Eating Disorder, PTSD, & Standard of Care Expert

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

Sarah Burney, LCSW, CEDS-S, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist & Supervisor with over a decade of clinical and leadership experience. She provides expert witness services in cases involving eating disorders, psychiatric standard of care, trauma, and complex mental health conditions. Her areas of expertise include: Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID) Psychiatric standard of care and negligence Acute and complex trauma (including PTSD) Substance use disorders Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Depressive and anxiety disorders Level of care determinations (inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP, outpatient) Risk assessment and clinical decision-making Ms. Burney has extensive experience treating patients across the full continuum of care, including inpatient and outpatient treatment settings for eating disorders, mental health, and substance use disorders. She previously served as a Director at one of the nation’s largest adult eating disorder treatment centers, where she oversaw clinical programming, managed multidisciplinary teams, and worked with high-acuity and medically complex cases. In addition to her clinical work, Ms. Burney has served as an expert witness and consultant in legal matters involving mental health and eating disorders. She provides case review, report writing, and testimony, and is experienced in evaluating adherence to standard of care. She has presented at international conferences and universities and has trained a wide range of mental health professionals. Her clinical framework is grounded in humanistic and psychodynamic principles, and she is trained in multiple evidence-based modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), EMDR, and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).