Robert A. Zibbell, Ph.D., is a mostly retired licensed psychologist on Cape Cod. In the course of thirty+ years, he performed over 500 GAL evaluations and, in twenty-five years as a Parenting Coordinator, worked with about 150 families. As part of that GAL work, he testified about forty times and survived about ten depositions with his dignity and recommendations intact. In addition to presentations at national and local conferences, he had regularly taught new and experienced GALs through the court-required trainings.

Bob is the author of several articles in peer-reviewed journals and of the digital compendium, Critical Cases in Massachusetts Family Law for E&F Guardians ad Litem: A mental health professional’s perspective on how appellate law informs GAL investigations and evaluations (1965-2020). His piece de resistance, however, is the short but (reportedly) authoritative text, Evaluation for Child Custody, co-authored with Geri Fuhrmann, Psy.D. (2012) part of an Oxford University Press series on forensic psychology, and currently being revised.

He does occasional work as a consultant to attorneys and as a parenting coach. As part of his semi-retirement, he has begun writing newspaper essays on personal experience, the natural world, and politics.