welcome to abbey! 

​831.275.8260

abbey monterey

2100 garden road, Bldg A, Rm 104. monterey, ca 93940

abbey saratoga

​12850 saratoga ave., saratoga, ca 95070

by building relationships, working with parents
we promote relationship-based, responsive, reflective /empathic parenting
​rather than declarative parenting of young children.
We value safety, stabilization, coping, constancy,
and step by step recovery from adversity and trauma,
supporting all aspects of the healing journey - for it is, indeed, just that -
A process of healing and a journey.
Hence, we are child-focused psychologists
who treat wounded children and adolescents relationally,
contextually, and transactionally,
mindful of developmental and religio-cultural/linguistic, recent migration stress issues, supportive of families and other relationships that are valuable, protective, nurturing and dependable - significant in the lives of children, teens. adults, other families and carers, caregivers.
*
as experienced psychologists, we specialize in clinical and forensic ​consult, specialized interviewing, psychological assessment, trauma-informed and assessment-informed
Highly accurate treatment: precision (the right treatment for the right person at the right time
​(Obama 20o6).
we promote collaborative decision-sharing in working with children experiencing severe stress & distress, when conducting research,
and maintain a focus on recovery - healing trauma & repeated trauma,
strongly support relationship-focused, empathic and informed parenting,
we offer personalized parent evaluation and coaching,
direct families to surprising, recent (2017) quality of parent-child relationship research
and it's application to the area of chronically high unresolved
conflicted parents and their litigation, as well as it's application to less conflicted and none
conflicted families - and implications for the critical implications for parenting.
this comprehensive research corrects longstanding inaccuracies and consequent misrepresentations in the divorce research which have fueled major destructive
beliefs and consequent erroneous, harmful family court child family policies in the 1980s and forward. (Nielson, 2017)
conduct parent-child reunification/reconnection therapy on that basis,
and keep ourselves available for forensic work and testimony.
we offer colleague and attorney consultation, clinical, academic, and
forensic support.
Humanitarian: we have decades of experience conducting asylum assessment and treatment,
specialize also in refugee psychology, including torture evaluations,
screening and treatment of recent refugee adjustment,
and traumatic post-conflict effects in children, adolescents, and we have combined clinical & forensic assessment and treatment experience with children, young people & adults
from over 70 countries.
We offer relational, precision (personalized) services:
​"the right treatment for the right person at the right time" per Obama, 2006);
provide integrative, psychological assessment-informed, &
trauma-informed treatment for maximum breadth & accuracy.
continually research, advise, and collaborate with others,
our scope is global & humanitarian​
​see our thoughtfully created nonprofit for forcibly displace, war/
armed- conflict affected children ,
the always project,
always be listening global initiative,
alwaysbelisteningglobal.com
these rapidly growing, forcibly displaced, war-affected wandering  children and
youth are referred to"traveling children" by the UN.

Logo above created for always be listening global by renowned artist
Caroline Magerl, Australia, "listening to the bird of compassion (as symbolized in East Africa). In both our organizations, always be listening global and
abbey, the commitment is to the provision of services that help reduce
disparities in global mental health: rapid, affordable,
safe access to quality services,available to all without condition.

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extending a warm welcome!! 
to children, youth & families; older adolescents/youth in silicon valley, monterey, etc.,  -- educators, social workers, physicians; attorneys, child advocates, court personnel, in the monterey bay area, Saratoga and surrounding area, & the central California coast!

please call with questions!
​or email drmarileerueb@gmail.com or jamesdlivingstonphd@yahoo.com; ​
supporting children, siblings & friends, parents & carers, teachers, relatives, all who help children cope!

james "jay" livingston, ph.d., m.a.
lic. clinical psychologist, ca lic# 5940
assessing/treating clinical psychologist; global humanitarian
founding assessment director, abbey
founding assessment director, always be listening global initiative

​professor, p/t faculty, former, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, clinical & assessment faculty
​Assessment FELLOW, SOCIETY FOR PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT International
adult, teen precision clinical & forensic services
refugee psychology: assess, treat; consult, teach & train
Rapid, safe access for Clients
PSYCHOLOGY CLINICAL AND FORENSIC CASE REVIEW AND CONSULTATION
ATTORNEY CONSULTATION BY APPOINTMENT

"A Day on the Lake", by four year old ally of abbey.

marilee ruebsamen, ph.d., m.s., m.a.,
                                founding director,      abbeym
lic clinical psychologist, ca lic# psy ca 15068
mama, nana, child trauma clinical/forensic psychologist,
global humanitarian, 
promoting rapid safe access to quality precision mental health
​services and wellbeing for children/families,
reducing disparities in US & global health, mental health
assessing/treating clinical psychologist; global humanitarian
founding dir., precision clinical & forensic services @ abbey in US
child, adult, parenting, assessment/treatment 
reunification/reconnection therapy
relationship-based parenting
​founding executive director, always be listening global initiative
thoughtful nonprofit 501 (c)(3) for forcibly displaced
​war-affected children in twelve countries
assoc. professor, p/t faculty, former, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology

