Dr. Ron Shackelford is a California licensed therapist who received his training as a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) by Dr. Patrick Carnes. For over thirty years Dr. Carnes has been a recognized sex addiction clinician, researcher and author of numerous books on the topic.  Dr. Shackelford has treated chemical and sexual addiction patients both in private clinical therapy settings and in two residential clinics.

He is a member of the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP), and the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health. He is also a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT).

As a Christian therapist, he is a member of American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), the New Life Ministries Credentialed Counselors Network, and the Focus on the Family network of counselors. He is a frequent referral source to the Saddleback Church Celebrate Recovery program in Lake Forest, California.

He is a Cognitive-Behavioral therapist (for example, see Leg One for many of his cognitive interventions for dealing with images and thoughts). Over the years he learned the necessity of incorporating thought, behavior and motivation for lasting change, which he calls the Three-Legged Stool Approach. Years of experience in approaching confrontation from a positive, accepting and “grace-filled” posture make him highly effective with clients who prefer this approach.

As a Christian therapist, one of the tools in his approach is the Scripture-based Ten Commandments found in each Leg’s closing section. Each of these Biblical precepts will help a user change thought, behavior and, ultimately, one’s life. Shackelford believes accessing and developing the spiritual dimension is one of the keys to long-term recovery. His goal is to produce the 2nd order change (core lifestyle change) that is requisite for lasting sobriety and not just temporary abstinence. A Fuller Seminary trained expositor of Scripture, his approach is a powerfully blended integration of psychology and theology. It offers clients fundamental tools of practical behavioral change and solid spiritual practice.