Caitlin Rebecca Burgess

Professional ethics and legal requirements do not allow me to comment about specific cases which would include verifying whether online reviews are coming from a real client or even an actual person. My policies are intended to ensure that I am adhering to best practices provided by ethical standards and guidelines and serve to provide clarity and transparency in my work and role. Due to the nature of my work, which is primarily Court-involved and may be contentious, I adhere to these policies and procedures which protect me and my client. When it comes to records or other information, I follow the laws, professional guidelines, and court orders that govern my dual licenses as a mental health professional and attorney.  I welcome and consider seriously any feedback you may have, and please contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns.

I am both an attorney licensed to practice law in California (SBN 187515) and Washington (SBN 61142) and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California (MFT 94485), Colorado (MFT 0002744), Florida (5503),  New York (002402), Texas (205147), and Washington (LF 61090853).   I maintain a multi-state, private practice with office locations in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest.  I also provide Telehealth services in the states where I am licensed, to better serve client needs.  I have presented at various organizations and conferences including the Washington State Bar Association Family Law Section, the Washington chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts ("AFCC") and the Bay Area Psychological Association ("BAPA") on topics such as child custody, domestic violence, alienation, and parenting coordination.   I specialize in court-involved counseling, family law matters, and child custody mediation.    I also provide legal and ethical consultation to other marriage and family therapists throughout the state of California, and I have provided clinical training and supervision of other therapists on their path to licensure.  As a California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists ("CAMFT") certified supervisor, I have received voluntary training, education, and experience to supervise other marriage and family therapists, going above and beyond the standard requirements of the Board of Behavioral Sciences.

Prior to starting my private clinical, legal, and forensic practice, I worked as a lawyer for almost two decades representing clients as an intellectual property and business attorney throughout the Silicon Valley and internationally, including high-technology startups in both transactional law and litigation.   I later worked as a family law attorney representing clients in complex child custody matters.  Currently, I offer strategic consultation in family law focusing on child custody.  I also provide expert witness services in domestic violence, child custody, and in cases where a child is resisting/refusing contact with a parent in post-separation family law cases.  I provide child custody evaluations, brief focused assessments, and emergency screenings for Family Law Courts throughout California (i.e., as a "730 Expert").  I serve on the Board of the AFCC in Washington State, and served as the ethics co-chair for the San Mateo County Psychological Association (now part of BAPA).  

I earned my B.S. in Journalism, magna cum laude, from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, my law degree from UCLA School of Law, and my Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco’s Graduate School of Education with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy.

My New York law license was "suspended" solely due to a voluntary decision not to pay bar dues, as I do not reside or practice law in New York. There is no "inactive" status in New York.