We had the good fortune of connecting with Allison Burgess and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, what’s the most important thing you’ve done for your children?
The single most impactful thing I’ve done for my children is prioritizing emotional safety as the foundation of our relationship. Being able to have my children feel safe enough to make mistakes, to speak their minds, to disagree, and be truly seen and validated is, in my opinion, the equivalent of a black belt in family connection: if you have accomplished emotional safety, you’ve won. Everything else follows. People understand what it means NOT to grow up in that kind of household, even in supposedly “close” families. I am continually humbled by the effort it takes to cultivate this kind of relationship, and to help other families achieve this. It’s one thing to say, “we’re a close family” in a general sense, but it’s another entirely when a child comes to you with a decision they’ve made that you fundamentally disagree with, or they make a careless mistake that has serious repercussions, or they represent a perspective that goes against your own values. Learning how to evaluate and manage your own biases, emotions, and leftover feelings from your own childhood takes self-awareness and a sort of never-ending willingness to learn and grow on the parent side.

Woman with wavy hair wearing a brown dress and gloves, smiling, standing against a white background.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist and family consultant in private practice in West Los Angeles. I work with teens, young adults and families, with a specialization in anxiety disorders and neurodiversity (Autism, OCD, ADHD, and others). I developed my family clinical consulting practice to provide the most comprehensive family support available that combines therapy, parent education about neurodiversity, academic advocacy, collaboration and coordination of care with other providers, and case management. I’m also a proud mother to three stellar young adults.

I am also professional speaker, giving presentations and professional development training in neurodiversity issues for teachers, schools and corporations. I presented my TEDx talk, “Reimagining Parenting in a Neurodiverse World,” aimed at introducing the topic of neurodiversity as it relates to family relationships, and also presented a talk with the Stanford University Neurodiversity Project, “Neurodiversity and Relationships: Moving from Expectation to Appreciation of Cognitive Differences,” and for the South by Southwest EDU Conference, “Missed & Misdiagnosed Overlooked Neurodivergent Teens.”

When I started in the field, I worked with young children, and then provided counseling in low-income public schools. Seeing how many of the kids’ challenges stemmed from their family relationships and not being allowed to work with the parents or caregivers in that role eventually informed my current practice, where I often work with full families regardless of the age of the child. Over time, I realize that my philosophy around therapy and mental health is rooted in family systems, and how critically important a healthy family system is to the mental health of a child.

In my field, they say that your niche finds you, not the other way around. I have found this to be true for me. I have to admit that I didn’t always welcome the challenge of navigating the complexities of multiple perspectives and personalities when working from a family-focused lens! However, over time I came to realize that what truly sets me apart from other clinicians is this holistic approach of considering a person’s challenges through the lens of their family system, how a young person’s beliefs, value systems, and choices are shaped by their experiences at home, and how improving mutual understanding and fine-tuning communication between family members can make massive and lasting change for teens and young adults.

Young woman with long wavy hair smiling outdoors, wearing a dark blue dress, standing by a white railing with green trees behind her.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would definitely need to venture to different parts of the city to get the full experience of Los Angeles. Must-sees are the Getty Museum on a clear day, vintage shopping in Silverlake and Studio City, hitting the beach in Malibu, taking a drive along PCH, dinner at The Old Place on Mulholland in Agoura Hills, an historic steakhouse in a 19th-century general store and post office, shopping at the boutiques in Brentwood, taking out a duffy boat in the Marina del Rey harbor, and discovering artisan shops along Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Woman standing on stage with TEDx San Rafael Women sign, wearing a black dress with white patterns, smiling, hands crossed.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a shoutout to my colleagues and friends with whom I share case consultation, daily wins and frustrations, and seek personal and professional guidance. Having associates and friends in the trenches keeps me on my toes and doing my best work.

Website: https://www.AllisonLeeBurgess.com

Instagram: @AllisonLeeBurgess

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-lee-burgess-lmft-ba013253/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllisonLeeBurgess

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@allisonburgess960

Woman with long brown hair smiling, wearing a maroon blouse, sitting on a white surface, with a patterned background and event text.

Woman in green scrubs standing next to presentation screen at SXSW EDU 2024 conference.

Poster for a neuroscience group meeting featuring a photo of a woman, with text about neurodiversity and relationships, date, and Zoom info.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.