welcome to abbey
precision pediatric psychology

children's mental health & wellbeing
trauma-focused pediatric treatment
responsive, relationship-based parenting​ 
without condition or regard for ability to pay
​831.275.8260

abbey monterey
2100 garden road, Bldg A, Rm 104. monterey, ca 93940
abbey saratoga
​12850 saratoga ave., saratoga, ca 95070

promoting relationship-based, responsive, empathic parenting
​rather than declarative parenting.

enhancing safety and stabilization as children grow,
we promote coping, and constancy through continued responsive,
reflective, empathic parenting -

step by step recovery from early adversity and repeated trauma
occurs by faithfully supporting all aspects of the healing journey -
as healing is a process.

as child/family psychologists, we work relationally, contextually,
and transactionally

(acknowledging that everyone in their individual contexts are not only continually
affecting each other - they are also all changing as they move forward together
in time!) influenced by events which include gains and also losses
which may affect all family members in different manners.
(examples: events leading to separation/divorce, loss or death of a pet or friend,
changing schools, losses of supportive family and other relationships
that are incredibly deeply meaningful and formative - and more significant
in the lives of children, teens, than adults may ever imagine.)

*
as experienced psychologist scholars, professors, global humanitarians,
supervisors, clinicians, asylum evaluators, US and global program developers, we engage in clinical and forensic ​activities: consultation, specialized interviewing, child/adult psychological assessment, and accurate, transformative trauma- and assessment-informed (personalized) precision treatment in our neighborhoods and globally, and through those we have taught, trained, and supervised.

precision treatment is the right treatment for the right person at the right time (Obama 2006).

​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,
we strongly support relationship-focused, empathic and shared, informed parenting.

we offer research grounded personalized parent support and coaching,
and direct family law personal and conflicted and separating/separated parents to recent (2017) ”quality of parent-child relationship” research as preeminent, rather than taking sides in high conflict parenting situations.
this comprehensive research corrects longstanding inaccuracies
and consequent misrepresentations in previous custody/co-parenting research which has fueled major destructive beliefs and consequent erroneous harmful family court child family policies in the 1980s and forward. (Nielson, 2017).

These inaccurate beliefs resulted in widespread conducting of parent-child reunification/reconnection therapies as well as custody evaluation decisions finalized on erroneous bases,

we are available for forensic work and testimony for custody cases, colleague and attorney consultation, clinical, academic, and forensic support.

Humanitarian & Refugee Psychology: we have decades of experience conducting asylum assessment and treatment, torture evaluation, screening and treatment of recent refugee adjustment, assessing
post-conflict effects in children, adolescents, and families, and combined clinical & forensic assessment and treatment experience with individuals  from over 70 countries.

We offer relational, precision (personalized) services:
​"the right treatment for the right person at the right time" per Obama, 2006); providing integrative, psychological assessment-informed, & trauma-informed treatment for maximum breadth & accuracy.

we mentor, continually research, advise, and collaborate with others.
our scope is local, country-wide/US, compassionately global & humanitarian. ​
​see our thoughtfully created nonprofit for forcibly displaced war/
armed- conflict affected children fleeing at politically unstable country borders 
the always project,
always be listening global initiative,
alwaysbelisteningglobal.com

these rapidly growing numbers of, forcibly displaced, war-affected wandering children and youth are referred to as the world’s ”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). It is now used In both our organizations,
always be listening global and abbey psychological services, 
as they share the commitment is to the provision of services that help reduce disparities
​in child 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

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, 
promoting 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