Where Smart MindsMeet the ScienceOf Success.
When ability isn't showing up on campus or at work, a dedicated team of the field's most highly credentialed professionals changes that — with one-on-one support built around how you and your family think and learn.
Areas of Expertise
Support for Success on Every Goal
We exist for one purpose: helping smart minds turn potential into achievement on campus and at work. We partner with each person through early adulting transitions and goals.
StudentWise
For the bright student ready to shine at school and on campus.
- Executive function & regulation coaching
- Social-emotional learning (SEL) support
- Tutoring, IEP/504 advocacy, college admissions & test prep
- A one-on-one intake with a 26-year professor of brain research and learning theory builds the personalized roadmap
ParentWise
For the parent championing a neurodivergent learner’s success.
- Parent coaching for neurodivergence & SEL
- IEP / accommodation advocacy
- Workshops that build connection, boost student success, and grow independence
WorkWise
For adults advancing career, executive function, and well-being at work and in life.
- Individualized 1:1 coaching
- Career-development & work-life balance workshops
- Corporate train-the-trainer events
- Life & work masterclasses
We Work With Students, Parents & Adults
Specific support for students, parents, and adults. Here is what people bring to us.
Neurodivergence, Executive Function & Learning Differences
- •ADHD, high-functioning autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and related neurodivergence
- •Executive function, focus, and self-regulation (social-emotional learning)
- •Referrals, guidance, and case management from our interdisciplinary team — we guide, we don’t diagnose
Focus, Study Skills & Time Management
- •Sustained attention and focus strategies
- •Study systems, organization, and note-taking
- •Time management and accountability rhythms
College Transitions, ACT/SAT & Admissions
- •High school to college and career transitions
- •ACT/SAT preparation and college admissions support
- •Post-secondary pathway planning and executive skills for independence
Parent Strategy & Coaching
- •Understand your student's unique learning profile
- •Build confidence and reduce frustration
- •Navigate transitions with clarity and strategy
IEP/504 Advocacy & Navigation
- •Preparation for IEP and 504 meetings
- •Interpretation of psychoeducational evaluations
- •Advocacy to secure the accommodations your student is entitled to
Reduce Conflict & Build Independence
- •Shift from managing tasks to mentoring growth
- •Reduce conflict and increase student success
- •Build the skills that let your young person own their path
Career & Workplace Support
- •Career pivots and advancement
- •Workplace communication and self-advocacy
- •Executive function and neurodivergence at work
College-to-Career Transition
- •Translate a degree into a first role
- •Professional identity and workplace belonging
- •Soft skills, communication, and self-leadership
Corporate Train-the-Trainer Events
- •On-site workshops modeled on our train-the-trainer approach
- •Equip managers to coach neurodivergent and emerging talent
- •Work-life balance, well-being, and team belonging
25+
Years of Excellence
Elite Postdoctoral Credentials. Personal Attention.
Dr. Burns holds elite postdoctoral credentials from Harvard and Stanford and is a credentialed educational therapist. With 25+ years of direct, one-on-one work with thousands of students — and having led thousands of education and therapy faculty, she has helped secure approximately $63M in educational research grants. Every plan is customized by Dr. Burns and delivered by professionals she personally trains and supervises.
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Post-Doctoral Certificate in Transformational Change Leadership
Stanford d.School Life Design
Design Your Life and Workplace Certified Facilitator
Doctor of Education, Brain Research and Learning Theories
Summa cum laude, Outstanding Doctoral Graduate
Award-Winning Professor
25+ years teaching; keynote speaker on crisis in the classroom, social-emotional learning (SEL), neurodivergence, and student success
What Families See
Tracked across 25+ years of direct client work.
of students
show measurable gains in executive functioning and academic performance within the first eight sessions
of students
report stronger self-advocacy skills and clearer strategies for their learning difference after three months
of families
report reduced academic anxiety and renewed confidence after our intake and action planning process
years
guiding students and young professionals through learning, attention, and executive function challenges
Outcomes reflect 25+ years of clinical practice. Individual results vary.
Here Is How It Works
From your first call to a delivered action plan. Every step is built around your success.
Private Introductory Consultation
15 minutes
A private call to hear about you, your student, or your career. We listen before we charge you or recommend anything.
Wise Development Profile
60–90 min + analysis
A 60–90 minute intake plus 2–5 hours of background analysis of academic history, past evaluations, and what you say about your own experience. This shapes the entire plan.
Wise Action Plan
Delivered within 48 hours
You get a delivered action plan with specific goals, recommended services, and a proposed schedule. Built for your success — not a template.
Continuous Support & Adaptive Planning
Every 4–6 weeks
We track progress, update the plan as you grow, and stay in contact with your family, school team, and workplace as needed.
Complimentary · 15 minutes · No obligation
In Their Own Words
"The Wise Institute team completely transformed our son's relationship with school. After years of frustration and anxiety, he's heading into his freshman year of college with real confidence and the tools to succeed on his own."
Sarah M.
Parent of high school senior
"Dr. Burns helped our daughter navigate her first semester of college with a learning difference. The self-advocacy coaching was exactly what she needed — she now owns her own success."
Michael & Jennifer T.
Parents of college freshman
"I was skeptical that anything could help my 17-year-old, who had given up on school entirely. The Wise Institute gave us strategies, a plan, and hope. He's now on track to graduate and has a real path forward."
Rebecca L.
Parent of 11th grader
Frequently Asked
Questions families ask before getting started.
Our Learning Network
Trusted partners across Northwest Arkansas
Association of
Educational TherapistsStanford
Life Design LabMcLean Hospital
(Harvard Medical School)Association of
Educational TherapistsStanford
Life Design LabMcLean Hospital
(Harvard Medical School)Association of
Educational TherapistsStanford
Life Design LabMcLean Hospital
(Harvard Medical School)Let's Talk.
Book a free 15-minute call with Dr. Burns. You share what is going on. She tells you what she sees. No pressure, no commitment.
Serving families throughout Northwest Arkansas and virtually nationwide