Betrayal Trauma Specialist · Doctoral Candidate in Sex Therapy · New York, NY
Megan Burton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Associate Sex Addiction Therapist who has dedicated her clinical practice to one specific wound: betrayal trauma. She is the founder of Trust After Trauma and the developer of the Compass Recovery Model.
Megan holds a Master of Arts in Psychology in Education from Columbia University Teachers College and has trained extensively in trauma-informed approaches to partner betrayal, infidelity, and sex addiction. Her current doctoral research in Sex Therapy centers on the Compass Recovery Model — a structured, phase-based framework she developed to address the specific terrain of betrayal trauma, where standard PTSD and grief protocols leave critical gaps.
As an Associate Sex Addiction Therapist (ASAT), Megan brings specialized expertise in the intersection of partner betrayal and compulsive sexual behavior — an area that most generalist therapists are not trained to navigate. Her approach integrates research from Sue Johnson (EFT), Snyder & Gordon (IBCT), Stefanie Carnes, and the Gottman Institute.
She runs a weekly online betrayal trauma support group through Psychology Today and provides clinician training through the Trust After Trauma professional program, helping licensed therapists bring the Compass Model into their own practices.
View Psychology Today Profile → Verified ClinicianColumbia University Teachers College. Clinical focus on trauma, attachment, and relational psychology.
Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of New York. Individual and group clinical practice.
Specialized training in sex addiction, compulsive sexual behavior, and partner betrayal trauma.
Current doctoral research focused on the Compass Recovery Model as a structured intervention for betrayal trauma.
Training in nervous system regulation, somatic approaches, and polyvagal theory applied to relational trauma.
Clinician-led weekly betrayal trauma support groups. Psychoeducation, regulation, and peer support.
Every resource on this site — the articles, the assessment, the Compass Recovery Model, the group program — is grounded in Megan's doctoral-level research and direct clinical experience. This is not internet advice. It is structured, evidence-informed material built specifically for betrayal trauma survivors.
The Compass Recovery Model integrates frameworks from:
The result is a five-stage framework — Discovery, Stabilization, Integration, Healing, and Beyond — that gives survivors a clear map through the most disorienting experience of their lives.
Learn about the Compass Recovery Model →Whether you are a survivor looking for structured support, or a clinician wanting to bring the Compass Model into your practice, there is a pathway designed for where you are right now.