U.S. MILITARY BACKGROUND:  In the late 1960's, our Director enlisted in the United States Army, rather than being drafted.  Although he joined the artillery reserve unit during the Vietnam War, his request to serve in Vietnam was denied.  His lieutenant wanted him to attend flight school for helicopter training, but his captain still would not allow him to serve in Vietnam.  After a full service term, state-side, he was honorably discharged from the United States Army Reserves.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Richard went to the Military Recruiting Office to apply for another tour of duty in the United States Army, hoping to serve his country again.  After signing all documents and after hours of testing . . . there was disappointing news.  No openings were available at the time.

Curriculum Vitae of Richard A. Delorto, Ph.D., IL L.P.D., C.D.C.

   Professional Experience:

Founder & Executive Director, Divorce Coach, Mediator, Forensic Expert Witness, Family Conflict Specialist, Child Visitation Supervisor

            Chicago Divorce Association for Men, Palatine, Illinois                   1986-Present

As the Founder and Executive Director of the Chicago Divorce Association for Men, the main objective is to beneficially inform people experiencing marital problems through the coaching process regarding divorce and child custody.  As a trained, court-approved mediator, issues to be negotiated through mediation include division of community property, division of community debts and spousal support, custody, visitation and child support.  Over 10,000 divorce consulting and mediation hours have been conducted.  Forensic child custody interviews are also conducted to assist the courts in determining placement of children with the most appropriate parent of choice.

Divorce Educator

            American Divorce Association for Men, [A.D.A.M.], Chicago, Illinois    1984-1986

As a divorce educator for this support group, provided extensive educational divorce information to hundreds of people going through divorces.  Responsibilities centered on promoting divorce rights before, during and after divorce.

Illinois Licensed Private Detective                                                              1983-Present

Licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations as a Private Detective specializing in domestic investigations whose ultimate findings and outcome of such an investigation is designed to be used as expert testimony in pre and post divorce cases, as well as child custody cases.  Began investigating child custody cases in divorce proceedings in 1970 as a Licensed Private Investigator.

Education:

  • LaSalle University, Mandeville, Louisiana, Masters/Doctorates in Psychology, 1996               

  • William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, Illinois, Associates Degree in Criminal Justice, 1980

  • Lewis University College of Law, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Completed 1 year – College of Law, 1977

  • Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Illinois, Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration, 1976

  • Lewis University College of Law, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Paralegal Certificate, 1975

  • William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, Illinois, Associates Degree in Applied Science, 1973

Certifications & Memberships:

  • American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, [Child Forensic Interview: Training Clinic], University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1997

The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) is the nation’s largest interdisciplinary professional organization for people working in the field of child abuse and neglect.  Incorporated as a non-profit in 1987, APSAC now has more than 5,000 members – child protective services workers, law enforcement officers, psychologists, physicians, nurses, attorneys, teachers, researchers, administrators, clergy and allied professionals.  Diverse as they are, these professionals have in common their dedication to APSAC’s mission.

This comprehensive interview clinic offers a unique opportunity to participate in an intensive forty-hour training experience which provides personal interaction with leading clinicians, researchers and trainers in the field of child forensic interviewing.  Its interview practicum component provides experience interviewing actual children in a supportive environment where constructive feedback is utilized to build and improve specific professional skills.

Workshops Attended:

  • Overview of Forensic Interview Models, presented by Kathleen Coulborn Faller, Ph.D., ASCW, DCSW, co-director of APSAC’s Forensic Interviewing Training Clinic and a Professor of Social Work at the University of Michigan; and Mark D. Everson, Ph.D., a Clinic Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

  • Interview Strategies:  Lessons from Research, presented by Drs. Faller and Everson.

  • Forensic Medical Considerations, presented by John Stirling, M.D., who serves as medical advisor to the Clark County Child Abuse Intervention Center.

  • Interview Practicum with Children, presented by the Clinic Faculty.

  • Questioning Strategies and Group Activities, presented by Dr. Kathleen Coulborn Faller.

  • Use of Communication Tools, presented by Dr. Mark Everson.

  • Developing & Linguistic Considerations, presented by Karen J. Saywitz, Ph.D., an Associate Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine and the Director of Child and Adolescent Psychology at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

  • Recollection, Contamination and Forgetting:  A Ten Year Longitudinal Follow-up of Childhood Trauma, presented by David L. Corwin, M.D., Director of Forensic Psychiatry, Childhood Trust at Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Psychiatry Department at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine.

  • Understanding Implausible Disclosures, presented by Kate MacFarlane, MSW, Co-Director of APSAC’s Forensic Interviewing Training Clinic and a consultant of the Education and Training Department at Children’s Institute International in Los Angeles, and by Dr. Mark Everson.

  • Postcards from the Front:  Videotaped Interviews in Child Sexual Abuse Litigation, presented by Dr. David Corwin.

  • Interviewing Resistant Children, presented by Melissa McDermott Steinmetz, ACSW.

  • Topic-Specific Discussions with Experts, presented by the Clinic Faculty.

  • Cultural Considerations in Interviewing, a Panel Presentation.

  • Legal Issues for Interviewers, presented by Harry M. Elias, J.D., a Municipal Court Judge for the North County Judicial District, San Diego County.

  • Legal and Perceptual Pitfalls, presented by Kee MacFarlane, MSW.

  • Surviving the Witness Stand, “University of Michigan’s Law School, presented by Jill-Ellyn Strauss, J.D., a Chief Trial Deputy with the Adams County District Attorney’s office; and Harry M. Elias, J.D.

