Dr. Adam Bruno, LMFT, LEP (2025)

14/05/2025

Last week, I went with the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates to meet with legislators' offices. Our goal was to defend special education in this country. I can confidently say from personal and professional experience that the entire educational system in this country has its flaws. However, eliminating the Department of Education, especially unilaterally, would be absolutely disastrous. I'll probably get into that on another post if people are interested.

However, right now, I want to address the issue of cost and money. The biggest argument against funding education is how much it costs. In fact, IDEA has never been fully funded since its inception 50 years ago. It's understandably frustrating to hear arguments about how it's not doing what it's supposed to when it's never been properly funded. You can't demand catering for 1,000 people, only provide supplies to feed 300 people, and then complain that there's not enough food.

Secondly, this is a government not a business. The point of education isn't to turn a profit. It's to allocate our tax dollars to raising, educating, and enriching the next generation. It's an investment in the future that pays off in advances in medicine, engineering, and other technology.

Finally, I would like to address the oft-maligned humanities. Liberal arts, gender studies, African American studies, and the like. They are often decried as useless wastes of time and money. However, I think they're not only important but necessary. Without the humanities, we lose our empathy as a society and...well, our humanity. Besides, I've never heard somebody call the humanities useless who could accurately describe the course material.

Education doesn't just give you information; it also teaches you how to think. It teaches you to critically examine information, debunk misinformation, and explore the unfamiliar. And that's precisely what tyrants don't want.

We need a robust, effective, and accessible education system. That's the only way we can thrive.

05/05/2025

Despite having a degree in what many people consider to be a more lucrative field, I can still confidently say humanities are absolutely vital. Without it, we lose our empathy as a society and...oh. Oh, right.

04/02/2025

Lately, I've been getting an uptick in parental alienation cases as an expert. I've also had more instances of parental alienation in my private practice than I can count.

Since it's been on my mind, I figured I'd make a PSA about what parental alienation is. I will not be getting into how to combat it because I won't be able to fit both its description and strategies to deal with it in a single post. Maybe in the future if there are requests.

Parental alienation is when one parent, through words, actions, and/or other behaviors, causes their child to become fearful, avoidant, or antagonistic to the other parent. This can (and often does) also include the other parent's new partner. Parental alienation can be unintentional, but it is usually deliberate.

Examples of parental alienation include exaggerated denigration or "badmouthing" the other parent to the child, such as "Your father would've been in town for your birthday if you were actually important to him" or "Your mother only cares about her new family now." Ironically, telling your child that the other parent is alienating them can itself be an example of parental alienation.

As you can see, this is a sticky situation. Parental alienation is almost as hard to prove as it is to disprove. Without (and often, even with) extensive documentation, parental alienation often boils down to one parent's word against the other's. To top it all off, it's not unheard of for both parents to be engaged in parental alienation, knowingly or otherwise.

If anyone has any questions, you're welcome to ask them here or send me a message. You can also share some of your own stories if you'd like, but remember this is a public forum so you might want to be discerning with the self-disclosure.

24/01/2025

So many people are frothing at the mouth and spitting venom at Right Rev. Marianne Budde. What was it she said that was so incendiary? Here it is for those who don't want to look it up.

“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you and, as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, le***an and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They…may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples.

"I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people. Good of all people in this nation and the world. Amen."

Trump's response?

He demanded a public apology from the Episcopal Church and Budde, who he called a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater” who “brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way” and was “nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart” on Truth Social early Tuesday.

Speaking at the White House afterwards, Trump said the service was “not too exciting” and added “I didn’t think it was a good service…They could do much better.”

I don't know how to tell you this, but asking for kindness, compassion, and mercy isn't "Radical Left," and if you think it makes you a Trump hater, then you're following the wrong person and the wrong religion...which apparently worships King TrumpJesus.

Trump is not your Messiah. He is the reflection of the worst of humanity.

Source: Forbes

07/01/2025

A few questions have come up quite a bit lately when I tell people what I do. I mean, what does an expert witness do, exactly?

I write reports and give testimony in the areas of psychology (including neurodivergence and trauma), education, LGBTQIA+ issues, and disability access. Those are more niches than most experts have, but I have two professional licenses, three professional credentials, an assistive technology certification, a doctorate, and a partridge in a pear tree. I am not a jack of all trades; I am a master of many.

It is my job to review all relevant documentation, speak to any relevant parties, and then deliver my report or give testimony in front of a lawyer for the opposing side who wants to make me look like an idiot at best and wants to end my career at worst. Not all attorneys keep it above the belt, as it were. There's a reason why they call this a combat sport.

