Aware Parenting Institute's Profile

Aletha Solter is a Swiss/American developmental psychologist, who is recognized internationally as an expert on attachment, trauma, and non-punitive discipline. She studied with the Swiss psychologist, Jean Piaget, at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, where she obtained a Master's degree in human biology in 1969. She then earned a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1975, after which she taught psychology at the University of California and conducted research for a few years.

When her first child was born in 1977 (following a traumatic birth) she did not find any parenting books that advocated attachment-style parenting and non-punitive discipline while taking into account the impact of stress and trauma on children's development. The first book she wrote, The Aware Baby (first published in 1984, revised in 2001), is the one that she wished she had had as a new mother. The Aware Baby has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide. Its sequel, Helping Young Children Flourish, describes this same approach, covering the age range from two to eight years. Her third book is Tears and Tantrums. Her fourth book, Raising Drug-Free Kids, was published in September 2006.

Her books have been translated into several languages, and she has also written workbooks to accompany her first two, as well as numerous articles for parents and professionals.

Dr. Solter has given talks and led workshops for parents and professionals in twelve countries, and has appeared on TV in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South Africa. She also offers consultations for parents, specializing in coaching for parent/child therapy. In 1990 she founded The Aware Parenting Institute, which now has over 50 certified instructors in many countries. Her goal is to help create a non-violent world in which all children are allowed to attain their full potential. With the tools of Aware Parenting, she is confident that parents can raise their children to be competent, compassionate, non-violent, and drug free. She also knows that parenting is a difficult job and that parents deserve recognition, information, and support.

Dr. Solter is a member of several professional organizations, including the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH), and the International Center for the Study of Psychology and Psychiatry (ICSPP).

She lives in Goleta, California, and is available for talks, workshops, and consultations (by phone or in person). She can be contacted by e-mail or by phone.

Please note that she does not have the time to answer the numerous personal e-mail queries that she receives from parents around the world.

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