Marilyn Burns

I started my career in mental health 34 years ago. I've always been drawn to helping others. I have many highlights in my career and the one that I am most proud of was the building and directing of the holistic health center in Canfield Ohio in 1996. This was significant was many reasons but has helped me as a professional and individual. I am divorced and have been for many years. My youngest son Chris was in social work until his death in 2007 and my surviving son, Jason, is an attorney in Ohio. He is employed with the law director in Trumbull County. My specialty in mental health is PTSD. I am very interested in helping others to grow through their pain and to understand the path to healing and recovery from loss

Articles:

Keep the Spirit of Your Loved One Alive at Christmas

When the holiday season arrives, it takes me back in time. It is a bittersweet relive of the memories of Christmas past. I gave birth to two sons, Chris was my youngest and Jason my first born. The boys were best friends and partners in crime. My holidays were full of joy and meaning because of the excitement and fun that the boys created for me. Their father left when they were four and six and so it was always the three of us…and any animals that were able to join in the fun. My Christmas mornings were always the […]

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As Seasons Change, So Does Grief

Grief is a very difficult passage to make. We hope when we are grief stricken that someday we will no longer grieve. The reality in grief is that we really don’t “get over” it; we learn instead to live with it. I lost my son to an opiate addiction in 2007. As you can imagine, it was a very difficult time in my life. As a mother, I did everything I could to keep him alive and happy. However, the day came in my life where parenting had to change. When my son became an adult, I had to let […]

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Message of Robin Williams’ Death: Mental Illness Can Kill

Robin Williams got the world’s attention by making us belly laugh. He was also able to bring tears to our eyes by the meaningful messages he would leave us in a profound line of a movie or a conclusion of a stand-up comedy act. Now that our country is in a crisis due to drug-related deaths, he is leaving us with a message that mental illness, drug addiction, and alcoholism must be taken seriously because they can kill you. This death is untimely for Robin and his family. However, it is timely for those fighting for their lives. My son […]

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Son’s Death a Nightmare That Ends In Hope

I started my career in mental health over 30 years ago. I genuinely wanted to help people to feel better. I have many highlights in my career, and the one that I am most proud of was the building and directing of the holistic health center that I opened in 1996. This was significant for many reasons but most importantly, it was a future for my son, Christopher. Chris had hopes of getting a degree in social work and taking over my practice as I moved toward retirement. His hopes were to be a substance abuse counselor. My oldest son, […]

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