Aletha Solter, Ph.D.

Founder and Director of The Aware Parenting Institute

Aletha Solter's biography

Organizations that have sponsored her workshops

Professional articles

Family photos

Aletha Solter's biography

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 60 certified instructors in thirteen 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.

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 (solter@awareparenting.com) or by phone at (805) 968-1868.

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. Please click here for information about her consultations and fees, or go to our Parent Support Page.

Organizations that have sponsored Dr. Solter's workshops

Following is a partial list of organizations that have sponsored her presentations:

In Austria:

Eltern-Kind-Zentrum (Kirchdorf).

In Australia:

Queensland Baptist Counseling Service (Brisbane)

Yogababy (Brisbane)

Kindred Magazine

Nature's Child (Byron Bay)

Kyabra and Lighthouse Resources (Brisbane)

Queensland Department of Child Safety

Save the Children Australia, Queensland Division

Parenting With Presence (near Byron Bay)

St. Lukes Innovative Resources (Bendigo, Victoria)

In Belgium:

Ecole des Parents et des Educateurs de Belgique (Brussels).

In Canada:

Centre Premier Berceau (Montreal)

In France:

Centre Nascita du Nord (Lille).

Etablissement public départemental des soins, d'adaptation et d'éducation. (Lille).

Groupe de Recherche sur L'Education des Jeunes et des Enfants (Valence).

Coeur de Famille (Pau).

La Cause des Parents (Lyon).

In Germany:

Beratungsstelle für Natürliche Geburt (Munich).

Die Wiege (Sulz).

In Mexico:

Música Prenatal (Mexico City).

In the Netherlands:

Netherlands Effectiveness Training (Amsterdam).

Nederlands Instituut voor Zorg en Welzijn.

In South Africa:

South African Institute of Cranial Studies (Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg)

In Spain:

Centro del Profesorado y de Recursos (Avilés)

Espacio Creativo (Guadalajara)

In Switzerland:

Forum Geburt (Zurich).

Naissance Active (Geneva).

Institut de Formation des Parents (Lausanne).

In the United Kingdom:

Change Strategies (Sheffield).

In the United States:

National Association for the Education of Young Children.

California Association for the Education of Young Children

Association for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health.

Association for the Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children.

International Primal Association (keynote speaker).

Maryland Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools (keynote speaker).

California Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools.

Child Care Coordinating Council (Albany, New York).

Santa Barbara Community College Continuing Education (Santa Barbara, California).

Woodland Healthcare (Woodland, California).

Vacaville Unified School District (Vacaville, California).

Open Alternative School (Ventura, California).

Birth Resource Center (Santa Barbara, California).

Mothers of Multiples (Santa Barbara, California).

Santa Barbara City College Continuing Education (Santa Barbara, California).

Northampton Parents Center (Northampton, Massachusetts).

Foundation for Healthy Family Living (Sonoma, California).

Natural Childbirth and Family Clinic (Portland, Oregon).

Attachment Parenting International of San Francisco (San Francisco, California).

Santa Barbara County Head Start (Santa Barbara, California).

Point Richmond Association of Mothers (Point Richmond, California).

Heal the Hearts Foundation (Keynote speaker, Los Angeles, California).

Red Earth Waldorf Preschool (Sedona, Arizona).

Ruth Washburn Cooperative Nursery School (Colorado Springs, Colorado).

Portland Parenting Connection (Portland, Oregon).

Goleta Union School Disctict (Goleta, California).

Professional articles by Aletha Solter

Solter, A. (2008). A 2-year-old child's memory of hospitalization during early infancy. Infant and Child Development, 17, 593-605.

Solter, A. (2007). A case study of traumatic stress disorder in a 5-month-old infant following surgery. Infant Mental Health Journal, 28(1), 76-96.

Solter, A. (2001). Hold me! The importance of physical contact with infants. Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health, 15(3), 21-43.

Solter, A. (1995). Why do babies cry? Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health, 10(1), 21-43.

Solter, A. (1992). Understanding tears and tantrums. Young Children, 47(4), 64-68. (National Association for the Education of Young Children)

Pellegrino, J.W., Cantoni, V., & Solter, A. (1981). Speed, accuracy, and stretagy differences in spatial processing. Bulletin of the Psychonomics Society, 18(2), 58-59.

Solter, A. & Mayer, R.E. (1978). Broader transfer produced by guided discovery of number concepts with preschool children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 70(3), 363-371.

Click here for a list of Aletha Solter's online articles for parents.

Aletha Solter's Family Photos

Here I am with my son, Nicky, in 1977, before I began writing books. I enjoyed being a full-time mother.

This is me with my husband, Ken, and our two children: Sarah (age 1) and Nicky (age 6) This photo was taken in 1983, a year before The Aware Baby was first published.

This is my daughter, Sarah, at 6 years of age We used this photo for the cover of the first edition of Helping Young Children Flourish.

This is our family in 1994, when two of my books were in print: The Aware Baby and Helping Young Children Flourish. I like the way my son spontaneously put his arms around us for this photo. in back: Aletha, Nicky (age 17), Ken in front: Sarah (age 12)

I am a proud grandmother holding my grandson (8 weeks old) in September 2003. Three of my books were in print: The Aware Baby (revised edition), Helping Young Children Flourish, and Tears and Tantrums.

And here I am with my granddaughter in July 2007. She was born the day I flew to South Africa for a workshop tour, and I didn't see her until she was 7 weeks old. I wish I'd had a sling like that for my own babies. This was a year after Raising Drug-Free Kids was published.

That's me with both of my grandchildren in July 2007.

This page was last updated on March 26, 2009. Copyright © 1996 to 2009 by the Aware Parenting Institute.