Joyce Burel, MFCC (Picayne/Chukchansi) is a Senior Associate Mediator and Trainer with Indian Dispute Resolution Services. Ms. Burel has extensive background as a Family Mediator and brings her rich first-hand experience to IDRS’ Leadership Training Team. She serves as a lead trainer in IDRS Workshops on Cross-Cultural Communication and Negotiation Skills and Processes and in IDRS Workshops on Introductory and Advanced Mediation/Peacemaking.

Ms. Burel serves currently as the Director of Counseling Services at the Fresno Indian Health Program. She has also served as a Family Court Mediator with the Fresno County Family Court in Fresno, CA. and has mediated disputes concerning child custody, stepparent adoptions, and guardianship.

She has served as the Director of Training, Consultation and Supervision for Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) ( Santa Rosa, CA), where she supervised, consulted and trained a staff of 35 in case management, treatment planning, mediation, and family, group and individual therapy. These services were delivered in clinic, public school and outreach settings.

Ms. Burel has worked as a Private Practice Therapist with the Family Therapy Center in Santa Rosa (CA), with a focus on families, adolescents, chemical dependency, violence and abuse recovery. Referrals came from the Department of Human Services, California Youth Authority Parole, the Sonoma County Probation Department and the Victim Witness Program.

Ms. Burel has also served as the Director of Counseling for Social Advocates for Youth (in Santa Rosa, CA), a program that was extensively involved with public school districts throughout Sonoma County.

Ms. Burel earned her BA Degree in Anthropology with a special focus on Native American Studies, and her MA Degree in Counseling from Sonoma State University ( Rohnnert Park, CA). She has taken extensive post graduate training in family therapy and mediation.

She received training and was certified as a mediator by IDRS and was placed on the IDRS Panel of Professional Mediators.

Ms. Burel serves currently as the elected Chairperson of the Picayune Tribal Council in Coarsegold, CA. In this capacity she has been integrally involved in the Tribe’ internal matters and in its extensive external negotiations with government agencies, local political jurisdictions, and private interests in the non-Indian community regarding economic development and land use and acquisition issues