Makyla Burnam, B.S.

Master’s Level Marriage and Family Graduate Student Intern

Licensure Track: LMFT, Clinically Supervised by: Valarie Harris LPC-MHSP-S, NCC(License #2412)

 

Copyright: Valarie L. Harris Photography

"Everyone makes sense in the context of their story. Our emotional and mental wellness are shaped by culture, personal experience and relationships. Healing happens in the context of safe, meaningful connection. Therapy is a space to explore those influences with compassion, so you can move toward clarity, empowerment, and wholeness."

 

Specialties:

Relational Issues| Attachment Issues| Couples Therapy | Family Conflict | Identity Exploration | Internal Family Systems | Boundaries | Trauma Recovery | Emotionally Focused Therapy | Nervous System & Body-Based Awareness | Parent-Child Connection | Intergenerational Dynamics | Integrative Therapy | Family Therapy | Behavioral Therapy

Services Offered:

Individual Counseling | Couples Counseling | Family Counseling | Internal Family Systems Therapy | Emotionally Focused Therapy | Trauma-Informed Care | Attachment Based Therapy | Integrative Therapy

Primary Populations:

Couples with relationship issues | Family Dynamics | Parenting Issues | Infidelity | Connection in Relationships | Individuals with Adjustment Issues, Anxiety, Depression, or Trauma | Divorce | Women’s Issues and Identity Shifts | New/Expecting Parents | Cycle-Breakers

Prior Experience:

  • Sunrise Counseling Services | Marriage and Family Therapy Student Intern

  • Early Autism Services | Certified Behavior Technician

Advanced Training:

  • Trauma Treatment Training-- Dr. Janina Fisher

  • Personality Disorders: Advanced Diagnosis, Treatment & Management-- Dr. Gregory Lester

  • Integrative Sex and Couples Therapy-- Dr. Tammy Nelson

  • Clinical Interventions for Couples & Boundary Work

  • Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)

  • Interpersonal Neurobiology & Mindfulness-- Dr. Dan Siegel & Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn

  • Attachment, Trauma & Temperament in Personality Development-- Dr. Dan Siegel

  • Trauma-Sensitive Somatic Techniques

Upcoming Trainings:

  • Treating Complex Trauma with Internal Family Systems (IFS)

  • Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) Level 1

Professional Memberships & Advocacy Groups:

  • American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)

  • American Counseling Association (ACA)

Related Research & Presentations:

  • Stay Tuned!

Meet Makyla

If you’re looking for a clinician who is empathetic, compassionate, and straightforward, you’ll want to meet Makyla.

With a deep understanding of how our relationships shape our inner world, Makyla is passionate about helping individuals, couples, and families untangle patterns that no longer serve them. She believes that healing begins in safe, meaningful connection—both with others and with ourselves. Whether you’re navigating a life transition, feeling the impact of relational wounds, or struggling to feel truly seen, Makyla brings warmth, clarity, and structure to the therapy room. 

Her approach is grounded in the belief that everyone makes sense in the context of their story. Makyla works to help clients uncover how past experiences—especially in relationships—may be shaping present-day struggles. She supports clients in identifying harmful patterns, building emotional insight, and creating more authentic, secure connections.

Makyla is completing her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at Trevecca University. She is exceptionally skilled in working with families and couples. These systems often reflect unspoken dynamics and unmet needs, and she’s passionate about creating space for honest reflection and deep repair. She also helps individuals reconnect with who they are, honor their needs, and learn to show up more fully in their own lives.

Therapy with Makyla is a collaborative and transformative experience. Her goal is to walk beside you as you reconnect with the parts of yourself that may have been silenced, shamed, or forgotten—and help you move toward a version of life that feels more whole, more possible, and more yours.

Who Makyla Works Best With:

  • Individuals exploring life transitions, emotional overwhelm, or identity questions

  • Couples and families seeking more understanding, connection, and healing

  • Clients working through trauma, relational distress, or unmet emotional needs

  • Anyone looking for a therapist who blends compassion with honest, thoughtful feedback

Outside of the therapy room

Makyla brings creativity and passion to every part of her life. Before becoming a therapist, she spent over a decade as a competitive and professional dancer. Dance, music, and art continue to be powerful sources of joy and restoration for her. Creative expression isn’t just a hobby—it’s part of her self-care, and something she often invites her clients to explore in their own healing work.

As an ENFJ (Protagonist) on the Myers-Briggs and someone who leads with heart and vision, Makyla brings intuitive insight and grounded presence to her work. Clients describe her as warm, steady, and deeply engaged—someone who offers both support and meaningful challenge in a way that helps them grow.

Ready to take the first step toward healing?

Book a free, confidential 15-minute consult with Makyla today and explore what a personalized, trauma-informed path forward can look like.