So, what if the person who retained me doesn't like my opinion?

Well, I find what I find. I will be tactful, open-minded, and collaborative, but I am not a hired gun. Right about now, I have given about 75% favorable opinions after being retained. There's nothing wrong with that number; it doesn't need to go up or down and it wouldn't be bad if it did. My job isn't to win the case. My job is to help the retaining party find the truth, and luckily I am very good at that. Sometimes that truth is, "Here's something that everyone missed, and I believe this will help you win your case handily." Sometimes that truth is, "Here are all the legitimate things the other side can get you on; it's up to you, but you might want to settle."

My opinion comes from decades of personal and professional experience, 10+ years of post-graduate education, an admittedly rather obsessive focus on quality and continued growth, and a genuine desire to uphold the highest levels of integrity. That's why I need to be confident in my opinion before I face people who want to tear it (and me) apart.

This is a combat sport, often on multiple fronts at once. I need to have a thick skin, unwavering integrity, an eye for detail, and extremely good self-control, among plenty of other things. If I don't, my career is over.

I do know this, however: I'm in the right profession. This feels right. I don't fear aggression from the opposing counsel; I look forward to handling it professionally and diplomatically. I don't even fear the unprofessional aggression that sometimes happens during depositions because I'm pretty sure that means I'm winning. Maybe it's because my father, who was an expert himself, taught me a bunch of his tricks. Or maybe it's just in my blood.

Anyway, that's what I do. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you for reading!

06/01/2025

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is much more insidious and yet prevalent than many people think. These symptoms don't always immediately show up; they can manifest within a few minutes or hours of the injury, or even days or weeks later.

If you or someone you know has taken a blow to the head and starts experiencing these symptoms, you should get them checked out immediately. Then again, anytime someone is hit on the head, it's probably a good idea to have them looked at.

01/01/2025

As 2024 draws to a close, it helps me to both look back on the year that was, and forward to the year to come.

2024 was certainly eventful. In no particular order, I turned 40, started a new business, gave a tearful farewell to both of my cats, picked up some more credentials, adopted new cats, supervised some new therapists, received expert witness cases in multiple states, got back into running in earnest, and set down and enforced several important boundaries.

2025 will hopefully be a year of personal and professional development and prosperity for me. I intend to pursue some more credentials such as school neuropsychology, and I look forward to working in more cases and expanding my business. Hopefully that'll include traveling as well.

What about you all? Any events/accomplishments of this year or plans for next year that you'd like to share?

21/12/2024

I know a lot of opponents of the supports often lumped into the catch-all label of "socialism" argue that if people don't have to work to survive, they'll sit around and do nothing. I respectfully disagree. I think when people don't have to worry about being one missed paycheck away from financial ruin, they'll be able to do amazing things.

Art, science, philosophy. How much more of them can we explore if we can focus on what we love rather than what we have to do to survive?

20/12/2024

Shame must change sides. All too often we as a society blame the victim. We need to place the blame where it's always been: on the perpetrators.

09/11/2024

Here's a short video about what comes next. If you watch it, I hope you take it to heart. We've got a long road ahead of us. I also mention some resources, but here they are below as well.

National Su***de Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK
Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860
Text TALK to 741741 to text with a trained counselor from the Crisis Text Line
The Trevor Project: thetrevorproject.org/get-help-now ; 1-866-488-7386 (they also have texting and online chat)
SAGE LGBT Elder Hotline: 1-888-234-SAGE

29/10/2024

Happy Monday, everyone! Are there any mental health questions or topics anyone would like more info on?

24/10/2024

As an expert witness and independent evaluator, I have a saying: I find what I find.

In the course of my document review, testing, interviewing, and other information gathering, I efficiently and thoroughly analyze the case data. I ask any necessary follow-up questions and request any appropriate additional information. Only then do I arrive at my expert opinion.

My expert opinion is not always in the retaining party's favor. While this may seem detrimental, I consider it just as important as a favorable opinion. This is for two primary reasons.

1. If a lawyer knows they don't have a strong case, they can opt to settle instead of fighting to the end, which can save a lot of time and money. Nobody wants to be dragged into a costly loss by a flimsy and biased opinion.

2. I hold myself to an extremely high standard of integrity and I want this to be obvious to those who work with me. I want them to know that I'll be honest with them. This way, they'll know if I give them a favorable opinion, I'll be able to defend it under cross examination.

So, yeah. It's a policy I inherited from my father who used to do similar work. I find what I find.

Dr. Adam Bruno, LMFT, LEP