Invested in  locating seeds and sources of hope & promoting lasting, relationship-based parenting and grandparenting, 
intergenerational hopefulness in families and groups.

       children are often brought in to resolve troubling issues, - and often brought much later than they should have been, given hesitancy about what therapy, diagnosis, treatment, might consist of, and sometimes, because of excessive worry and feelings of failure or guilt on the part of parents.
kids may be suffering from various worrisome conditions, or, more often, combined effects of current and past mixed or cumulative conditions. or reacting to situations to which they have been exposed: and that were never resolve, or sometimes neglect, abuse,

we see children exposed to interpersonal or community violence,
high, chronic, unresolved interparental conflict and violence,
discrimination, gender-based or gender-creative-related threat,
harrassment, bullying; injury. 

children and youth may become emotionally derailed by
disruptive transitions, being victims of crime,
explicitly exposed or victimized to violent crime outside or within
their homes
(homicide, suicide, abduction, robbery) struggling as a result of
recent refugee experiences,
multiple losses, including losses of pets and friends, death/bereavement, severe or frequent,
chronic illness or injury, bullying.
medical crises, early childhood adversity (ACES), etc., are long known to be potent negative effects on the normal development of children when unacknowledged and worked through with adult assistance, sometime professional assistance.

we treat children/youth overwhelmed by feelings of
non-belonging and expendability 
(sometimes expressing suicidality
(thoughts & behaviors), at times, a result of poor fit in
reconstituted family units after remarriage)
by giving prompt, regular/predictble, safe, accessible, affordable,  
developmentally appropriate, genuine, quality,
infectious and caring connectedness in a therapeutic relationship -

in some cases, therapy may be the first time, a very first opportunity,
for a young person to step by step engage in a trusted adult relationship
on their own terms, at their own pace.


we are committed to helping you
"sort it out"
 and then, diminishing the effects of distressing history, loss, trauma, uprootedness,
feelings of expendability, non-belongingness, trust destroyed, pervasive sadness;
distorted thinking/ damaged Internal Representations
about one's Self, Others, Relationships, the wide World, and the Future.

we are here to promote the effects of
enduring connection:
safety, stability, support, constancy and trust
hopefulness; and plant seeds of joy
in the lives of children/youth, families and carers
without disparity in quality, cost, availability
or delivery/continuity of services.
without the overwhelming complications,
including financial insecurity,
which typically impede ​access to child mental health services.


offering
offering safe, rapid, affordable, clear access to continuous,
quality, psychological assessment, treatment,  psychoeducation,
dependable ancillary services and aftercare,
& carefully curated referrals.
invested in helping both/all parents and carers maintain and strengthen their relationships with their children.


addressing trauma's beginnings and trauma's aftermath
with personalized resources for parents, ​& affected others -

which begins by listening deeply to the child, adolescent,
and family/carer's various Stories
(for children, often expressed in play, drama, or art).
we are compiling and accurately assessing
the nature and effects of what has occurred
with children directly victimized or children 'exposed'
to a pervasive atmosphere of direct abuse
of a parent
or the  victimization of others, such as a classmate,
a sibling, and we listen, also,
to the renditions of others "affected".

we educate step by step, as we begin accurate,
age-appropriate, precision (personalized, evidence-based)
multi-modal, multi-method psychological assessment.

we build relationships with children and families/schools,
agencies, etc.
ensuring safety across all contexts, and working together
with parents toward
stabilization and constancy in all their environments.

in the words of our friend, dr. gretchen schmeltzer, Ph.D.
we  promote
​coping, constancy, and recovery
supporting all aspects of the healing journey -
across the entire ARC - the entire course - of healing.
through all the stages - of recovery.  as it is a Journey

​
*we use psychological assessment to accurately inform
precision (personalized, evidence-based treatment
(per Obama, 2009,  precision means "the right treatment
for the right person at the right time!)

* we offer relationship-based healing therapy
for traumatized, isolating,  disruptive,
sometimes "spacey"-appearing, anxious,
sad/depressive, acting out or acting in,
hurting children/adolescents

* encouraging parents & caregivers
by supporting increased empathy, (mentalization),
promoting relationship-based
mindful, reflective, parenting, psycho-education,
and -
promoting personalized inner growth through
engaged spirituality: personal & group mindful Practice
​and engaged group spiritual humanitarian response/action
.

abbey also provides
comprehensive
precision general psychological
mental health services for
pediatric, adult, elder,
refugee/asylum seeking individuals,
veterans, etc.
we provide interpreter services in Spanish

clinical and forensic
competent, compassionate consultation,
assessment, second opinion reviews,
treatment; & court testimony
*reunification, reconnection therapy
refugee psychology
*asylum evaluations
support throughout individual
and family transitions
carefully curated referrals
&  follow-up

abbey
psychologists are licensed in CA and work
globally as humanitarians,
directing a nonprofit for forcibly displaced,
war/armed-conflict-affected children
fleeing with other children ]
at unstable border regions of
twelve countries through
always be listening global initiative,
see alwaysbelisteningglobal.com 

thank you for visiting our websites!
pleased to schedule time to listen and answer questions!

​Dr. Marilee and Dr. Jay