Richard E. Abbey, MA is a licensed Marriage, Family & Child Counselor (MFC31754) with over two decades of experience in counseling and nearly fifteen years in child-custody mediation and has conducted well over 4,500 child custody mediations. He has been teaching parenting classes for more than 20 years and is the founder and director of Empowering Families in Ventura, CA.
In addition to the above, he also conducts private child-custody mediations, thereby keeping numerous families out of what sometimes appears to be an ugly, uncaring court system and process.
In addition to his work with individuals, couples and families, he specializes in families and children of divorce. He is a court-qualified expert on the effects of divorce on families, on child development especially as it relates to child-custody issues.
Richard has been a California Superior Court Family Law mediator and investigator, a mediator trainer and mentor, an elementary school counselor, a counseling consultant and a teachers’ advisor in counseling specializing in children of divorce.
His main interest is in “taking the hurt out of life” and developing practical tools for individuals, parents and families, especially those who continue to have conflict after separation and divorce and blended or step families.
In his practice he regularly consults with parents, the court, family law attorneys and other professionals on problems individuals and families face due to marital separation, divorce and remarriage.
Over the years, Richard has trained other professionals in child-custody mediation and co-parenting techniques and has been frequently asked by Family Law judges to serve as a Directive Family Therapist, a Special Master or as a Reunification Therapist on the court's more difficult child custody cases.
Richard is a nationally recognized expert on co-parenting and has spoken nationwide on co-parent education and co-parenting techniques. He is also a popular conference speaker from coast to coast on improving relationships, self-care and interpersonal communication.
All of Richard's work is performed from a uniquely Christian perspective as he integrates Biblical truth without being either dictatorial or "preachy". He is down-to-earth, caring and practical in his approach.
Richard is a member of:
The California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists
(CAMFT)
http://www.camft.org/ScriptContent/index.cfm?section=entry
The American Association of Christian Counselors
(AACC)
http://www.aacc.net/
The American Counseling Association
(ACA)
http://www.counseling.org/
