About the Institute
Launched in 2023, The Institute for Mental Health Professional Standards aims to elevate the quality and breadth of ethics training for mental health professionals, the judiciary, nurse practitioners, guardians ad litem, child and family investigators (CFIs), and parental responsibility evaluators (PREs).
Based in Denver, Colorado, the Institute for Mental Health Professional Standards is respected by professionals in the legal and mental health fields alike.
Robert A. Lees
Founding Board Member
Attorney Robert A. Lees is the founding member of The Institute for Mental Health Professional Standards as well as the founder and principal of Robert A. Lees & Associates law firm. For over 40 years, he has specialized in resolving complex legal and ethical issues associated with regulatory grievances, litigation, arbitration, mediation, and appellate actions at the state and federal levels. As an expert in mental health law, he has served on various task forces and has been selected to governor-appointed positions such as the Board of Licensed Professional Counselors in Colorado and the Colorado P.O.S.T. Board (Peace Officer Standards and Training). Robert is the author of five regulatory law publications and regularly speaks at national and state conferences. Based in Colorado, Robert serves mental health professionals and corporate clients across the United States. He appears in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and Who’s Who in American Law, where he is named among the top one percent of the nation’s lawyers.
Robert A. Lees
Attorney Robert A. Lees is the founding member of The Institute for Mental Health Professional Standards, as well as the founder and principal of Robert A. Lees & Associates law firm. For over 40 years, he has specialized in resolving complex legal and ethical issues associated with regulatory grievances, litigation, arbitration, mediation, and appellate actions at the state and federal levels. As an expert in mental health law, he has served on various task forces and has been selected to governor-appointed positions such as the Board of Licensed Professional Counselors in Colorado and the Colorado P.O.S.T. Board (Peace Officer Standards and Training). Robert is the author of five regulatory law publications and regularly speaks at national and state conferences. Based in Colorado, Robert serves mental health professionals and corporate clients across the United States. He appears in the Martindale-Hubbell Register of Preeminent Lawyers and Who’s Who in American Law, where he is named among the top one percent of the nation’s lawyers.
Institute Board Members
Ryan M. Burkhart, Ph.D.
Board Member
Dr. Ryan M. Burkhart is a recognized leader in the Colorado professional counselor community. Through legislative efforts and advocacy, he was instrumental in improving the professional standards for the credentialing and supervision of licensed professional counselors (LPCs). Dr. Burkhart teaches in-seat and online courses at Colorado Christian University as part of the Master of Arts in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program, and in 2016 was a recipient of the Colorado Counseling Association Outstanding Counselor Educator award. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Colorado Counseling Association (CCA) where he helps represent more than 10,000 professional counselors. As a licensed professional counselor himself, he maintains a small clinical supervision and consultation practice. He has extensive clinical experience working with youth in a variety of settings, including wilderness therapy and correctional facilities. He is the proud son of an Indiana farming family and presently lives in the greater Denver area with his wife and three children.
Jill Manning, Ph.D.
Board Member
Dr. Jill Manning is a licensed marriage and family therapist who brings to the Institute’s Board of Directors a diverse professional portfolio and more than two decades of experience in the fields of communications and mental health. As a native of Canada, she has provided therapeutic care in various settings, including hospitals, schools, community clinics, and private practices in Canada and the United States. Her research and clinical work have been featured in numerous peer-reviewed journals, books, television programs, documentaries, radio shows, podcasts, and magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine. While serving as a social science fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., she testified as an expert witness before a US Senate subcommittee about the harms of Internet pornography, and she remains an active voice in Internet safety initiatives nationally. Dr. Manning is a regularly sought-out speaker who is motivated to find the best presenters available for the benefit of the Institute’s training library and audience. Outside of professional work, she enjoys early morning walks, traveling with her family, and volunteering in the community.
Trever Shirin, LPC
Board Member & Executive Producer
Trever brings a rare mix of clinical and multimedia talents to his role as the executive producer for The Institute for Mental Health Professional Standards. Additionally, he currently works as the director of content at Mayfield Counseling Centers and the multimedia producer for the Colorado Counseling Association. He also manages his own freelance company to provide digital marketing support to mental health providers. In addition to his production roles, Trever is a licensed professional counselor candidate who is focused on creating engaging and high-quality mental health resources for clients and clinicians alike. He is passionate about improving public access to mental health services in light of the growing need for mental health care. Trever’s greatest joy is being a husband to his wife Bry and father to his two children. He loves rock climbing, board games, and finding ways to implement his skills into his hobbies, including creating a podcast called Therapy Level Midnight about the TV show, The Office.
Institute Board Members
Jill Manning, Ph.D.
Board Member
Dr. Jill Manning is a licensed marriage and family therapist who brings to the Institute’s Board of Directors a diverse professional portfolio and more than two decades of experience in the fields of communications and mental health. As a native of Canada, she has provided therapeutic care in various settings, including hospitals, schools, community clinics, and private practices in Canada and the United States. Her research and clinical work have been featured in numerous peer-reviewed journals, books, television programs, documentaries, radio shows, podcasts, and magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine. While serving as a social science fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., she testified as an expert witness before a US Senate subcommittee about the harms of Internet pornography, and she remains an active voice in Internet safety initiatives nationally. Dr. Manning is a regularly sought-out speaker who is motivated to find the best presenters available for the benefit of the Institute’s training library and audience. Outside of professional work, she enjoys early morning walks, traveling with her family, and volunteering in the community.
Ryan M. Burkhart, Ph.D.
Board Member
Dr. Ryan M. Burkhart is a recognized leader in the Colorado professional counselor community. Through legislative efforts and advocacy, he was instrumental in improving the professional standards for the credentialing and supervision of licensed professional counselors (LPCs). Dr. Burkhart teaches in-seat and online courses at Colorado Christian University as part of the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program, and in 2016 he was a recipient of the Colorado Counseling Association Outstanding Counselor Educator award. He currently serves as the executive director of the Colorado Counseling Association (CCA), where he helps represent more than 10,000 professional counselors. As an LPC himself, he maintains a small clinical supervision and consultation practice. He has extensive clinical experience working with youth in a variety of settings, including wilderness therapy and correctional facilities. He is the proud son of an Indiana farming family and presently lives in the greater Denver area with his wife and three children.
Trever Shirin, LPC
Board Member & Executive Producer
Trever brings a rare mix of clinical and multimedia talents to his role as the executive producer for The Institute for Mental Health Professional Standards. Additionally, he currently works as the director of content at Mayfield Counseling Centers and the multimedia producer for the Colorado Counseling Association. He also manages his own freelance company to provide digital marketing support to mental health providers. In addition to his production roles, Trever is a licensed professional counselor candidate who is focused on creating engaging and high-quality mental health resources for clients and clinicians alike. He is passionate about improving public access to mental health services in light of the growing need for mental health care. Trever’s greatest joy is being a husband to his wife Bry and father to his two children. He loves rock climbing, board games, and finding ways to implement his skills into his hobbies, including creating a podcast called Therapy Level Midnight about the TV show, The Office.