Michael Volpe Investigates Special Report: An Interview with Victoria "Tori" Nielsen

Tori shares her experiences with the torture of the notorious reunification camp Family Bridges.

Reunification therapy is a controversial form of therapy. In California, if Governor Gavin Newsom signs Piqui’s Law, it will be outlawed.

There are some who still believe that it is a legitimate form of therapy. Those people need to watch my interview with Victoria “Tori” Nielsen.

In May 2021, her world turned upside down.

She was taken to court in Maricopa County, where she met with a woman named Stephanie Stromfors.

Stromfors was Tori’s best interest attorney- the equivalent of a guardian ad litem in Arizona- but Stromfors wouldn’t know what was in Tori’s best interest because- as Tori told me- this was the first and last time Stromfors would meet her.

Despite that, it was Stromfors who pushed- by filing a motion- for what was about to happen.

Stephanie Stromfors likes child abusers

Stromfors is a name that may be familiar to my long-term readers. She was also the best interest attorney for former major leaguer David Segui.

It’s not the only similarity between this case and Segui’s, and I will have more on that later. Stromfors filed a similar motion in Segui’s case. I reached out to Stromfors at her office, but she did not respond to a message I left.

Tori said three burly men and a woman took her and her younger brother into a van for a ten-hour ride.

They wound up in California, though she did not know it at the time.

She and her brother were then forced to sleep in a hotel room with these four strangers, who also barricaded the room shut.

The next day, Tori and her brother met with Randy Rand, who runs Family Bridges.

Family Bridges is a notorious reunification camp, which David Segui’s kids were forced to attend. Here’s part of what his son said about it.

They Didn’t listen to a single thing I said Dr. Rand said that I’m a liar and none of the abuse happened and got pissed off any time I brought it up. I went outside and was talking with the Therapeutic Interventionist and I told her how are you going to send me and my brother back to her when she abused us and she told me that I need both parents in my life and I said no she physically and sexually abused me and I’ve been doing perfectly fine with my dad staying out of trouble unlike when I was living with her. She also tells me that my brother needs to have both parents and saying it’s harder for him since he stopped living with her when he was only 8 and maybe he misses her. She blatantly ignores the fact that me and {my brother} were abused by her and want nothing to do with her. Once we walked back in and said were not going through with the Program they had my mom contact multiple wilderness camps for kids with behavioral issues and they were three months long and me and my brother were going to be split up. While all of this was happening he read me the report and it stated that since my dad didn’t coerce us to go back to my mom. Coerce which means persuading an unwilling person to do something by force or threats.

Dr. Rand is controversial for many reasons, but one is that he no longer has an active medical license.

{Check out my story on Donna McCracken, whose daughter was also forced to go to Rand}

Dr. Rand sometimes claims that he doesn’t personally run these camps, but Tori made it clear that he ran hers.

The first thing that happened was that she and her then twelve-year-old brother were read the recent court order.

The court order stated that custody had been switched- temporarily- and for a minimum of ninety days, she and her brother would live exclusively with their father.

Prior to this, she lived exclusively with her mother, after Tori disclosed to a court officer her dad’s abuse in 2019.

First, she had to survive several days of mental torture inflicted by Dr. Rand.

Dr. Rand didn’t want to hear about her father’s abuse, because at Family Bridges, they have something called a moratorium.

Tori and her brother could not talk about the past.

Richard Warshak, a Rand acolyte, explained the moratorium this way, "And we declare a moratorium on discussing the conflicts because, in the past, the children come to therapy and think this is the place to complain about that parent, so they give a litany of complaints about the rejected parent and the therapy gets nowhere. The more they criticize the parent the more they feel like they better -- you know, that they have to be consistent; they have to see that parent in this terrible negative light. And sometimes we say they demonize the parents. So we attack it from a different angle where we say: That's the past."

For two days, she watched useless videos. Then, she was forced to answer numerous questions.

Her brother had strep throat and Dr. Rand didn’t bother to get him the medicine to treat it.

Repeatedly, she was told if she ran, or didn’t cooperate, she wouldn’t see her mom, but instead, she would be sent to a wilderness camp.

I reached out to Dr. Rand by email, but he didn’t respond.

After this so-called therapy was over, it was time to live with her father.

Why was this happening?

The court determined that her mother had been alienating Tori and her brother from her father. Here is part of a recent court order.

In December of 2022, the Court issued its ruling and made a number of findings, as detailed in Docket 446. The Court found that Mother had a history of making unsupported claims about the children being abused by Father and that she had alienated the children from Father.

Tori told me her mother never did any such thing. In fact, it was her father who was constantly talking bad about her mother.

When he wasn’t doing that, he was physically abusing his two children. Here is part of declaration Tori recently submitted to the court.

My father is an extremely angry person. In approximately 2012, while my parents were still living together, it was common for him to shove us when he was angry. In 2012 when I was about 7 years old, my father shoved my head into the corner of a dresser. On another occasion he shoved my body into a door jam.

