Meet Alisson Burda, LCSW (she/her)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker | Child, Family, and Individual Therapy in Madison, WI
When You Expect More of Yourself Than Anyone Else Would
Your child has been more anxious, struggling with big feelings, or acting out after a hard change, a scary experience, or trouble with friends. You want to help, but you’re unsure what they need or what to try next. You don’t have to figure it out alone.
Or you’re reaching out for yourself. You’ve been holding it together for a long time, and lately it’s starting to show. You feel anxious or low more often than you used to. You’re snapping at people you love, losing track of things you used to manage, or not enjoying what once brought you joy. You might be thinking, “I should be farther along than I am.”
Many of the people I work with expect a lot of themselves. They take the blame for things outside their control, like someone else’s happiness or how they survived something painful. For women and moms especially, even choosing yourself can feel selfish. Whether you’re here for yourself or your child, I see asking for help as a healthy, positive step. Your feelings deserve attention, and we’ll build on the strengths you already bring.
No Pressure to Get It Right Here
I’m calm, friendly, and flexible, and I use humor often. I’ll start where you are. My approach is strengths-based, with room to acknowledge what’s hard and recognize what’s working.
In our first few sessions, I’ll get to know you and what you’ve been through. We’ll talk about what we can expect from each other and set goals together, focusing on helping you feel comfortable, heard, and respected. And if you don’t get to something we talked about between sessions, I won’t be disappointed in you.
With younger children, therapy often looks like play and art, so they feel at ease and have fun. I make sure parents feel heard, too.
My areas of focus include:
- Children and their parents: Support for kids with anxiety, big emotions, or behavior changes related to stress, life changes, trouble with friends, or trauma. I draw on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), coping skills education, and play-based approaches, as well as Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), with a strong focus on the parent-child relationship.
- Young adults facing change: Help with anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationship struggles, personal identity, and family tension, as well as trauma. This can include the pain of feeling like your parents don’t see you for who you are.
- Adults moving through life’s phases: Space to recognize old patterns and relationships that no longer serve you, set boundaries with more confidence, and learn that choosing yourself isn’t selfish.
Across these areas, we’ll consider how your experiences and relationships shape the way you see yourself today. Understanding those connections can take some of the weight off and help us find a useful place to begin.
Signs Therapy Is Starting to Help
Clients tell me they’re yelling at their kids less, sleeping better, and feeling more comfortable setting boundaries with people they love. They’re putting off hard things less often and starting to enjoy life again. They also notice more confidence, better self-care, and an increased ability to manage emotions and use healthy coping skills.
For children, progress can look like handling big feelings more calmly and using the coping skills we’ve practiced. Parents often notice these changes at home, too.
What Keeps Me Connected to This Work
I’ve always been in tune with emotions, both my own and other people’s, so this work felt like a natural fit. I’ve been a clinical social worker for more than 22 years, including many years at a local nonprofit providing in-home family therapy and supervising other clinicians.
Helping people feels good and important to me. I believe improving our community and the world around us starts with ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our peers. Providing therapy is one way I can contribute.
When I’m not working, I enjoy time with my loved ones, creating art, and playing with my dog, Phyllis.
Alisson’s Education, License & Training
Education
- Master of Science in Social Work, Clinical Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2004)
- B.A. in Social Welfare and Women’s Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
License
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Wisconsin
Selected Trainings and Certifications
- Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) Learning Community
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Motivational Interviewing (MI)
- Ongoing Multicultural Awareness, Diversity and Equality Training
- Ongoing training in trauma, child therapy, ADHD, anxiety, and ethics and boundaries
