As a psychologist, Rob worked with children, adolescents and families.

When not rafting, he enjoyed hiking, cross-country skiing, and generally being in the outdoors. In 1988 he decided to combine his passions and started the Catherine Freer Wilderness Therapy Expeditions for adolescents, an outdoor therapy program. The program was named for his dear friend Catherine, a world-class mountain climber.

The Freer Program became a highly-regarded outdoor treatment program for adolescents. In 2014, Rob was awarded the highest recognition given by the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council - the Eagle award - with special recognition for his pioneering work in outcome research, which is now standard practice.

Another passion of Rob’s was helping struggling local families. Together, he and Ingrid worked for 35 years helping families with children at risk for out-of-home placement and other issues. This work was done under contract primarily with Child Welfare and covered Linn and Benton counties. They both greatly enjoyed working with the clients as well as supervising a dedicated team of outreach workers. This program continues today as Intensive Family Services. Over the years, he started and ran several other innovative social service and counseling programs and also had a private counseling practice.