Don G. Brown, M.Ed., Th.D. (Retired)

Licensed Marriage/Family Therapist, Florida
Certified Addictions Professional, Florida

Don G. Brown

Dr. Don Brown is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Florida, and is also a Certified Addictions Professional. He is a clinical member of The American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and an Approved Supervisor in this organization. He is also a Fellow in The American Association of Pastoral Counselors.

He graduated from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, and has a Master’s Degree from Auburn University and a Doctorate from Emory University. He is also an ordained Methodist minister.

Dr. Brown has been in practice in Fort Walton Beach, Florida for two decades, and was a founding partner in Family and Child Development. Prior to that he was in private practice in Birmingham, AL, and was a program director at the Cheaha Mental Health Center in Sylacuaga, AL. He works from a family perspective, and deals with marital and divorce issues, adolescent problems, and individual issues such as stress, substance abuse, and personal growth.

I became interested in Marriage and Family Therapy in the mid 1970’s. At that time it was a relatively new field, but was growing rather quickly. Unlike other disciplines – such as guidance and counseling, or psychology – marriage and family therapy approaches problems from a systems perspective, looking at the entire system of the family – husband and wife, children, and even extended family – since we affect and are affected by those close to us.

I was president of the Alabama Association of Marriage and Family Therapists in the early 1980’s and we worked to bring licensure and understanding to the field. Florida was in the lead with recognizing the discipline and today almost every state licenses Marriage and Family Therapists. Universities such as Auburn and Florida State have programs in this discipline. The Department of Defense saw this as an important field and included Marriage and Family Therapists as full providers in Tricare, along with psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers.

I am also an ordained Methodist minister and am a Fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. For several years I was the director of an alcohol and drug treatment center and I am certified as an Addictions Professional (CAP) in Florida.

My practice in Fort Walton Beach began about 20 years ago and I am proud of the quality of service that our staff at Family and Child Development provides for children, adolescents, and adults.