  • Mock Trial, Moot Courtroom, University of Michigan Law School, presented by Lance Jones, J.D., the supervising attorney and clinical assistant Professor of Law from the Child Advocacy Law Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School; Harry M. Elias, J.D.; and Jill-Ellyn Strauss, J.D.

 

  • Child’s Work/Child’s Play [Quick Techniques in Child, Psychotherapy and Counseling], Chicago, Illinois, 1996

Presented by Dr. Lawrence E. Shapiro, author of Short Term Therapy and Tricks of the Trade: 101 Techniques to Help Children Grow and Change.  This seminar covers more than 50 techniques used by clinicians nationwide as well as those developed by Dr. Shapiro, covering a wide range of psychological disciplines.

  • Association of Family and Conciliation Courts [Conducting Child Custody Evaluations], Madison, Wisconsin, 1996

Certified by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, an interdisciplinary association of mental health professionals, judges, lawyers, and mediators dedicated to the constructive resolution of family conflict, and accredited by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations (License #159-000243), to provide a practical, hands-on experience in conducting child custody evaluations.  Topics include:  interviewing skills, analysis, report writing, settlement techniques and testifying in court.  An interdisciplinary faculty, which includes the Honorable Judge Susan Snow, Associate Judge from the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, helps participants to conduct custody evaluations which meet the needs of the family, the court and the parties’ lawyers.

  • Professional Academy of Custody Evaluators (The Comprehensive Custody Evaluation], Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 1995

Certified by the Professional Academy of Custody Evaluators, Furlong, Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the American Psychological Association, to certify and register child custody evaluators as professionals whose intentions are to represent children in court as expert witnesses.  This seminar’s objective is to recognize the steps necessary to formulate and implement an appropriate evaluation of a custody issue, to understand how to identify legal criteria which may be relevant to a custody issue, to recognize the essential targets of a comprehensive custody evaluation, to understand how to adapt traditional and special assessment tools to custody issues, and to understand various ways to aggregate the enormous amount of data collected in a comprehensive custody evaluation.  This workshop was conducted in a comprehensive custody evaluation and was conducted by Barry Bricklin, Ph.D., R.C.E., author and creator of the Bricklin Perpetual Scales (BPS), M.M.P.I., P.O.R.T., and many others, used by virtually every psychological and psychiatric institute in the country.

  • Association of Family and Conciliation Courts [Child Custody Symposium, Child Custody Evaluator’s Certification, Program], Tucson, Arizona, 1996

Certified by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Madison, Wisconsin, in cooperation with the American Bar Association, to conduct certified child  custody evaluations to be used as expert testimony in a court of law.  A.F.C.C. is an interdisciplinary association of judges, lawyers, mediators and mental health professionals dedicated to the development and improvement of the practices and procedures of court-connected services as a compliment to the judicial process.

            Workshops attended:

  • Fast Track or Full Evaluation: Triaging Cases – Fast track evaluations are based largely on office interview data.  Full evaluations include extensive interview data, observation and collateral information.

  • Child’s Play: Using Games and Toys – Using games and toys to interview children is a popular and productive method to gather information.

  • The Home Visit as an Assessment Tool – This workshop examined the purpose of home visits and practical techniques for conducting them and observing parent-child interaction.

  • Assessing Parenting Qualities and Inter-Parental Dynamics – The assessment of parenting qualities and an understanding of inter-parental dynamics are critical elements in a custody evaluation.

  • Writing Effective Reports – The most insightful assessment can be useless without an effective presentation.  The written report is often a critical component of the evaluation.

  • Ethical and Professional Issues: What are Our Standards? – Few professional services have as dramatic an impact on families as a child custody evaluation.  Special competencies and knowledge are required to proficiently conduct a custody evaluation.

 

  • Will County Bar Association [Family Law Committee Meeting On Child Custody Evaluations], Joliet, Illinois, 1994

Introduced to the Bar Association by Attorney Ron Snyder as an expert and guest speaker in the field of child custody and child abuse and attended an educational seminar on child abuse.

  • Mediation Council of Illinois [Celebrating Mediation], St. Charles, Illinois, 1994

  • Coast to Coast Mediation Center [Mediation Training], Chicago, Illinois, 1993

  • The Chicago Bar Association [Agreeing to Disagree:  The Basics of Divorce Mediation], Chicago, Illinois, 1993

  • Mediation Council of Illinois [Symposium on Violence, Abuse and Power Imbalance in Mediation], Bloomington, Illinois, 1993

 Continuing Education:

  • The University of Illinois at Chicago [The Sorrow and Pity Of Divorce: The Psychotherapeutic Considerations], Chicago, Illinois, 1994

Accreditation:  American Medical Association.  Medical training conducted by medical doctors from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Honorable Timothy Evans, Judge of the Divorce Court, Cook County, Illinois; and Honorable Benjamin Machoff, Chief Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County, Illinois; accredited by the American Medical Association as a medical continuing education program, recognized by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Affiliations:

  • Consultant to the Office of the Public Defender, Cook County, Illinois, Juvenile Division (exclusively child custody issues) 

  • The Coaching Academy of North America, Inc. - Divorce Coach Certification

Licenses:

  • Class A Private Detective, Illinois License No. 115-000561, 1983-Present

  • Illinois Licensed Private Investigator, 1970-1983

  • Illinois Licensed Real Estate Broker, 2006-Present

Legislative Accomplishments:

  • Co-author of the Illinois Joint Custody Law

  • Lobbied for the Illinois Unlawful Visitation Interference Law as a proponent of the bill, which became law in January of 1994.

  • Authored the manuscript, “Custody Evaluations and Procedures”

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