Jane Ellen Shatz, Phd

Dr. Shatz has lost her license to practice in the state of California. She admitted to accepting bribes from lawyers to write custody reports that favored their clients instead of the children. The court documents can be found on the California Department of Psychology website. She was also found mentally unstable and ordered by the court to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Dr. Shatz is greedy & strictly in it for the money. See other reviews. She manipulated my sister’s custody battle all because her ex husband paid her off. After reading the other reviews I realize this isn’t her first scheme. She cares nothing about the child’s welfare and don’t let her fakeness fool you. If you can pay her well she’ll do whatever is necessary.

My biggest problem with Dr. Shatz was her refusal to reimburse unused expenses. After «earning» $ 20,000, I would have thought returning the retainer surplus remaining of $ 1,500 — $ 2,000 would not be a problem. However, she has held on to those funds now for more than six months in ‘anticipation’ of future requirements which are very unlikely, as she is aware. Repeated attempts to get the funds returned have failed and as I live out of state, going to small claims is not going to be worthwhile.
Other issues I have is her inability to remember names of the various parties involved. I just find that odd as is her lack of communication which requires frequent follow-​up by the client to get a response. Yes, I know we are all busy but I don’t consider three days or more to be reasonable to respond to an email or phone call.
Lawyers too do the same — lazy communicators, a one way flow of funds, very rarely returned and usually, they find additional items to tack on so if you ask them for a reimbursement, you find that suddenly, you supposedly owe them even more. I find this dishonest but, it is Los Angeles.

Dr. Shatz is a wonderfully thoughtful, smart and kind therapist. She is a great listener and can also offer practical help when needed. She doesn’t just sit there and listen. Rather she asks simple, poignant questions that have guided me to my own clarity. Any therapist can sit there and say nothing or tell you how to fix something. A therapist who can guide you to your answer is a treasure. Dr. Shatz is just this kind of therapist.
She was my wife’s therapist before we got married. When we found we were bumping into the same wall in our arguments/​discussions, my wife thought it would be a good idea to talk it out with Dr. Shatz. Being a fairly typical guy, I was skeptical. I love my wife though and it seemed really important to her, so I went along with it. I had no idea how helpful it could be to have an impartial therapist in the room to help us figure out our issue. I found it extremely helpful to hear my wife explain it all to Dr. Shatz instead of to me. It was somehow easier to hear and understand where she was coming from. She got to hear me too and in the end we came away with much more loving understanding of one another.
We generally get along great, but when we find ourselves getting upset or falling into a pattern where one of us is upset, we know it’s time for an appointment. Marriage is great, but it takes work. Dr. Shatz makes that work easier.

Dr Shatz has been my psychologist for 15 years. She has been one of the most significant figures in my adult life through her contribution to my wellbeing. She shows a level dedication that I have never experienced with any other doctor or professional. Her caring is obvious and her skills are as well.
I was rather skeptical and closed off to the idea when I first started 15 years ago, but as time progressed, I came to see the benefit of individual therapy. I got really lucky that my first therapist was Dr Shatz or I might not have continued. I moved from LA a couple of times and I tried therapists elsewhere only to discover that Dr Shatz is a rarity. Upon returning each time, I have been exceedingly grateful to be able to see her.
Dr Shatz has always made me feel like a priority. She has consistently gone to great lengths through the years to ensure my care. She has been flexible in where we meet whether it’s via Skype or the office. She has made appointments easy to book. She has been reliable, dedicated, gentle and kind the entire time I’ve known her. She always seems her best self which is pretty impressive considering the span of time. Her genuinely caring nature builds easy rapport. And she is smart and insightful.
Through my sessions with Dr Shatz, MY best possible self has flourished. There will always be struggles and mental traps, but I am confident that I will meet them with grace and fortitude now. There really aren’t enough words for me to do justice to the ways in which Dr Shatz has helped me grow and evolve into a better person. I will forever be indebted to her.

