I specialize in helping people just like you find clarity in the chaos—whether you’re still deciding your path or already walking toward freedom. Whether you’re dealing with infidelity, deceptive sexuality, betrayal trauma, emotional and narcissistic abuse, coercive control, or the ongoing challenges that come after separation, I understand the confusion and fear you’re experiencing—because I’ve been there too.
Right now, you need someone who can help you see clearly through the fog of manipulation and trauma. Someone who understands that healing doesn’t end when you walk away—sometimes, that’s when you need support the most.
Whether you’re asking “Should I stay or should I go?” or “How do I rebuild after leaving?”—you don’t have to figure this out alone. Together, we’ll untangle the confusion, identify what you’re really dealing with, and create a path forward that honors your strength and your worth.
I'm Michellene Burke
And clarity begins here.
Your healing begins with clarity—at any stage of your journey.
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Born in the Philippines, where divorce is still illegal and infidelity normalized, I grew up surrounded by toxic patriarchal norms. Moving through Canada, Southern California, and across the U.S. exposed me to different but equally harmful dynamics—where betrayal was hidden behind status, religion, or appearances.
With roots in Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, and evangelical traditions, I’ve seen how toxic relational patterns transcend cultures and beliefs. That’s why I hold zero judgment for anyone involved—betrayed, betrayer, or their families—and focus instead on breaking generational cycles and creating space for true healing.
I grew up where toxic masculinity and betrayal were just ‘normal’
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I’ve worked with it all. Having a satellite office overseas, and growing up navigating multiple cultures myself, I understand the unique complexities that arise when your healing journey intersects with cultural expectations, religious beliefs, and family dynamics that span continents and generations.
- Mixed-faith & religious trauma
- Military Families
- Same-Sex challenges and acting out
I “get” and speak fluent ‘mixed everything’
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I’m unabashedly a Disney fan (both Disneyland and Disneyworld), but not for the reasons you might think. Yes, I love the magic and transformation of a healthy inner child, but I also love helping clients recognize all the red flags we were taught to see as “romance” in those classic stories.
Belle falling for her captor? Ariel giving up her voice for a man? We grew up believing these were love stories, when they’re actually cautionary tales about trauma bonding and losing yourself for love. Real healing happens when we can honor our inner child’s need for wonder while developing the wisdom to recognize what healthy love actually looks like.
Did you know Disney movies and deep healing go together?
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Beyond my clinical work, I’m a passionate domestic violence advocate because I know that abuse doesn’t always look like what people think it does. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), emotional abuse, narcissistic abuse recovery, coercive control, financial manipulation, sexual coercion—these invisible wounds are just as real and devastating as physical ones.
Having worked with survivors from every background and walked alongside them through court systems, family dynamics, and healing journeys, I understand that leaving is often the most dangerous time, and staying requires its own kind of courage.
I’m a DV advocate who gets it from every angle.
MOre ON Me
Traning & Experience
Case strategy, mediation preparation, and trauma-informed counseling and planning for high-conflict situations—because moving on and healing require more than just walking away.
Protecting what matters most while you rebuild
THE STRATEGY
Specialized guidance through polygraph and therapeutic disclosure processes—because healing requires honesty, and you deserve the whole story. No matter where you are in your journey, your voice matters.
When you need to know everything (and know it’s real)
THE TRUTH
Individuals, couples, and family support to help make sense of the chaos, understand what you’re really dealing with, and decide your next steps with confidence.
Finding your answers when everything feels upside down
THE CLARITY
Dr. Catherine Barrett is a licensed Clinical Forensic Psychologist, based out of Los Angeles, California. She first gained clinical experience after graduating from University of Southern California in 2009, with a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Through her training and experience, she has worked with marginalized communities, committed to social justice in mental health, and has developed a practice that is not only cross-culturally competent, but affirmative. Clinical training and populations include addiction recovery, LGBTQ+, domestic and intimate partner violence, chronic mental illness, and narcissistic personality disorder. Dr. Barrett specializes in narcissistic abuse recovery.
Catherine Barrett, PsyD, MFT
Ramani Durvasula, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in California, the founder and CEO of LUNA Education, Training and Consulting, and professor emeritus. She is the New York Times Bestselling Author of It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People.
She is also the author of multiple other books including “Don’t You Know Who I Am”: How to Stay Sane in the Era of Narcissism, Entitlement and Incivility and Should I Stay or Should I Go: Surviving a Relationship With a Narcissist. She has lectured and trained therapists around the world on best practices on working with clients experiencing narcissistic abuse and has developed a 36 hour virtual training and certification program in conjunction with PESI to train clinicians on how to use an Antagonism-Informed approach with clients experiencing narcissistic relationships.
Dr. Ramani Durvasula
Trained by the best
Dr. Omar Minwalla is a Licensed Psychologist and Clinical Sexologist trained at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Minwalla has spent 20 years as a first responder on the front lines of treating infidelity and compulsive sexual behavior.
His grounded theory of Deceptive Sexuality and Trauma Treatment (DSTT) not only establishes a new standard of care for the treatment of infidelity, compulsive sexual behavior disorders, and sex addiction, but shines a light on a unique method for the treatment of systemic abuse, injustice and complex trauma, called Intentional Vibe Trauma Treatment (IVTT).
Dr. Omar Minwalla
David B. Wexler, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in San Diego, specializing in the treatment of relationships in conflict. He is the Executive Director of the non-profit Relationship Training Institute, which provides education and treatment internationally for relationship development and the prevention and treatment of relationship violence.
Dr. David Wexler
Coercive Control Consulting Institute Fouthnder Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola, DSW, LCSW is a Coercive Control Educator, Speaker, Clinician, Coach, and Survivor. She is a tenured college professor teaching social work for the last 20 years and has been a social justice advocate since the age of 19, volunteering for local domestic abuse/sexual assault agencies.
Dr. Christine Cocchiola
I’ve been where you are. I know what it feels like when the person you trusted most becomes the person who hurts you most. I understand the confusion of loving someone who’s destroying you, and the guilt and fear that come with even considering leaving.
But here’s what makes my approach different: I don’t just look at symptoms—I understand systems. Religious systems that shame you for leaving. Cultural systems that prioritize image over safety. Family systems that enable abuse. Legal systems that re-traumatize victims. And unfortunately, therapeutic systems that sometimes cause more harm than healing.
WHY
IT MATTERS
If you’ve experienced treatment-induced trauma—if a therapist blamed you, minimized your pain, or told you to “ forgive and move on”—I want you to know that wasn’t healing. That was institutional betrayal, and it’s not your fault.
My trauma-informed, victim-sensitive approach recognizes that you’re not broken—you’re responding normally to abnormal treatment. Whether you’re trying to heal your relationship or heal from your relationship, you deserve support that honors your experience, validates your reality, and empowers your choices.
You’ve been through enough judgment. Here, you’ll find only compassion, strategy, and the specialized expertise you need to reclaim your life—on your terms.
