About

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Washington State, and have been in private practice since 2012. I hold a BA from Yale University and an MA in Psychology from Antioch University Seattle. I am a fully trained EMDR therapist and was certified in Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy in 2019. I am a member of the American Mental Health Counselors Association, and the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). I have given trainings to mental health professionals on a range of topics and served as President of the Pierce County Counselors Association. I share my practice (Burgess & Gugger, PLLC) with my wife and co-therapist, Ann Gugger.

In earlier adulthood I was a professional musician with advanced degrees in orchestral conducting. I also worked for five years at a think tank devoted to sustainability issues called Sightline Institute, and recently spent two years teaching history and psychology to high school students. I have written two books on the topic of nonviolent social change, and once undertook monastic training in Zen. I continue to meditate and practice yoga daily.

I regard my therapy practice as a form of activism in a world ravaged by the accumulated effects of trauma over centuries and millennia. I believe social change requires active, synchronous intervention at all levels, including our relationship with ourselves and our loved ones. In both of these domains we can discover and practice nonviolence. Along with much else, this can begin to heal the world.