It is unfortunate there are only winners and losers in litigation. When it comes to custody battles this applies too. Reviews from the winner are likely to be positive, while a review from the loser probably won’t. I went to Jane Shatz after the custody battle to learn how to best help the healing process post high-​conflict divorce. I do not have a battle to fight or an ax to grind. Dr. Shatz does not report to a judge or court about me. I’m only a single parent who has a divided family because my children were asked to take sides. I was the winner in my case because I had a calm and steady attorney who helped me show myself as the parent who is stable and child-​focused. It had nothing to do with Jane Shatz because she was not involved in my litigation case. I see Dr. Shatz post divorce now and I find it a great comfort to see a therapist who can provide me guidance to navigate having a co-​parent with many issues of control. The courts almost always require joint legal custody which means important decisions are shared. Making decisions with a parent who thrives on conflict, blame, chaos, and litigation is tricky. There is always an open door to return to litigation and it is more cost-​effective to pay Dr. Shatz’s fees than a lawyer’s fees after an Ex runs back to court to re-​open and re-​litigate. Dr. Shatz gives me the guidance and the tools to deal with a difficult co-​parent who feels injury from not winning, without escalating him as he can easily be motivated back into litigation. As an expert in the high conflict divorce field, Dr. Shatz has the knowledge to identify how half my children got alienated, and how half maintain themselves between two parents. She provides me tools to help reduce the divide the Ex keeps feeding because of his own inadequacies. Dr. Shatz helps me do what I need to do to pave the way for their return one day. This is very important as the mending of fences created by acrimony and side-​taking is counter intuitive. It cannot be done using strategies that are successful in other relationships. I would give Dr. Shatz five stars but gave four only because her lovely location in Pacific Palisades is hard for me to get to, and the parking is not validated.

I am a professional healthcare provider and parent to children from two marriages. I never dreamed I would become stuck in the system of a highly contentious divorce process that lasted six years. Even more confusing was the reality that some of the children from my first marriage aligned with my second husband who inserted them into his litigious custody agenda and completed their full alienation from me. Add to all that, the appointment of a minor’s counsel who kept it all spinning, costing, and left a scorched path in the earth that is now a permanent part of our family history.
When it was all over, the litigation concluded with final orders of the court, I came to Jane Shatz for her expertise as a Parent Alienation Therapist. There is no agenda, no need for her favorable analysis as she is not reporting to the court, and no points to get up on the other party.
Here is what I learned very quickly in the therapeutic process with Dr. Shatz: my older children were Alienated from me. My prior conclusion that they simply went for the money and power position was now changed and I have to see things in a new light. The recommended readings, support group, and education Dr. Shatz asked me to seek gives me insight about this situation that is wildly unfair to the parent target. Forgiveness, tolerance, and over-​extending myself to abusive adult children is counter-​intuitive, undeserved, not fair, but the only way to create healing and potential for wholeness for these young adults that as Dr. Shatz explains, is my ongoing best parenting skill I can master for the benefit of my family. Dr. Shatz has outstanding knowledge of the litigation process and even has experience with many of the players in the professional and court arena. This understanding is a bonus since I do not need to educate HER about anything I’ve been through, and also appreciate her input when a little strategy is needed to deal with the other parent who gets escalated very fast.
In terms of a custody evaluation, I think it would have been so much better to have had Jane Shatz as my 730 Custody Evaluator than the person I had. Dr. Shatz and I talked about the shortcomings of my evaluator that caused him to take on more than he was able to do. Dr. Shatz helped me see he got manipulated and deferred to other’s opinions in the case as a shortcut for himself, that cost a lot more litigation days, fees, and frustration for my family to make it all right in the end. It would have been so much better to have had a person like Dr. Shatz who can quickly get a history and accurate assessment be my 730 Evaluator. However, having Dr. Shatz as a therapist, guide, and teacher is an invaluable measure for my family in the long run. The therapeutic process and work I do with Dr. Shatz produces a path of clarity, healing, strength, and positive change in the aftermath of a litigious battle.
I highly recommend Dr. Shatz, especially if allegations of Alienation get made. I really recommend Dr. Shatz if you are truly interested in making positive changes that are hard to make, but create the most potential after getting beat down by an Alienator and the court system that has quite a few bad guys making bank on the antics Alienators pull. It’s about real positive change and empowerment.

Custody cases are most often very antagonistic and emotionally charged situations by the time they are put in the hands of professionals such as Dr. Shatz. As agonizing as the process can get, through it all, there can be no doubt, whatsoever, of Dr. Jane Shatz’s insight, fairness, professionalism, honesty, and mastery of all the aspects of a custody disagreement issues, and how they affect the children.
I have had the good fortune of having Dr. Shatz assigned to my case (she was chosen by the mother), in an 11 year old, very contentious, custody battle. In a twisted dysfunctional family and children law system, Dr. Shatz stands out brilliantly. While most others in the system, the attorneys, the judges, and the civil servants go through the motions and do enough just to justify the existence of their jobs, or produce more billable hours, Dr. Shatz cut through all the static with laser sharp focus, and opened everyone’s eyes to the reality of the case… the fact that the importance should not be placed on the parents and what they want, but in the present and future wellbeing of the children… and also how horribly and permanently a child can be victimized and scarred for life by the criminal travesty of parental alienation.
I cannot endorse and recommend Dr. Jane Shatz strongly enough.

Dr Shatz likes to play God. While purporting to be unbiased, she is not and often takes sides with one party. She in known for putting herself in conflict with clients’ attorneys and offering advice based on what she claims ‘the judge would say.’ Remember, mediation is a paid service, do yourself a favor and shop around.