Liz Burns

Liz Burns qualified as a social worker in 1972, with further specialist training in social work in child mental health settings in the mid 80s. Since then, she has worked in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, initially in social work posts and then as a consultant family therapist in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust.

Alongside her NHS work she has always maintained an independent clinical, training and consultation practice. Having retired from the NHS, she relocated to West Cornwall where her independent activities continue.

She has taught on training courses in family and systemic psychotherapy at all levels, currently including Intermediate Course in Plymouth, MSc in Exeter and training for social care teams in Cornwall.

Liz is committed to promoting systemic approaches and skills as widely as possible across the helping professions. She has a special interest in therapists’ personal and professional development, and her doctoral research explored this in relation to the influence of literary reading.