Raised in a rural setting in central California, Gabriel was one of four children. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley before earning his Doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2000. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Clinical Psychology at the University of California at San Francisco prior to accepting an academic position at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida in 2001. He has extensive experience with parents who struggle with high levels of conflict or tension in their marriage, during a divorce process, or following a recent divorce, yet who still strive to parent their children to the best of their abilities. He has sizable experience working with current or former military personnel and their families, including those struggling with depression, trauma, or chronic pain. Currently, Dr. Ybarra is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Florida, where he teaches psychology courses, conducts research, and serves the community in applied ways.
As a researcher in clinical psychology, he has published studies of a variety of topics, including the use of blanket attachments for young children, adult and parenting stress response, children's reactions to the arguments of adults, the effects of domestic violence on the intelligence of children, fatherhood, attachments during childhood, and effective ways to parent children.
