About Rob
I’m Rob Abbot, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and certified Couples and Family Therapist. My 28-year-long career at several of New York City’s leading community-based organizations has been the best training ground for gaining respect for the strength of families and developing skill in helping people in challenging circumstances. After receiving my M.S.W. in 1993, I worked as a Family Counselor, and went on to field-instruct graduate-level interns and supervise a Family Counseling program. I have also led community programs for youth of all ages from kindergarten through college. I have trained hundreds of youth-serving professionals; presented on best practices across the city, state and country; and advocated for policies that benefit youth and families. More recently, my staff role with the CBO partner of three Brooklyn high schools has been to grow their capacity to support at-risk students and to foster mental health wellness. I am currently on staff at Ackerman Institute for the Family as a Clinic Supervisor.
Here is a video of a colleague and I talking about youth programs at an organization where I have been very proud to work:
Having completed a five-year-long advanced certification program at the Ackerman Institute for the Family, one of the most highly regarded training institutions for couples and family therapists in the country, I am excited to come full circle in my career back to direct practice and in the place where I have worked with youth and families, and where I am raising my own family, in New York City and Nassau County.
The demands of family life are complex and challenging. The theologian Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” An effective therapist must provide tools and resources that address those challenges and engender hope, helping a family ‘live forward’ in the present moment while collaborating with them to understand what has stood in the way of healing for the long haul.
If you are seeking a couple/family therapist who combines broad professional experience and advanced training with maturity, warmth and insight, I look forward to hearing from you and to getting to work on behalf of you as a couple or family.
My credentials:
Bachelor of Arts - Swarthmore College, 1986
Masters of Social Work - Hunter College School of Social Work, 1993
Advanced Certification in Family Therapy - Ackerman Institute for the Family, 2019
