Richard Perla is a licensed California Marriage and Family Therapist, first licensed in 1990. He is director of New Directions Counseling Center. The center provides programs in domestic violence counseling for victims and perpetrators. Other programs include parenting, anger management, and outpatient substance abuse. He was past president of the International Association of Addictions Counselors. His methods are primarily cognitive related, family systems, and solution oriented. The author's goals are to build a mentally healthy community free from violence, substance abuse.