When Marcus was about 3 years old, I witnessed our father shove {her brother’s} head into the Granite countertop.

Tori also told me that her father touched her breasts on two occasions.

After my parents were divorced when I was 13 years old, I was laying on the couch when my father approached me, reached over and grabbed my right breast. At first, I was in shock and did not say anything. After realizing what just happened to me I was extremely shaken-up.

Two to three months later, my father did it again. However, this time I was in my room laying on my bed. He came into my room, approached my bed, in the same manner reached over and grabbed my left breast. He then left the room. Again, I was in shock and then extremely shaken up. This is sexual abuse and molestation. I reported this to DCS {Department of Children Services} and other professionals involved in the custody case.

She also said her father had a habit of withholding food, screaming, yelling, and hitting.

The court was having none of it. Since 2021, they have maintained a fiction that Tori’s father is a great father, and the only reason she believes she’s been abused, is because her mother has put these thoughts in her head. Here is more from the recent court order.

The Court found that Mother had alienated the children from Father. She had coached them and led them to believe that they had experienced abuse that they had not actually experienced.

I reached out to Tori’s father, Erik Nielsen, to get some clarification, but he answered my query with a question of his own.

Mr. Volpe, 

Please tell me who provided you with my email address?

“No,” I responded, and we have had no further contact.

Tori was in a nightmare that would never end, except it might…after ninety days.

Tori’s reunification with her mother didn’t happen after ninety days, because Rand has no intention of any reunification with the so-called alienating parent.

In another case, Rand stated, “and their mom will have to meet conditions to be able to have a monitored contact, which won't happen, but we let them know we try.”

That’s what happened in Tori’s case.

She told me that when the ninety days approaching she developed anxiety, but that she was given an excuse why the ninety days had to be extended.

That continued to be extended until it was more than two years before she saw her mom again.

She only saw her mom in May of 2023, because she turned eighteen, and she aged out.

She said she left her father’s house on her eighteenth birthday, and she has not gone back since.

The court claims that she has an excellent relationship with her father. Here is part of the same recent court order.

They were calm, polite, and respectful. The children were excelling in school and in their extracurricular activities. They both reported having close and healthy relationships with Father and that they had all of their needs met. The reunification between Father and the children had been successful.

Here’s how Tori described this so-called perfect relationship in her declaration.

The past two years while exclusively living with my father I was extremely unnerved, anxious, and fearful when I was in his home to the point I couldn’t eat and even had to miss school numerous times.

Father’s angry behavior continued during the last two years when Marcus and I were living with him. When my father is angry, he will frequently throw things such as plates, dishes and silverware. He also frequently rages and yells at me and my brother. He paces around the room with his hands in fists and swears and talks to himself loudly. It is extremely unnerving to be around. He frequently gets in our faces to intimidate us. He has blocked me in the doorway for years when he talks to me, so there is no way for me to exit. This has caused me to panic to a point of calling 911 in 2018. He did this to me extremely often, nearly every time he talked to me, even since I turned 18 (the night of my birthday and on occasion when I visit {her brother}). Experts will tell you this is clearly domestic violence.

Tori said that in August 2021 she had a panic attack, caused by the stress of living with an abusive parent.

Rather than being taken to a pediatrician, she was taken to Julie Skakoon. The court appointed Skakoon to be the therapeutic interventionist. Skakoon was also appointed to David Segui’s case. Here’s how Tori described her meetings with Skakoon in her declaration.

In August of 2021, I had what I now believe was a panic attack at school. During class, I started not to feel good and my face started to feel numb and tingling, so I went to the nurse’s office. I was shaking a lot when I was laying down and then I couldn't really get words out--- like I forgot how to talk. They called my father and eventually his fiancé came and picked me up, but I had to wait a long time in the nurse’s office and by the time she got there the school day was almost over. I got home and I was trying to ask for food, but I couldn't even make out words. My head was throbbing. I went to go lay down and fell asleep for a little while. When I woke up I threw up.

I wanted to see the pediatrician, but my father made me see Julie Skakoon instead. Julie Skakoon was a Building Family Bridges aftercare counselor or similar title. I had only met her two other times, after Building Family Bridges, and a couple of times years prior. Being around Julie was never therapeutic, but always interrogating and traumatizing on me. I tried to report the times I was abused to Julie in the times I did meet with her, but she completely disregarded what I said and told me I was lying.

I reached out to Skakoon by email, but she did not respond.

Tori escaped, having turned eighteen, but her brother is still in danger.

Besides Skakoon and Stromfors, this case and David Segui’s case shares two other people who were court appointed: Diana Vigil and Dr. Raymond Branton.

David, like in this case, was accused of parental alienation after his kids disclosed abuse against their mom.

I reached out to Vigil and Branton, but neither responded… TO ME.

Dr. Branton did respond, in a group email, to several people on this case. Here is part of that email.

