Dr. Shackelford is a licensed therapist and has been counseling couples for over 25 years.

Married to an Opposite was inspired by Ron's wife Helen (his personality opposite!).  Helen’s approach to situations always seemed foreign to Ron, so he found it easy to minimize or under-value her viewpoints.  Intrigued by Helen’s personality traits that he did not readily see, he began to study the proficiencies of her opposite approach and became drawn to her hidden abilities.

The book also draws from the concept of “Emotional Intelligence” as an emerging influence in general psychology and felt to be just as important, if not as important, as intellectual or cognitive intelligence.

A retired Presbyterian pastor, Dr. Shackelford references Christian spirituality in his book as it has guided him throughout most of his life.  He also views spirituality as a positive enabler of personal growth and a key component in marriage.

Dr. Shackelford received his undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California , obtained his Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Counseling from Pacific Christian College and earned his doctorate degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Dr. Ron Shackelford

A licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Dr. Shackelford has special expertise in dealing with addiction. He has served as an inpatient residential therapist at Pacific Hills residential treatment facility for chemical dependency. He is presently an inpatient therapist at the Med Pro Chemical Dependency Treatment Center in San Clemente where he deals with dual diagnosis patients treating numerous disorders, including bi-polar, depression, anxiety and hyperactivity.

His background as a Presbyterian pastor affords him special insight, comfort and expertise in working with the “spirituality of change” as clients confront the Twelve-Step approach. Dealing with the struggles of denial, fear of change, and altering one’s life style are often integral to the process of therapeutic change, and years of experience in approaching confrontation from a positive and accepting posture make him highly effective with addicts. In dealing with patients who have a preference for a Christian therapist, he is a popular and common link in the Saddleback Church Celebrate Recovery network as well as other local recovery programs. 

He is also a trained Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) under the personal instruction and intensive training program of respected researcher and author Dr. Patrick Carnes. In his practice Dr. Shackelford deals with various types of sex addiction, from pornography to multiple forms of sexual acting out. He has worked with clients from a wide gamut of professions in this growing addiction population that calls for treatment referral to a therapist with a very focused, specialized training.

Dr. Shackelford is a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.