group offers trauma-informed psychotherapy in Charlotte, NC and telehealth services to clients throughout North Carolina.
What John works with?
John works with adults experiencing:
- Complex and developmental trauma
- Anxiety and panic
- Depression
- Phobias
- Sleep difficulties
- Chronic stress and burnout
How John works?
John integrates these approaches based on each person’s unique case:
- EMDR, a structured approach for processing experiences that stay with a person long after an event has passed. As an EMDRIA Approved Consultant, John also provides formal consultation to other EMDR therapists.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS), an approach that works with the different parts of a person’s inner experience and the protective roles those parts have taken on.
- Ericksonian Clinical Hypnosis, a collaborative, focused approach that works with the mind’s own adaptive resources.
John sees clients in person at the Park Road office in Charlotte and by telehealth anywhere in North Carolina.
A note from John
A high school teacher once told John: “There are two forms of blindness: eyesight and insight. Never stop looking.” That advice has shaped his clinical work and his fifty-year practice of photography, which he describes as a way of capturing human stories frozen in time.
Before founding Montgomery Counseling Group in 2018, John’s career spanned adolescent residential programs, inpatient and outpatient addiction recovery settings, and senior leadership roles in large social service agencies. He has worked with a wide range of people in a wide range of settings, and he brings all of it into the room.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does John Burns specialize in?
John Burns, MSW, LCSW, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, focuses on complex and developmental trauma, along with anxiety, depression, phobias, and sleep difficulties. His practice integrates Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Ericksonian Clinical Hypnosis, based on each person’s case. He works with individual adults at Montgomery Counseling Group in Charlotte, NC.
What is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant?
The EMDRIA Approved Consultant designation is an advanced credential from the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). It qualifies clinicians to provide formal consultation to other EMDR therapists as they develop their EMDR practice. John Burns holds this designation at Montgomery Counseling Group in Charlotte, NC.
Does John Burns work with couples or families?
John Burns works with individual adults. Montgomery Counseling Group offers couples and family therapy through other clinicians on the team, in person in Charlotte and by telehealth throughout North Carolina. A free consultation is the starting point for connecting with the clinician whose focus fits what brings you in.
How do I schedule a session with John Burns?
Sessions with John Burns are available in person at the Montgomery Counseling Group office on Park Road in Charlotte, NC and by telehealth anywhere in North Carolina. Book a free consultation online or call (980) 949-8990.
What are the rates and insurance options at Montgomery Counseling Group?
Sessions at Montgomery Counseling Group are $150 for 60 minutes, and a sliding scale is available. The practice is in-network with Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Magellan, Medicare, and United Healthcare, and works with clients using out-of-network benefits. Call (980) 949-8990 with questions about coverage, or visit the Rates & Insurance page.