Parties and Counselors,

Below is an email from a so-called "investigative journalist," Michael Volpe.  Obviously I did not contact him back.  However, I'm extremely concerned that this individual is even contacting me about this case.  Please tell me who contacted or has communicated with Volpe about this case and what information or narrative has been provided already to Volpe.  To be clear, I do not give Volpe permission to continue to contact me, I will not respond to him, and I do not recommend anyone talk to him about this case. 

For your information, I consider Volpe to be an unethical hack, as he has harassed others in the past and seems to have no problem making assumptions and believing false narratives, and then trying to publish (or present online) those false narratives and opine about things he clearly does not understand or about which he does not have all the facts.  By the way, upon research, it seems that several of his previously published stories have had to be retracted by the organizations that published them because it was found that Volpe included false and inaccurate information.  In my opinion, he is akin to an "ambulance-chaser" and I caution anyone that might be interacting with him or providing him with information.  I certainly do not think it is appropriate to interact with him specifically about this case (if anyone has already done so or is planning to) and I will be providing this information to the Court and asking the Court to consider a gag-order regarding this case.  

Dr. Branton

Dr. Branton seemed traumatized, so it’s only fair to share the email that traumatized him. Here is the email I sent him.

Hello,

My name is Michael Volpe. I'm an investigative journalist, and I run this site. 

I am working on a story about a child custody case from Maricopa County: Erik Nielsen Vs Angela Nielsen. Case no. FC 2011-006226. Dr. Raymond Branton has been appointed to be a therapeutic interventionist in this case. I'd love to speak to Dr. Branton about this case, or in general. 

I can be reached here or on my cell phone

Hopefully, he’ll recover. Most of what Dr. Branton said was his opinion- and he’s entitled to it- but I did want to ask him about all the articles he claimed I had retracted.

He again responded- though, again, not to me.

Parties and Counselors - 

See the reactionary email that Volpe just sent me below after I emailed you all yesterday.  My assumption is that Mother immediately forwarded the email I sent to all of you to Volpe.  If that is incorrect Angela, please let me know - otherwise I will assume it is Angela that is in communication with Volpe.  This seems to correlate with the last in-person session that I had with Angela, in which she made horrible and untrue accusations toward me (and Joel Covert) and in which she named other individuals - which Volpe had been involved with in the past and in which Volpe had attempted to contact me about in the past as well.  Again, do not have Volpe contact me.  I recommend that nobody is talking to Volpe (or anyone else) about confidential matters, and I will be submitting this to the Court and the Court can determine what to do with it.  If Volpe continues to harass me with unwanted communications, I will take action toward that end as well.  Dr. Branton

I look forward to his lawsuit. Here’s what Tori said about the lovely and talented Dr. Branton in her declaration.

Dr. Branton then got involved in our case. I had three one-on-one meetings with him. All the meetings consisted of him talking negatively about my mom and that she was not cooperating with the process. He would say that they were trying to help her, but she wasn’t doing what they wanted.

Finally, the most recent judge on this case is Melissa Zabor.

Judge Melissa Zabor really loves child abusers

Judge Zabor was featured in a post I did in July. She presided over Rachel Cardona’s case.

Rachel’s children reported physical abuse against their father, who claimed it was parental alienation.

Judge Zabor gave him sole custody in July of 2023.

Angie Nielsen, Tori’s mom, was featured in that story.

That’s because Rachel, Angie, and Maggie Martinez all had the same three judges in a row: Judges Greg Como, Daniel Martin, and Melissa Zabor.

All three were accused of parental alienation after reporting abuse.

That’s quite a coincidence.

Update:

Dr. Branton sent a third email. This one he sent on September 25, 2023. He sent this after realizing I also left him a voicemail. The email is below.

My office just informed me that I received a voicemail from Volpe as well (and I listened to it) asking for a call back and specifically asking for me to comment on being appointed "to Angela Nielsen" as a court interventionist (interesting that he does not even know the correct terminology or realize that I'm not appointed to just work with Mother - but I'm appointed to the case on behalf of the Court).  Again, I will not respond - but this is now verging on harassment, especially since Volpe likely saw in my email to the Parties on 9-23-23 that I do not want him to contact me, nor will I respond to him.  This seems to be spiraling, and I will not tolerate efforts to distract from the TI work and intimidate me (as well as raise the TI costs - primarily to Father since he pays 90% of all of this) {emphasis mine} as the Court-appointed TI and expert to the Court.  I again request that Mother directly respond to my emails and questions, and Mother's attorney respond to schedule an urgent conference call with the attorneys (as I will submitting an update report to the Court today).  Dr. Branton.

Erik Nielsen pays 90% of Dr. Branton’s bill and Dr. Branton favors Mr. Nielsen. That must also be a coincidence. Incidentally, Allan Kassenoff was also ordered to pay most of Marc Abrams bill, and Allan was also favored by Abrams, before Abrams was removed from the controversial case.

Judge Lubell appointed Dr. Abrams as the “neutral” custody evaluator to determine who should have custody of the Kassenoff girls – the father or the mother. 

Allan Kassenoff, the father, would pay 80 percent of his fee, and the mother, Catherine, would pay 20 percent. 

There was nothing neutral about Abrams either.